Floyd Mayweather vs Marcos Maidana 2 Fight Time, Odds & Predictions: Who Will Win?
Undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. is set to defend his perfect record, Junior Middleweight and Welterweight boxing titles against Argentine slugger Marcos Maidana in their rematch Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The two previously met this year, back in May, where we saw Mayweather victorious via majority decision. This isn't the highly popularized Manny Pacquiao-Mayweather fight that fans wanted to see, but it will have to do for now.
According to the latest Vegas odds, Mayweather is a 1/8 favorite to successfully defend his title, but is he ripe for an upset against Maidana, who nearly beat him in their lasst match? Latin Post takes a close look at the two fighters and predicts the winner:
Floyd Mayweather (46-0)
Mayweather currently holds the Welterweight title and the Middleweight title. His record is unblemished and speaks for itself. Mayweather is 37 years old, and most people believe he will be retiring next year.
Mayweather is extremely fast and athletic, even at this late stage in his career. The secret to Mayweather's success is he always avoids getting hit. It's extremely difficult to corner Mayweather and get that knockout punch. In their last match, Maidana took Mayweather the full 12 rounds, but lost by decision.
Mayweather knows he can handle Maidana, which is why he gave him a rematch. Mayweather hasn't fought a back to back opponent since he faced José Luis Castillo in 2002. Mayweather is a smart businessman, and he knows facing Pacquiao could have resulted in his only career loss.
The most incredible stat from the first fight was punches thrown and landed. Despite the fact that Maidana threw 858 punches to Mayweather's 426, Mayweather still landed nine more punches. Mayweather landed 54 percent of his punches compared to Maidana's 26 percent.
Marcos Maidana (35-4)
Maidana comes in with a slightly smaller frame and having already lost to Mayweather. Maidana is one inch taller than Mayweather and six years younger. Maidana may seem like an extreme long shot to win, but he did take Mayweather the distance last fight in May.
The 31-year-old Argentine packs a powerful right handed punch, but the question remains, can he connect with Mayweather? Maidana fought Mayweather in this very ring in May, when he lasted all 12 rounds. Hopefully for Maidana, his story will follow that of "Rocky," a loss to Apollo Creed by decision is followed up by a knockout victory for the championship.
Despite being one inch taller, Maidana has a three-inch disadvantage when it comes to reach. Mayweather maneuvers very fast around the ring, so Maidana will have to get in close and do much of his damage to the body. This strategy will cause a lot of hits back to Maidana, but with a three-inch reach weakness, it will be his only option for a potential victory.
Maidana's weakness is that he sometime lacks endurance and stamina. He can fight a little reckless and out of control, causing his energy to deteriorate at high rounds. This time, no excuses. Maidana must be patient.
Schedule, Location
Mayweather and Maidana will square off on Saturday night at 8 p.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Predictions
As good as Maidana is, he shouldn't be able to defeat Mayweather. It's going to be extremely tough because most likely he will have to knock Mayweather out for the victory. This time Maidana must be in better condition and show better endurance. Mayweather doesn't have knockout power, but he should win by decision.
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