Floyd Mayweather Next Fight Update: Mayweather, Maidana Prepare for Key Matchup; Two Titles at Stake
More titles will be at stake when Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana collide in their rematch on Sept. 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman announced that Mayweather will defend both his WBC welterweight and junior middleweight titles against Maidana in their second fight.
Sulaiman said that Mayweather requested to defend both world titles and they approved the proposal, saying that is their way of showing recognition to the reigning pound-for-pound king, similar to what they did to Sugar Ray Leonard 26 years ago.
WBC allowed Leonard to compete for the WBC light heavyweight and super middleweight titles during his fight against Donny Lalonde in December 1988.
"It is an important historic event, because it gives recognition to a great champion like Mayweather, and at the time (in 1988) was given to Sugar Ray Leonard," Sulaiman said via BoxingScene. "There are situations in which you should have that flexibility where you don't disrupt the development of fighters."
Sulaiman defended their decision to allow Mayweather to put both the welterweight and junior middleweight titles at stake, saying that there are no mandatory challengers for both divisions at this point.
"There is currently no mandatory challenger at welterweight and super welterweight, no boxer is getting hurt," Sulaiman said. "It's something that places Mayweather in a very exclusive group in boxing history. His loyalty to the organization has been exemplary and this is also a way to show our loyalty to him."
Meanwhile, Maidana threw another verbal job to Mayweather ahead of their highly-anticipated rematch.
The 31-year-old Argentine gave Mayweather a tough fight in their first bout on May 3 before the unbeaten champion escaped with a majority decision win.
Maidana likes his chances heading into the rematch, saying that he felt that his former opponent, Adrien Broner, is stronger than Mayweather.
"I think Broner is stronger than Mayweather and hits harder. But what I know is that Mayweather is more elastic, he can move better. I think Broner also felt physically stronger," Maidana said.
Maidana scored a monumental upset against Broner in their WBA welterweight title fight in December 2013 -- the win that gave Maidana the chance to face Mayweather earlier this year.
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