(Awww, they’re going to be friends again. May 3, 2014; Las Vegas; Marcos Maidana [right] embraces Floyd Mayweather, Jr. following their fight at the MGM Grand. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
The rumored became reality Thursday when pound-for-pound champ and pay-per-view king Floyd Mayweather announced he would rematch Marcos Maidana in September on Showtime PPV in Las Vegas. This is OK.
It is good because Mayweather-Maidana I proved an unexpectedly worthwhile challenge for Floyd. It is good because it was a decent scrap. It is good because Maidana, by getting a draw on one official scorecard and a good number of unofficial ones, fought his ass off and didn’t get intimidated and proved he deserved another big payday. It is good because it’s one of the better bouts Mayweather could take, by several measures.
It is not so good because as much as the first bout was surprisingly competitive, Mayweather has shown in his one prior rematch that he’s got a talent for making fights easier the second time. It is not so good because it’s hard to imagine how Maidana could possibly fight any better than he did the first time, a bout in which Mayweather figured him out more and more as the fight went on anyway. It is not so good because Mayweather should’ve fought Manny Pacquiao by now. It is not so good because the first fight didn’t sell that well.
This averages out to “just fine.”
Here are some things we don’t know: What kind of gloves will Maidana be able to use, after Mayweather cockblocked the gloves he wanted at the last minute (although Maidana probably could’ve stood his ground more)? How much of a role will Mayweather play as promoter, as he only recently got licensed in New York and is working on getting licensed in Nevada, and will this be the last time he works with Golden Boy Promotions, after swearing he wouldn’t again already? Is it remotely possible that Mayweather has “gotten old,” thereby giving Maidana a chance in the rematch? How much will the PPV suffer as a result of waiting closer to the date of a fight than any of Mayweather’s PPVs to announce? Will the undercard be worth a damn?
Some of those things could shoot the event above or below the “fine” line.