Maidana’s stock rises in loss to Mayweather

By makingweight - 05/04/2014 - Comments

floyd111(Photo credit: Sumio Yamada: By Daniel Hughes: The fallout from last night’s 147lb unification fight between WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr (46-0, 26 KO’s) WBA champion Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KO’s), will continue to be a subject for all fight fans to debate in the months ahead. The subject of judges’ scoring, once again be the main focus and of much head shaking.

The card that Burt A. Clements scored 117-111 to Mayweather certainly doesn’t reflect what the attending fans, commentators and pretty much anyone with a unbiased opinion witnessed. To score that fight 9-3 in rounds to Mayweather reflects that some judges really are judging on reputation, not reality.

I thought Mayweather won a close decision by a maximum two points. We all look at fights differently the cleaner work towards the end swayed it the way of Mayweather for me. The game plan of Maidana to press Mayweather back on the ropes paid early dividends, rattled his opponent and showed he used his in ring weight advantage to great effect. The inside, swarming attacks from Maidana and his fitness levels to throw such a large volume of punches, very old school tactics by a fighter that always leaves it all in the ring. Mayweather, when the action was constantly broken up by the ref Tony Weeks, looked out of his usual comfort zone and certainly looked so static at times. At 37 years old, Mayweather’s lack of movement off the ropes allowed Maidana to really ruffle noticeable.

The crowd let their feelings known at the end the once the cards had been announced. Mayweather the initial concern on his face when the first card of Michael Pernick’s read out 114-114. The relief, once Mayweather had been given a generous 116-112 by Dave Moretti, 8-4 in rounds, also does not do Maidana justice, let alone Clements 117-111, which I really have not heard anyone else come close to seeing it as ludicrously wide.

For Maidana, he takes away a $1.5 million dollar check, and the morale victory, for what it’s worth, in many fans and writers eyes.Maidana will hopefully rewarded in future purses he gives the fans their money’s worth and as he rightly said when interviewed he would happily give Floyd a rematch. Maidana had no doubt he thought he had won.

Mayweather, happy to walk away with a minimum $32 million dollars, we will see if Maidana gets the opportunity to at least earn more in a rematch, f not redemption. The history of Mayweather actually being extended in the ring, many fans feel this was a mirror image of the second Jose Luis Castillo fight. Those were two fights in which Mayweather was given difficult fights by Castillo.

Maidana has at least shown a blueprint of how you can take Mayweather out of his comfort zone. If you can remember back to the Jesus Chavez vs. Mayweather fight in 2001, Chavez also used similar tactics in throwing 925 punches in the 9 rounds the contest, and Chavez landed 185 clean shots.
The history books will show another Mayweather victory from last night, but like the stock market in boxing there is many undervalued assets. Marcos Maidana didn’t get his hand raised last night, but what he did achieve is that his in ring value has certainly.



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