Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana 2: Everything You Need to Know for Rematch

Saturday’s pay-per-view rematch between Floyd Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) and Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) is the type of fight that will be fun to watch no matter what.

Mayweather, age 37, earned a hard-fought majority decision over Maidana earlier this year in a bout almost nobody believed Maidana had a chance to be competitive in. Almost everybody, of course, was wrong, though.

Maidana, at age 30, gave the world’s best defensive fighter everything he could handle over the 12-round fight. Judges at ringside scored the bout 117-111, 116-112 and 114-114.

Maidana turned 31 in July. He finds himself in the same position as before. Almost nobody expects him to be competitive the second time either. After all, they reason, Mayweather had trouble early on in the first bout but solved Maidana’s style in the later rounds.

Will almost everybody be wrong again? Or will Mayweather simply outclass Maidana the way we all thought he would the first time?

Aaron Lowinger of TheSweetScience.com said the fight comes down to one thing: "The question is whether Marcos Maidana is merely a foil, a reason to get beat up for the fans' pleasure...or if the man from Argentina may possibly possess enough luck and brains to match his."

No matter how the fight turns out, it will be fun to see which version of the story unfolds on Saturday night in Las Vegas. No matter whom he fights, Mayweather is a joy to watch for anyone even remotely interested in the science of boxing.

And Maidana fights with such reckless and chaotic passion that it’s safe to say he’s incapable of being in a boring fight ever, even if he’s losing.

Here’s everything you need to know about Mayweather vs. Maidana 2.

The Fighters

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

The first fight was close, but Mayweather prevailed.

Mayweather and Maidana will be fighting for a multitude of world titles. Mayweather will defend his Ring Magazine, WBC and WBA welterweight titles in the bout as well as his WBC junior middleweight title.

However, the contract weight for the bout remains 147 pounds, which means the 154-pound alphabet title is simply a superfluous trinket tacked onto the event to help promoters sell it. Mayweather’s Transnational Rankings and Ring Magazine junior middleweight titles will not be on the line against Maidana.

Mayweather is the biggest star in the sport. The 37-year-old has defeated multiple future Hall of Famers in his career and has won world titles in five different weight divisions. He is a fantastic boxer who uses deft footwork and laser-like counters to keep his opponents from landing punches on him.

Mayweather doesn't believe he'll need to change anything for the second fight. "I won nine of the 12 rounds, and you guys said it was close," Mayweather told Yahoo's Kevin Iole. "But I get it. The bar is set higher for me than it is for other fighters, so it looked like it was a close fight."

He might be right. Mayweather is considered by many to be the best defensive fighter of his generation and one of the best technicians ever. While his resume doesn’t quite support his claim of being “TBE” (the best ever), he will most certainly warrant inclusion into the International Boxing Hall of Fame the moment he is eligible. Mayweather isn't just good. He's great.

Meanwhile, Maidana is the kind of guy who has a gun tattooed on his hip so that it looks like it’s in a holster when his shirt is off. As it goes with such a man, Maidana couldn’t care less about anything Mayweather has accomplished in his career or how good the American is as a technician. He just wants to fight.

What the Argentine lacks in speed and skill, he makes up for in guts and gumption. That isn’t to say Maidana isn’t a skilled fighter. He absolutely is. You don’t make it this far in the sport by being crude and unpolished. It’s only to say that in comparison to a master like Mayweather, Maidana appears a local barroom tough guy.

Heck, he’d probably like that.

But Maidana has a stiff jab that he uses wisely, and part of the trouble he gave Mayweather the first time around might very well be because he doesn’t do everything exactly by the book. Maidana throws hard, looping punches from angles not typically taught inside a boxing gym, and it’s worked wonderfully for him so far.

Maidana believes he can do better against Mayweather the second time around. "I thought at times that I was too aggressive in the first fight and I was able to let Mayweather move around a little bit too much," Maidana told Mlive.com's David Mayo. "I will be much more careful in the ring for the rematch. I won't load up so much, but instead fight fresher and with more distance."

Mayweather and Maidana will come down to whether the first fight was a fluke, or if Mayweather has just slowed down to the point that a fighter like Maidana can outwork him over the course of a fight. If both fighters are at their best, Mayweather should be able to come away the winner. But if Mayweather has slipped, Maidana has the style, gumption and punching power to hand Money the first loss of his career.

The Undercard

Associated Press

Fans dig Santa Cruz.

The Fights Before the Fight

• Super bantamweight Leo Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15 KOs) will take on Manuel Roman (17-2-3, 6 KOs) in a 12-round bout.
• Lightweight Miguel Vazquez (34-3, 13 KOs) hopes to hand Mickey Bey (20-1-1, 10 KOs) the second loss of his career in a 12-rounder.
• Middleweight Alfredo Angulo (22-4, 18 KOs) looks to get back to winning ways against James De La Rosa (20-2, 13 KOs) in a 10-round showdown.
• Junior welterweights John Molina (27-4, 22 KOs) and Humberto Soto (64-8-2, 35 KOs) are set to clash in a 10-rounder.  

What to Know

The televised undercard includes two world title bouts and the return of one of boxing’s most revered action stars.

Most notably, the card features fan favorite and offensive buzz saw Leo Santa Cruz against Manuel Roman in a 12-round bout for Cruz’s WBC super bantamweight title. Cruz is a budding star. He’s in a bit soft against Roman, so it should be mostly a showcase bout for him while he waits for a bigger name.

IBF lightweight titleholder Miguel Vazquez will defend his belt against Mickey Bey in a 12-rounder. Vazquez is vastly underrated by many fans, mostly because he fights with such an awkward style, but he’s hard to beat at 135 pounds. Bey’s lone loss was a Round 10 knockout at the hands of John Molina in 2013, a bout he was leading on all scorecards going into the final round.

Former junior middleweight title contender Alfredo Angulo squares off against James De La Rosa in a 10-round middleweight bout. Angulo is coming off consecutive knockout losses to Erislandy Lara and Canelo Alvarez, so it will be interesting to see if he has anything left.

Finally, Showtime will also televise a junior welterweight clash between John Molina and Humberto Soto. The 10-rounder will air on Mayweather vs. Maidana 2: Countdown Live immediately preceding the live PPV event.

Where to Watch

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Where will you watch the fight?

Where: MGM Grand in Las Vegas

When: Saturday, September 13 at 8 p.m. ET (note the early start time)

TV: Showtime PPV for $75 (HD)/$65 (SD); Select movie theatres via Fathom Events.

Fight Week Events (All Times Are PT)

Grand Arrivals (Tuesday, September 9)

Location: MGM Grand Hotel Lobby

• 1:45 p.m. - Humberto Soto and John Molina
• 2:00 p.m. - Alfredo Angulo and James De La Rosa
• 2:15 p.m. - Miguel Vazquez and Mickey Bey
• 2:30 p.m. - Leo Santa Cruz and Manuel Roman
• 2:45 p.m. - Marcos Maidana
• 3:00 p.m. - Floyd Mayweather

Undercard Fighter Workouts (Wednesday, September 10)

Location: MGM Grand Casino Floor outside of the KA Theatre

• 3:00 p.m. - James De La Rosa and Humberto Soto
• 3:30 p.m. - Miguel Vazquez and John Molina
• 3:30 p.m. - Alfredo Angulo and Manuel Roman
• 4:00 p.m. - Leo Santa Cruz and Mickey Bey

Fan Experience and All Access Episode 3 Viewing (Wednesday, September 10)

Location: Beacher’s Madhouse; MGM Grand at 6:00 p.m.

Official Weigh-In (Friday, September 12)

Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena

• Noon - Doors Open
• 2:30 p.m. - Weigh-in Begins 

Fight Night (Saturday, September 13)

Location: MGM Grand

• 1:30 p.m. -Doors Open and First Fight
• 4:00 p.m. - Showtime Countdown Live
• 5:00 p.m. - PPV Telecast Begins

Prediction

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

Can Mayweather get the win again?

Mayweather should win this fight, and he should do it rather easily. The only problem, of course, is that he should have done the same thing the first time and didn’t.

Therein lies the intrigue of the rematch.

Mayweather won a close, competitive fight against Maidana last time out. If Round 1 of the rematch looks similar to the second half of the last fight, expect an easy win for the champion.

But if Maidana comes out firing on all cylinders like he did before, and if Mayweather has the same kinds of trouble with Maidana’s style, be ready for another barnstormer.

Mayweather is 37 years old. While he’s still at the pinnacle of the sport, there’s no question that he’s not the same fighter he was in his early 30s. Still, the incomparable technician is good enough to slip by the likes of Maidana, even on a bad day.

That’s not a knock on his opponent. Rather, it’s a testament to Mayweather’s skill.

Unless he’s fallen down into the doldrums of old age overnight, expect Mayweather to win again by close but clear decision.