Boxing News: Mayweather vs Maidana

The Fight
 
Marcos Maidana picked up a huge wave of momentum for this fight. It seems to me that Floyd had already picked Khan for this fight, but when all things were considered he needed and wanted Maidana. First Maidana beat Adrian Broner a very close friend of Mayweather's, but he also beat a fighter who looked somewhat like Floyd in the ring. Although, Broner is nothing more than a cheap knockoff. Floyd had to be a little pissed after "Little Brother" got his ass kicked. When people started asking the question, can he do that to Floyd too? It made the fight happen regardless of Khan and whatever deals had been made.

How Maidana Can Beat Mayweather

The first thing he must do is pressure Mayweather without running out of gas. His hand speed must be better than it has ever been. Last but not least are punching angles. If he can put constant pressure on Mayweather and hit him quick from good angles it's possible. Those are all the reasons the Pacquiao supporters believe he can beat Mayweather. Canelo has more power than Maidana, and he couldn't knock Mayweather out. I think Maidana has to do the things I said above and fight like everyone expected Pac-Man to fight him.

Ideal Strategy for Floyd to Defeat Maidana 

Floyd was going to fight Khan who has real good hand speed but also a weak chin. He was looking to counter Khan and get the knockout. That isn't going to happen with Marcos Maidana. He is still going to counter him and try to get him in deep waters, but Maidana has the chin to withstand Mayweather's best shots. Maidana went over the top of Broner's shoulder roll and punched him solidly many times throughout the night. He will not do that to Floyd or he will pay for it.



Maidana vs Khan 

 

The first thing you notice is that neither of these two guys look like they could beat Mayweather. You can bet that when he watched this fight he knew he could beat either one of them. Khan is fast but there are all kinds of openings that Mayweather would expose. Maidana will not walk Mayweather down like he did Khan. If he thought Khan had speed that surprised him, well then he's in for a huge surprise against Floyd. Maidana will need to be faster than he's ever been before.

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Hopkins Wins Split Decision Over Shumenov

Bernard Hopkins vs Beibut Shumenov 

Before the fight began I thought that Bernard Hopkins should retire. I mean he's 49 years old. Is it possible to be effective in boxing at that age? The answer to that question is yes. Bernard Hopkins defeated Shumenov by a split decision. This proved Hopkins can still challenge the best fighters in the division. I'm not so sure that he should keep doing so, but he can clearly still throw the leather with the best of them.

This shouldn't have been a split decision but one judge thought Shumenov won the fight. I don't see how and didn't even have it that close. I thought Hopkins won the fight easily winning at least 9 of 12 rounds. Hopkins even dropped Shumenov in the 11th round. Hopkins was not happy with the one judge after the fight, but he got the victory the belts.

Shawn Porter vs Paulie Malignaggi

Paulie should have been in the booth calling a Shawn Porter fight with someone else, because he got beat down like he stole something. Paulie said he was just another average fighter before the fight, however when it was all said and done he was destroyed in four rounds. Porter was faster and stronger than Paulie and it was clear from the opening bell. Shawn Porter is the real deal at 147.

Malignaggi was cut in the first round. He was quick, but Porter was still beating him to the punch. He got full extension on his punches, and landed several shots early that told all spectators that he would be knocking Paulie out before 12 rounds went by. After the fight Malignaggi said if he had to make the decision right there he'd retire. He probably should unless he wants to be a stepping stone for up and coming fighters.



Retire or Not 

Bernard Hopkins proved he still has the tools to win at 49. He could continue to fight on, however I don't think he should. He's accomplished more than most fighters could ever dream of doing. He could walk away now and he's on top. There is no reason to fight until he loses, because then everyone is going to be saying he should have already retired. I could see he wasn't the fighter he once was. He's not even the fighter he was when he beat Jones and Tarver. If he doesn't want to end it now he'll be a tough fight for anyone.

Paulie in a losing effort looked horrible. Shawn Porter didn't help him, but either way he didn't look like a championship caliber fighter. He really fits in well as a broadcaster for Showtime. I think he should focus on calling fights and not entering them. He looked good against Judah and Broner, but against the championship level fighters he doesn't. Why should he hang around and be some journeyman fighter? His career is a little better than that. 

 

Manny Pacquiao Beats Tim Bradley: Will Mayweather Fight Him Now?

The Fight

When it was all said and done Saturday night I had Manny further ahead than the judges. After the first round I thought he owned Bradley. I know there were a couple of close rounds early, but I scored those for Manny despite him taking a few power shots from Tim. Overall Manny outpointed him the entire night. I thought Manny clearly won the first fight, and in the rematch he clearly beat him again.

Bradley clearly entered the fight looking for the knockout. His aggressive approach actually surprised Pacquiao. It won him the first round but Pac-Man took over from their and outpointed him the rest of the way. Manny was able to get the great punching angles and punished him all night.

What's Next

Tim Bradley needs to take the next best fight available. They immediately began talking about a third fight between Bradley and Paquiao. That would be better for Bradley than it would Pacquiao. I personally don't want to see a third fight because it's really 2-0 Pacquiao.

I think that Manny has shown that he's the next viable opponent for Floyd Mayweather. It's clear that Manny is the best fight if or when he beats Maidana. I had to agree when Floyd said that a fight with Pac-Man had lost it's luster after the surprising knockout from Marquez and the bad decision in the first Bradley fight. However, it would be hard to say he hasn't clearly worked his way back into the number two spot.

Floyd Wants No Part of the Pac-Man

I have always said that I believed Mayweather could beat Pacquiao if the fight were ever to happen. The fight won't though because Mayweather doesn't want to get into a war that the fight would end up being. He'd be taking a chance late in his career that would diminish his legacy. What he fails to realize is that a win against Pacquiao would put him in the conversation of best ever. I currently have him on the fringe of greatness. A win over Pac-Man would be all that he needed to be listed among Ray Robinson and the best boxers of all time.

He's not going to take the chance. Floyd is going to finish fighting lesser competition and hope because he's undefeated that people will rank him among the greatest. Finishing undefeated has it's benefits, but who thinks Marciano was better than Muhammad Ali or Lennox Lewis? At the end of the day it's who you fight. The fight with Pacquiao has become so big that Mayweather has to make it happen. It will actually hurt his legacy to not have the win or loss on his final record. If the fight never happens it will overshadow all the great wins on his record.