Floyd Mayweather vs Marcos Maidana Rematch & Next Fight: Mayweather Says Opponent Has No KO Power With Legal Gloves
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is confident that he will score a convincing win in his upcoming rematch against Marcos Maidana on Sept. 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mayweather, who scored a majority decision win in their first showdown in May, said that he is not worried about Maidana's punching power, despite scoring 31 knockouts in his 35 victories.
The reigning pound-for-pound king said that Maidana's high knockout rate was a product of using gloves with no padding, similar to the pair of gloves the 31-year-old Argentine planned to use in their first showdown.
"It's obvious he's been getting a lot of knockouts by fighting with gloves with no padding, which I don't feel is safe for me or for him," Mayweather said via BoxingScene. "Both fighters should be safe and be protected, even though it's a brutal sport. This is not a bareknuckle brawl, this is not MMA. This is about professional boxing at its highest."
The first fight was almost called off after Mayweather complained about the lack of padding in the Everlast MX gloves Maidana wanted to use in their first fight. Even though the gloves was approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Maidana was forced to use a different set of Everlast gloves.
"In the sport of boxing it's all about protecting both parties," Mayweather said. "Life after boxing, I care about my life after boxing. It's about being on an even playing field. Some fighters in the past, some fighters have died in the ring from gloves that wasn't padded. The only thing I want to do is be on an even playing field."
Maidana recently confirmed that the gloves issue was not discussed during the negotiation and he is still hoping that he will be allowed to wear his usual gloves. But if not, the former WBA welterweight champion said that he will still be ready to defeat Mayweather.
"If I'm going to beat him, I'm going to beat him no matter what gloves I use," Maidana said. "I would like to use my gloves. So that's not the important factor. If I'm going to beat him, I'm going to beat him one way or the other."
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