“Mayhem” Mayweather vs Maidana 2 – To Answer Some Nagging Questions

By Sean Crose

Saturday night’s Floyd Mayweather- Marcos Maidana rematch may not be the pay per view extravaganza Mayweather, Al Haymon and Stephen Espinoza want it to be, but the fight is guaranteed to answer some pressing questions regarding Mayweather, nonetheless. For, at thirty-seven years of age, Mayweather is about to do what would have been unthinkable just over a year ago – try to compensate for a less than stellar performance.

The first question on fan’s minds is whether or not the first Maidana bout was a fluke. Sure, Mayweather owned the second half of the bout – but the first half was a pretty rough affair for the man widely regarded to be the pound for pound best fighter in the world. Maidana had the guy on the ropes constantly. What’s more, he beat Mayweather up whenever he had him pinned. It was almost shocking to see.

Yet Mayweather claimed it all happened in order for the fans to be entertained. On Saturday, the world will know whether or not the man was telling the truth.

Another question that stands to be answered is whether or not Mayweather still has his legs. Those legs have carried the man far – yet he didn’t use them nearly as much during the first Maidana bout as he previously had. And that led to some speculation about age sitting in. After Saturday, there probably won’t be much left to speculate. The world will know whether Money still has his legs or not.

Along with his legs, people are also thinking about Mayweather’s speed. The consensus seems to be that Manny Pacquiao has already lost his speed to some degree. To be sure, it’s already being stated that Mayweather is losing his speed, as well. Whether that assertion is true or whether it’s merely an assumption being pushed as fact is something people are going to find out in mere days.

Lastly, people are going to learn if Mayweather’s chaotic life is taking a toll on his job performance. You can tell when a fighter isn’t fully invested. A look of distraction has been seen on faces ranging from Mike Tyson’s to Adrien Broner’s over the years. Fans should probably be able to tell rather quickly on Saturday night if Floyd’s eyes are focused. Because if they’re not…

Of course there are also questions regarding Maidana coming into this weekend’s rematch, as well. The first is whether or not he’ll be able to perform well without the element of surprise. He was only able to ambush Mayweather once, and as good as he did when he had his chance, Maidana still didn’t walk away with a new title.

How will the man do, then, when it’s clear Mayweather knows what to expect? Indeed, many feel that Mayweather already has Maidana figured out; that Mayweather will subsequently have an easier time of it on Saturday and step out of the ring yet again with a perfect record. Will these people be proven correct? Or will Madiana simply prove to be too aggressive for Mayweather to avoid during the fight?

Conditioning is something else people are wondering about Maidana. He seemed to run out of gas his first go round against Mayweather. Heck, he pretty much admitted so himself. Will Maidana be able to keep up his preferred frenetic pace this time around? Trainer Robert Garcia seems confident that Maidana will be able to do just that. Yet, if so, how?

Such questions make Saturday night’s bout interesting, if not essential viewing. It may not be the greatest matchup in the world, but Mayhem certainly is a solid one. Whether or not it’s worth its outrageous pay per view cost is up the individual. Whether or not Floyd Mayweather will remain on top of the world this coming weekend, however, is up to the fighters themselves.