One Hit Wonder: Maidana's chance against Mayweather

Marcos ‘El Chino’ Maidana, the bull from Argentina who sports a record of 35-3 with 31 wins coming by way of knockout, has worked his way up the boxing ladder due to hard work, brave heart and punching power.

Marcos Maidana always comes to fight, and has persevered and overcame adversity on his way to become one of the most exciting fighters in boxing today. He packs a wallop in both hands, and with the exception of one or two occasions, he was never involved in a dull fight.

After taking the brash and then undefeated champion Adrien Broner to hell to snatch the WBA welterweight belt, Maidana won the biggest sweepstakes of them all -- the megafight tonight with the current pound-for-pound king Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, Jr. for the WBA, WBC, and Ring welterweight belts and then some.

But the boxing world has already written him off and proclaimed that Mayweather will just waltz through him en route to 46-0 to maintain the American champion’s unblemished record and move on to another fight in his quest of being The Best Ever (?) in the history of the sport.

They say that Marcos Maidana is no match for the skill and talent of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and that Money will just blitz El Chino with his blinding hand speed and dazzling footwork to carve out the customary lopsided UD victory that is the hallmark of every Floyd Mayweather, Jr. victory.

Yet Marcos Maidana is unperturbed by the odds stacked against him for he believes in himself; he knows how to handle pressure, get out of a bad situation, and come back to win the fight. Most of all, El Chino has confidence in the power behind his fists that have brought him to where he is now -- the biggest fight of his boxing career.

Marcos Maidana’s list of victims is not as impressive as his foe’s, but is quite solid. The list includes Victor Ortiz, Victor Cayo, Jesus Soto Karass, Josesito Lopez and Adrien Broner, just to name a few. After tonight’s fight, the Argentine banger wants to add to that list the biggest fish of ‘em all -- Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

But that is easier said than done considering that “45 have tried and 45 have failed” against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Marcos Maidana is “not as talented and skillful” as the American superstar and will surely be outworked and outclassed as pointed out by many boxing observers -- that’s why he is a huge, huge underdog in this fight.

There is one thing that is going for Maidana in this fight, though: unlike many of Floyd Mayweather, Jr’s opponents in the past, El Chino is not afraid nor in awe of Mayweather’s mystic as a fighter and aura of invincibility because El Chino believes in himself -- that he will be the one that can blemish Mayweather’s immaculate record.

So, the question that will be answered tonight is: can Marcos Maidana do it?

It will be a very long shot, but Marcos Maidana has the shot that can drop an opponent with one punch, and Floyd Mayweather’s chin has not been tested this much since Shane Mosley cracked and penetrated the pound-for-pound king’s vaunted defense in 2010.

And yes, as they usually say, “if you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s OK.”

Note: any comments, reactions, suggestions are welcome. Hit me up at detexam@yahoo.com or join us at Detroit Boxing Examiner Facebook Page.

*This article was first published on Detroit Boxing Examiner

Moment of Truth: The Mayweather-Maidana fight is a hard sell to boxing fans

It is the eve of the big event in Las Vegas dubbed ‘The Moment,’ which features Floyd Mayweather, Jr and Marcos Maidana vying for the world’s welterweight championship, yet as of this writing, a lot of tickets remain unsold or still available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com and other ticket outlets that this writer checked online.

It is unfathomable that a big fight that will purportedly showcase the talent and skill of undefeated Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, against Marcos Maidana, one of the most determined and biggest punchers in the division, is having a hard time selling tickets. Unless a miracle happens, ‘The Moment’ is bound for a disastrous showing at the box office.

It is unthinkable because Showtime Networks and MGM Grand, together with their friends in the boxing media, are not remiss in advertising, pushing and promoting this fight at every nook and cranny of the boxing world (which even sparked the ire of Top Rank impresario Bob Arum because of the way MGM Grand handled their promotional end on the recent Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley rematch last April 12). Yet the responses from the fans are anemic at best, and most show derision and contempt for what many perceive as a ‘sham-down’ between two opposing fighters who should have no business facing each other and should have been squaring off against different opponents this coming Saturday night.

On various social media outlets and boxing forums, the sentiments of the majority of boxing fans are very palpable and glaring. Yes, while they have nothing but respect for Marcos Maidana’s achievements in the ring, they are unanimous in proclaiming that Maidana has no chance whatsoever against Mayweather. Thus, they regard the Mayweather-Maidana bout as just not worth their time and money.

That is why, no matter how hard the promoters are pushing Mayweather-Maidana’s ‘The Moment’ down the boxing world’s throat, they are having a hard time convincing the majority of boxing fans (except for the die-hard supporters of the contending fighters) to buy the $70 pay-per-view price tag.

Here are some of the comments one can encounter on social media regarding ‘The Moment’:

“Mayweather 11 rounds to 1. I will not pay $70 for this bull****.”

“Set up fight... Slow Maidana got no chance.”

“Who cares?”

“We all know Money May is going to tear his a** up!!!”

“One-sided fight. We deserved a better fight than this one.”

“Boring fight. A waste of money as Floyd will just dance the night away.”

Judging from the comments above and the ones that will inevitably pop up on social media in the wake of this fight, it is a far-gone conclusion who in their minds will emerge victorious on Saturday night. To many of them, ‘The Moment’ is just a formality or a validation of what they expect as another easy win for Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

It is really interesting how the fans’ overt outrage affects the pay-per-view sales of the Mayweather-Maidana tiff off -- or how the vitriol towards the ‘The Moment’ will affect Floyd Mayweather, Jr.‘s future fights with Showtime to fulfill his rich contract.

Note: any comments, reactions and suggestions are welcome. Hit me up at detexam@yahoo.com or join us at the Detroit Boxing Examiner Facebook Page

*This article was first published on Detroit Boxing Examiner

PunchDrunk: 50 Cent teases Floyd Mayweather, Jr. about his loss to Nelly

On the eve of the The Moment in Las Vegas, aka the Mayweather-Maidana sham-down, we are debuting the PunchDrunk section in this blog, which will be all about the flipside of prizefighting.

Starting tonight, we will feature from time to time articles and videos that deal with the funny, the hilarious, the absurd and the comedic side of the fight game.

The Moment: Mayweather-Maidana folly

On Saturday, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will return to the ring against Marcos Maidana in an event dubbed as ‘The Moment’ as part of his six-fight, 30-month pay-per-view deal that the Grand Rapids native inked with Showtime Networks a year ago, which was described by the boxing world as the “richest individual athlete deal in all of sports” and will make him $200 million plus richer when he is done with the contract.

At present, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. commands the biggest purse in boxing and owns, or is part of, the biggest pay-per-view returns in boxing history. And there is no doubt that Mayweather is a major draw, not only because of his talent and skills inside the ring, but also because of his colorful personality outside of it, and at first glance, the investment by Showtime seems to be justifiable.

But if we dig deeper into Mayweather’s recent fights, most boxing fans will agree that with the exception of Canelo Alvarez, who posed the possibility of ‘danger’ (yes, danger here is in parenthesis because some people in boxing have come up with allegations that the fight was rigged, so as not to squander the huge investments by the network) to Mayweather’s myth of ring invincibility, there is no other fighter out there (aside from a few that include Manny Pacquiao, who he won’t dare fight even in his sleep) that can touch him.

In an ideal world, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., being crowned as the world’s no. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and proclaimed as the best in the business by many boxing organizations and media outlets, should have been tangling with a fighter that is equal or near his caliber on Saturday night. And Marcos Maidana should have been fighting Adrien Broner in a rematch of their highly-competitive fight. But this is the world of boxing nowadays, wherein the legitimacy of many major events is questionable and most of the time, the paying boxing fans are left with nothing but disappointments at the end of every major pay-per-view fight.

And if only the fight fans will realize who really holds the ‘power of the purse’ in this business and begin to show their disdain for inconsequential fights that insult their intelligence, then this Mayweather-Maidana charade should have never been considered nor made in the first place.

So, the buying public is left with no other recourse but to accept what the powers that be at Showtime, aided by their rah-rah boys in the boxing media, put on their plate and swallow hook, line and sinker that Marcos Maidana deserved the shot to be Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s next dancing partner?

Forking over $70 of hard-earned money for a fight that both the die-hard observers and casual fans alike at this day and age consider to be a sparring session is insane. And no disrespect to Marcos Maidana and his never-say-die attitude, but he is not in Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s class, and Maidana is not who the boxing world really wants to see squaring with Mayweather inside the ring on Saturday night.

Picture this: Marcos Maidana, a natural light welterweight and the smaller guy, will climb into the ring against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who is considered to be the most talented and the best fighter in the world, and is a natural welterweight/junior middleweight. What else would we expect the result will be?

Picture this: Marcos Maidana, a slow and plodding boxer (his power punches notwithstanding) trying to hit Floyd Mayweather, Jr., one of the most elusive fighters in the world blessed with fast hands, very good footwork, and superior boxing IQ to boot, and we think that Maidana has a chance of pulling an upset?

Just two scenarios point out that it doesn’t take a genius or a rocket scientist to realize that this so-called championship fight is a mismatch and a sham. That is why whatever contempt and derision held by the fight fans towards The Moment is just right and justified.

Note: This article was first published on Detroit Boxing Examiner

Pacquiao-Bradley II: "Manny Knows"

In a few hours, the boxing world will know whether Manny Pacquiao’s vaunted killer instinct is history or if the Filipino superstar at 35 is still at the top of his game. And Timothy Bradley will be the catalyst that will prove or disprove Manny Pacquiao’s relevance to stay in the game.

Much has been said about Manny Pacquiao’s demise and a lot of people have written him off ever since his ignominious defeat to Juan Manuel Marquez: that he is shop worn, battle-weary, and old -- that his heart and mind are no longer into boxing anymore, replaced by his venture into the world of politics, and his time consumed and occupied by his newfound faith.

Yes, Manny Pacquiao, in the eyes of his critics and supporters, has changed, and many are claiming that despite his pronouncements, he is only fighting for the money, milking everything and squeezing the last penny out of his gloves before he finally calls it quits.

That’s why for this fight, many people are putting their money and casting their lot on the reigning WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, the same muscular boxer who stole Manny Pacquiao’s thunder in their first fight in Sin City -- albeit in a fight that was described by fans and pundits alike to be the biggest robbery in boxing history, which led to Manny Pacquiao unceremoniously tumbling down from the top of boxing’s pound-for-pound list and the beginning of his career turmoil.

We all know what followed next right after that lackluster fight: his shocking defeat to his nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez via a single punch knockout, so brutal that many opined that he will never recover and would not be the same fighter again.

Yet Manny Pacquiao took and dismantled the rugged but slow Brandon Rios in his comeback fight in Macau. This time, with the knockout loss still fresh on his mind, he elected not to take too many risks and decided to cruise by showing his under-appreciated boxing skills (which were actually impressive) in carving out a unanimous decision victory, but failed to satisfy the blood lust from some sectors since they were so accustomed to seeing him destroy his foes to oblivion. The fact that Miguel Cotto was his last stoppage victim added more to the fuel regarding his diminishing punching power and the heart to finish off his opponents unlike in the old days.

Tonight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Timothy Bradley, who went to hell and back with Ruslan Provodnikov and beat Juan Manuel Marquez at his own game, will be the litmus test for Manny Pacquiao. This is Manny Pacquiao’s chance to gain the doubters back to his corner again.

In Timothy Bradley, Manny Pacquiao will face an accomplished, never-say-die fighter. A brave and very determined boxer, a pugilist who knows how to adjust and come back from adversity and win in the end. Timothy Bradley is a livewire and an undefeated fighter in his prime.

And Timothy Bradley is also very vocal about his desire to knock Manny Pacquiao out this time around to ensure that his controversial win against the Filipino in 2012 was not a fluke. In his mind, Manny Pacquiao is ripe for the taking, and Bradley has gone overdrive in the mind games department, taunting and daring his opponent to show him what’s left of him tonight. But whether Manny Pacquiao is affected or taking Bradley’s shots out of the ring seriously remains to be seen.

That’s why the grudge match is more critical for Manny Pacquiao’s career than Timothy Bradley’s. Manny Pacquiao cannot afford to lose because a loss at this stage of his career would be simply devastating. It will surely be the end of the road for one of the greatest fighters of all time.

That’s why the pressure is on Manny Pacquiao to win. And not only to simply win, but win in convincing and devastating fashion. A lackluster win will not only diminish Manny Pacquiao’s crowd-drawing capability but will also kiss his pay-per-view stock goodbye. More so, his dream of fighting Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for all the marbles will just remain an elusive dream.

That’s why this scribe is joining the minority in the boxing writers' circle who believe that Manny Pacquiao will rise to the occasion this time and stop Timothy Bradley inside the distance.

And judging by Manny Pacquiao’s positive demeanor amid Team Bradley’s pronouncements that Timothy Bradley will end his career in the ring tonight, we can only deduce that all the questions about Manny Pacquiao’s heart, mind and skills will be answered tonight.

Because “Manny Knows.”

Note: This article was first published on Detroit Boxing Examiner

***any comments, reactions and suggestions are welcome. Hit me up at detexam@yahoo.com or join us at the Detroit Boxing Examiner Facebook Page