Does Maidana have more than a puncher’s chance against Mayweather Jr?

By Boxing News - 04/01/2014 - Comments

maidana6768ByM. Malik: There is no doubt that WBA welterweight champion Marcos Maidana (35-3, 31 KO’s) is probably the most deserving of the fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. I(45-0, 26 KO’s) at the moment. Certainly more than Amir Khan, even though styles make fights, and I think Khan would give Floyd more problems. But Maidana did it the hard way and earned his shot against Mayweather Jr.

Let’s look at Maidana’s last few opponents since his loss to Devon Alexander. He fought Jesus Soto Karass, Martin Martinez, Josesito Lopez, and Adrien Broner. He won all bouts via TKO or KO except for his fight against Adrien Broner. We all know what happened in that fight. Broner was knocked down twice, and the referee came very close to stopping the fight in the second round.

Anyone who has been following Maidana’s career knows that he has become a different fighter since hiring Robert Garcia as his coach. He is using his jab a lot more, his head movement has gotten better, and he is quicker on his feet. With all said, how much chance should one give him against Mayweather Jr.?

I must say that I don’t think he has more than a puncher’s chance. Just look at what happened to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez -who is bigger, stronger and much quicker than Maidana. It is only safe to say that Floyd shouldn’t have any trouble dismantling Maidana. I am expecting a knock out win for Floyd, and it’s been 6 and a half year since his last TKO win against Ricky Hatton, unless off course you see his KO win against Victor Ortiz as a real KO.

The truth is that many of us would like to see Floyd lose, or at the very least, struggle against someone for a change. Only fighter who has given him any trouble in recent times is Miguel Cotto. Even though Floyd clearly won that fight, Miguel Cotto was the only fighter in recent memory to land few good shots and possibly win a few rounds against Floyd. Boxing is a business, and even though Amir Khan has done nothing spectacular in the last couple of years; his popularity and a large fan base had made him a viable candidate for a fight against Floyd. As I’ve said before, Amir Khan could make it interesting for the first couple of rounds, but then Floyd will surely figure him out. So, does anyone out there have more than a punchers’ chance against Floyd?

It is almost impossible to suggest candidates for a fight against Floyd and not mention Manny Pacquiao. I think that fight should have taken place between: 2009-2010. I don’t think Manny is the same fighter anymore, and Floyd wins quite comfortably. I would rather see someone like Keith Thurman get a chance even though he has yet to beat an elite fighter. He can move, box and has a one punch knockout power. But he is still building his fan base, and I am not sure if Golden Boy will be able to generate enough interest for a fight between Keith Thurman and Floyd before his (Mayweather Jr.) retirement. I would also love to see Genneday Golovkin come down to 154 and fight Floyd.

I would give him the best chance out of all the fighters. Even though one can argue that he has yet to face and beat an elite fighter. I still think that he presents the toughest challenge for Floyd. Golovkin (GGG) fights on HBO and Floyd obviously fights on Showtime. Therefore, the rivalry between Showtime and HBO would certainly prevent the fight from taking place. The question remains: Does Floyd Mayweather Jr. simply cruises to 49-0, or will we see someone hand Mayweather Jr. an “L” before he hangs up his gloves?



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