Floyd Mayweather-Marcos Maidana rematch announced

In a rematch that has "Mayweather unanimous decision" written all over it, Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana have agreed to fight once more in a bout billed as “MAYHEM: Mayweather versus Maidana II.”  This welterweight world championship fight will take place Saturday, September 13, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and will be shown live on Showtime PPV.

The first Mayweather-Maidana clash was interesting even before it started, as the two argued on the eve of the fight over what gloves Maidana could bring to the ring.  Maidana did not get to use the gloves of his choice, but was compensated an additional hefty sum for his troubles.

Maidana, a 12-to-1 underdog, gave Mayweather some difficulty early in the fight, as his awkward punch angles and overall aggression had Mayweather against the ropes and in harm's way for long stretches.

“The rematch with Mayweather is the only fight that really motivates me,” said Maidana. “I feel I earned it in the ring and Floyd owed it to me. I’ve already proved that I don’t care if the man I have in front of me is the best pound-for-pound champion. I was close to ending his reign last time. On September 13 he will not get away undefeated.”

Mayweather, it could be argued, intentionally allowed himself to fight with his back against the ropes during those early rounds, as he claimed that he wanted to make things interesting for the fans.

In the last half of the fight however, Mayweather adapted by boxing and nullifying his opponent's flurries, and consequently, he dominated late en route to a majority decision (114-114, 117-111, 116-112) .

As such, one could easily imagine Mayweather staying outside, boxing, and cruising to an easy points decision in the rematch, regardless of what gloves Maidana wears.

“Marcos Maidana is a tough customer and he gave me a fight that had me work for the victory,” said Mayweather. “His style is difficult at best, but with experience comes a way and will to win. I’m not one to give second chances in the ring, but I want to give the fans what they want to see. I will be as prepared as I always am when I step in the ring on September 13. I only see the outcome one way and that’s another successful night for me and my team.”

Therein lies the problem -- despite the excitement of their first fight, Mayweather already has figured out Maidana, and will likely dominate if he chooses to box him again.  Moreover, there is no reason to think that Maidana can bring anything new to the table, other than perhaps more puncher-friendly gloves.

It's an unfortunate development for fans of the sport who might only have three more chances to see Mayweather before is expected retirement.  Mayweather-Maidana II constitutes Floyd's fourth fight in his six-bout deal with Showtime.

With Richard Schaefer now gone from Golden Boy, and with Golden Boy's Oscar De La Hoya reaching out to Top Rank and looking to end their feud for the good of the sport, there was some hope that maybe Mayweather might expand his pool of opponents and perhaps work around any potential television conflicts with HBO and Showtime.

Apparently, such thoughts were nothing more than wishful thinking.

Instead of the Manny Pacquiao fight everyone wants to see, or even an intriguing matchup with Tim Bradley, we get a fight whose likely outcome we can already predict.

In the end, such decisions help Floyd's low-risk money machine, but hurt his legacy, despite the constant spin coming from his camp.  Unfortunately, when the opportunity to make the right fight is not taken, sometimes it never presents itself again.

There was a time when Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams would have been dangerous and fantastic opposition for Mayweather, but today, for medically-related reasons, neither fight can be made.

Likewise, the long-delayed Pacquiao bout still is the most interesting fight out there for Floyd, but at some point -- perhaps a mediocre performance from either guy -- even that bout's shelf life might expire.

Ultimately, with only three fights left on his deal, Mayweather should have found a more challenging opponent for the good of the sport.

On another note, the fight is being promoted by Golden Boy, the same promotional outfit that Mayweather and right hand man Leonard Ellerbe only weeks ago claimed they would never work with again.  Such talk quickly took a backseat when the pair realized that their wallets could be negatively impacted.

“This will be another great test for Floyd as Marcos Maidana is hungry to prove he can not only give Floyd a good fight, but redeem his loss and hand Floyd his first defeat,” said Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “It will be another great fight and action-packed evening for the fans.”

Floyd “Money” Mayweather, (46-0, 26 KOs) is an 11-time world champion in five weight divisions, whose speed, defensive prowess, and ability to adapt to his opponents have carried him to an undefeated record. Mayweather has continued to rack up the accolades since defeating Maidana, as he has been nominated for “Best Male Athlete” and “Fighter of the Year” at this year’s ESPN ESPY Awards.

Thirty-year-old Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs), a soft-spoken brawler from Argentina, put himself back on the map with a dominant victory over up-and-coming Adrien Broner.  In 2012, Maidana joined forces with renowned trainer Robert Garcia (2012 Trainer of the Year) and has since gone 4-1 (3 KO's), with his only loss coming at the hands of Mayweather.
 
Ticket information and information about an upcoming five-city, cross-country press tour starting this Monday, July 14, will be announced shortly by the promoters.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services