Mayweather vs. Maidana 2: Fight Predictions Based on 'All Access' Series

On Saturday, August 30, Showtime broadcast its first episode of All Access, which documents the buildup to Floyd "Money" Mayweather's rematch with Marcos "El Chino" Maidana on September 13.

The second installment of All Access premiered on Saturday, September 6. Both episodes provided a cursory look into both fighters' professional and social lives as they prepare for battle.

While primarily a marketing tool for the fight, the All Access series does afford some useful information for handicapping Mayweather’s rematch against Maidana.

In their first fight in May, Mayweather won via majority decision. This fight captured the attention of boxing audiences because many believe that Maidana gave Mayweather the toughest test of his career. This point of view was bolstered by fight judge Michael Pernick, who scored the bout a draw at 114-114.

Maidana's brawling style pushed the pace and gave fight fans a rare vision of someone offering the undefeated Mayweather stiff competition. As a result, Maidana was granted a rematch with Mayweather.

Going into the rematch, fans and pundits alike wonder if Maidana can accomplish what no one else in professional boxing has—a victory against Mayweather.

The two episodes of Showtime's All Access just might give some insight into answering this question. 

Episode 1 showed what Mayweather learned from his first fight with Maidana—nothing.

Considering that Maidana dominated Mayweather in the early rounds of their first fight, one might think that Mayweather might have learned to respect Maidana's tenacity, toughness and punching power, but that wasn't the case.

In footage from one of their early press engagements, Mayweather said, "This easy work right here" in reference to Maidana. This could have simply been bravado from Mayweather, but I believe he is unaware of how dominant Maidana was in the early going of their first fight.

Mayweather's ego might be so inflated that he is unable to give an unbiased evaluation of his performance against Maidana, which could indicate that pride might come before the fall for Money.

Also, in Episode 1, Maidana's trainer, Robert Garcia, made an interesting point: "For the first fight we only had five weeks of training. This time we have [sic] full eight weeks."

Maidana came close to beating Mayweather in their first fight, but an extra three weeks to train could give El Chino the extra edge he needs to beat Mayweather. It definitely suggests that we could see Maidana in better shape the second time around.

The first episode also revealed that Maidana switched strength and conditioning coaches. Maidana hired Raul Robles to take the place of Alex Ariza. Robert Garcia presented his rationale for the switch, "He (Alex Ariza) thought what he did was more important."

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A change in coaches might be beneficial for Maidana, but it could also be detrimental if the switch was brought on based on a personal rift between Garcia and Ariza instead of performance. Ariza is highly regarded as a strength and conditioning coach in the sport of boxing. 

Garcia also said that he felt Maidana came into the first fight too heavy, and that negatively impacted Maidana's speed. This could indicate that El Chino will enter the rematch at a lighter weight. This might allow him to be quicker and better conditioned, but it could also reduce his punching power. 

Episode 2 of All Access started off by focusing on Mayweather's training environment. While at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, the camera crew didn't capture many shots of Mayweather training but instead showed him match-making between his stable of fighters. He had a full entourage that encircled the ring as several amateur boxers slugged it out for pride. While they showed a lot of heart and spirit, Mayweather played the role of referee.

Mayweather's training camp seemed more like a circus rather than a place for him to hone his skills before the fight.

Mayweather never allows cameras to film his sparring sessions, but they did start filming him immediately after sparring. It appeared as if Mayweather was covered in his sparring partner's blood. Billionaire Warren Buffett was ringside during the session, and cameras showed specks of blood, presumably from Mayweather's sparring partner, peppering Buffet's clothing.

It seems like while surrounded by a chaotic training environment, Mayweather still manages to get in some quality work. Some people thrive in chaos. It looks like Mayweather is one of them. 

Later on in Episode 2, Robert Garcia was joined by several family members, most notably his father Eduardo Garcia, as they viewed the first fight between Mayweather and Maidana in a strategy session.

The patriarch of the family, Eduardo Garcia, offered his two cents on how Maidana should approach the rematch: "Now that he’s (Maidana) sparring for 12 rounds, I want to see him do as well in the 12th as he does in the first.”

Maidana's team has made a concerted effort to focus on his conditioning going into the rematch.

In summation, look for the rematch to be just as competitive as the first fight. Expectations for an entertaining fight should be high.

Mayweather will enter this fight looking good as usual, but Maidana will be in the best shape of his life. On fight night he will be leaner, but I don't think the weight loss will affect his punching power. For a man his size, Maidana has massive, heavy hands. He is the hardest puncher in the welterweight division.

With that being said, Mayweather is still the best boxer in the world. His ability to make opponents miss will be his saving grace. Maidana's stamina will be much improved when he steps into the ring on Saturday, but all the training in the world won't allow him to throw nonstop punches for 12 rounds. He will eventually hit a wall, and that's when Mayweather will collect points on the cards.

This fight might be closer than the first, but if it comes down to a decision, Mayweather will win. He's too technically savvy to drop a decision to a brawler like Maidana.

Unfortunately, El Chino's only chance at winning this fight is by way of knockout, which isn't likely. He has the power to knock out Mayweather, but I doubt that he will be able to land cleanly on Money.

Look for this fight to be more entertaining and competitive than the first, but also expect it to follow the same outline. Mayweather's hand will once again be raised in victory for the 47th time of his career.