Mayweather vs. Maidana 2 Results: Reliving Best Moments from Money's Victory
Just like the first 46 times Floyd Mayweather Jr. stepped into the ring, he ended up stepping out as a winner on Saturday.
In a second bout with Marcos Maidana—whom he rematched after a less convincing, majority-decision victory back in May—Mayweather left no doubt of the result with a masterful 12-round display to beat the Argentine via unanimous decision at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Dan Rafael of ESPN noted the judges' final cards, with Mayweather posting an easy victory in terms of the score:
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Mayweather was leaps and bounds ahead of his performance against Maidana some four months prior, but it was still far from a walk in the park for the undefeated champion.
Let's get right to it and break down the best—and in some cases, worst—moments from the Mayweather vs. Maidana rematch.
Back-and-Forth Early Rounds
Maidana caught his world-renowned opponent by surprise back in May with a strong start. It may not have come as a shock to Mayweather this time, but Maidana again proved dangerous in the early rounds.
Hoping to avoid letting his opponent gain that early momentum, Mayweather was active with his footwork and strong jabs to respond to Maidana's aggressive nature. That allowed him to gain an early lead in Round 1, per Rafael:
But it didn't take long after that for Maidana to assert himself as a serious contender yet again to Mayweather's crown.
The Argentine hung in there in the second round, seeming to level things up after a lopsided opening round by starting to connect with some answers on Mayweather's chin. In Round 3, he caught the champion with a surprising punch to set the tone, as ESPN's Stephen A. Smith recounted:
Mayweather bounced back in Round 4 but not enough to dampen the spirits of Maidana, who continued his strong start, as ESPN's Robert Flores noted:
As is typically the case when Mayweather fights, his lightning-fast movement and timely counterattacks eventually wore his opponent down. But early on, the warning signs were there for another tough test for Mayweather.
"The Bite"
What would a Mayweather fight be without a dose of controversy?
In the eighth round, Mayweather had convincingly taken control of the fight after Maidana's early surge. His strong footwork and movement were wearing Maidana down, and the momentum was turning toward another Mayweather decision victory as he looked to cruise in the final rounds.
Then this happened, per Bleacher Report:
Mayweather claimed Maidana bit him in the hand during the eighth round, and the fight resumed anyway with no convincing evidence to prove Mayweather's argument.
After the fight, Mayweather told Showtime Sports that his hand went numb:
With a glove covering Mayweather's hand and a mouthpiece in Maidana's mouth, the doubts grew, with Money May not showing any physical signs of an injury. But Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop was convinced after watching the replay:
Despite the evidence, Maidana refused to admit he bit Mayweather, per Boxing Channel:
Mayweather is no stranger to controversy both inside and outside of the ring, and it wasn't surprising that he was doubted by some upon making the accusation. But it wouldn't be the craziest thing that has happened in the ring.
Mike Tyson can attest to that.
Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao Bout Gains Steam
It's the boxing match that most everyone who has followed the sport in this generation craves, but it never seems to come to fruition—Mayweather against longtime rival Manny Pacquiao.
However, it feels more realistic than it's been in years after Mayweather's statement on Saturday and a dwindling slate of other worthy fighters to schedule.
Much of that had to do with this quote, per FightNights.com:
Mayweather and Pacquiao have been on the cusp of facing off multiple times in the past, with everything from Money May's lopsided wage demands to drug-testing protocols hanging up the discussions. It looked far from likely when Pacquiao lost two straight fights to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, but he's since avenged the loss to Bradley and convincingly beaten Brandon Rios.
The 35-year-old's decline now seems to be exaggerated, making more ducks from Mayweather nothing but a cop-out—at least, that's what Evander Holyfield told Michael Woods of TheSweetScience.com:
While there were lots of rumblings about the potential matchup after Saturday's fight, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix notes why it's still a pipe dream:
Mayweather is a perfect 47-0, but it's tough to argue that his career wouldn't include a significant asterisk if he fails to fight Pacquiao. Amir Khan would be a strong boxer to schedule next for Mayweather, but other than him, Pacquiao has to be the obvious choice.
If it's money that is keeping a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight from happening, Money May might want to swallow the bullet and take a few less bucks in the hope of solidifying his unblemished career.
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