Floyd Mayweather did one of the things Saturday night that makes him the best in the world, which is to figure out what his opponent does well and neutralize it. It was enough to win by a wider margin this time against his fiercest recent foe, Marcos Maidana, than last time.
It was a far less interesting bout, of course, because Mayweather wins more easily when he avoids contact — something he does so well. He started off waterbugging around the ring and kept it up by flitting about the ring, changing direction at will, defying the notion that at 37, his legs are gone. Maidana tried to pace himself, clearly, but it served him poorly. This writer scored it eight rounds to four for Mayweather, with one of the rounds — thanks to Maidana’s alleged glove-biting in the 8th — even. Two judges had it 1116-111; another had it closer, 115-1112. Most had it wider for Mayweather.
Mayweather made a big deal of the alleged biting, and it’s possible Maidana was guilty. Mayweather said, somehow, that his hand was numb post-chomp, as if Maidana, even if he did it, could’ve bitten through Maidana’s glove to such a degree that he was able to do any nerve damage.
If anything, referee Kenny Bayless was overly officious in this fight, breaking the two of them the millisecond there was a clinch, even when Maidana had a free hand and was punching legally. Maidana demonstrated improvement in many regards — his jab was shockingly effective, he set his punches up well — but he was also prevented from doing what he wanted to, and needed to, do.
There’s still no reason to believe Maidana would’ve won had the bout been refereed correctly. The ring was, apparently, larger than last time. Mayweather dig a good job of connecting with enough hard shots while avoiding Maidana’s best shots, despite a punch at the end of the 3rd that seemed to wobble him. Maidana didn’t go all-out as much as he needed to, perhaps he was unable to from a stamina standpoint. And Bayless aided Mayweather, too. It was enough to make the outcome rather clear, unlike last time, when a draw was feasible.
Mayweather is due back next spring, yet he has no compelling, big money opponents he is willing to face. Unless he meets Manny Pacquiao, which is 99.999999 percent unlikely, there’s almost nothing there for the best fighter in the world and richest fighter in the world to enhance his money legacy by much more than usual or to enhance his ring legacy nearly at all.
(Mayweather, right, Maidana, left; Photo via Showtime)