Five quick thoughts on Mayweather-Maidana II

Floyd Mayweather announced last week that a Mayweather-Maidana II fight is ready to go for September 13th. Here are some quick thoughts on the fight:

1.   It’s obvious that Floyd Mayweather Jr. saw Marcos Maidana as the ONLY option for his scheduled bout on September 13^th.  That’s not to say that there are not more intriguing match-ups out there, but for Floyd and HIS personal matchmaking model, Maidana was the only fighter that made sense.  The numbers for the first fight have yet to surface, but word on the street is that Mayweather-Maidana did somewhere in the ballpark of 850K buys.  A rematch will do similar numbers in my opinion and truthfully, no other opponent besides Pacquiao will move the needle. 

2.  The rematch does provide a pretty good level of intrigue.  Floyd showed vulnerability in the first fight and the decision was somewhat controversial.  There are a number of questions going into the rematch and the yearning for those answers will help promote this fight.  Has Floyd lost a step and is he beatable?  Did Floyd “truly” make the fight competitive for the fans?  Can Maidana duplicate what he did in the first fight?  These are all questions that breathe life into what seems to be lukewarm anticipation to the rematch. 

3.   Floyd considers himself “The Best Ever” and while some may say taking this rematch was the easy road, I disagree.  Yes, I’d like to see him in the ring with Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and a number of other young fighters, but in my opinion he has unfinished business with Maidana.  Legends don’t leave doubt or dust unsettled… they provide clarity.  While I don’t think legacy is ever a decision maker for Floyd, it is a byproduct of his matchmaking in this instance.  He has something to prove, whether intentionally or not. 

4.   Maidana could not have had a better game-plan going into the first fight.  He did exactly what I thought he needed to do.  Make the fight ugly and put relentless pressure on Floyd to make him fight off of reaction as opposed to allowing him to think in the ring.  Marcos executed to perfection in the first few rounds… but ran out of gas and didn’t have much left in the second half of the fight.  With a trainer like Robert Garcia, I would think they would adjust the plan slightly to allow Maidana to keep his stamina up for late fight success as well.  Easier said than done… but if Marcos Maidana is going to shock the world, he’ll have to be relentless for the full twelve. 

5.   I really believe we’re seeing the end of a dominant reign.  By no means am I saying that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is going to lose on September 13^th, but I don’t expect a much different fight than what we saw the first time.  The Welterweight and Junior Middleweight divisions are as strong as ever.  I really see the torch being passed on very soon from the Manny and Floyd era.  Mayweather-Maidana2 will be a foreshadowing of what’s to come.