Marcos Maidana is just a few weeks away from getting a rare rematch with the self-proclaimed “The Best Ever” Floyd Mayweather Jr. and he is out to make the most of the second shot at greatness.
In their first bout in May, Maidana came out super aggressive and all of the expended enrgery early on hurt him in the latter rounds of the fight. One thing about Mayweather is that he is in as good of shape as any fighter in the game today, so being able to go the distance is key the second time around for Maidana.
“Yes. I did. I came out strong the first six or seven rounds, and after that I had to take a break and catch my breath a little bit,” Maidana said in a media round table Saturday. “I had to pace myself. I have to not get as anxious for this fight.”
To correct that from happening again Maidana is changing up a few little details in his training, with most of it geared toward being able to go 12 rounds with Mayweather.
“No big changes,” he said. ‘Just working on my distance control and a couple other minor changes.”
With how close the first bout was—many media members and fans alike though that Maidana won—so after watching the first bout, Maidana thinks there isn’t much he should alter in his gameplan.
“(Mayweather) can obviously change and get better, but I can change and get better too,” Maidana explained. “The only thing he can do is box and that’s what he did in the first fight. He was moving a lot. What is he going to do? Move more?”
With how aggressive Maidana was in May, he will bring the same pressure on Sept. 13, but is confident that if the bout isn’t stopped early he can still win at the hands of the judges.
“I’m always looking for the knockout. And if I can’t (get it), I’m going to win by decision.”
As one could imagine, what being the one to end Mayweather’s precious undefeated streak, which now sits at 46, could mean to Maidana’s career.
“It would be the best thing in my career because I would be the first person to beat him,” Maidana said.
Despite demanding one at the post-fight news conference after their first fight, Maidana didn’t think a second bout between them would ever come to fruition.
“I never thought that he would give me the rematch. But when he decided to, I was surprised,” he said.
Not being involved in a rematch before in his professional career, Maidana isn’t exactly sure what to expect. Even though he is unsure what the rematch will entail, Maidana does know he wants to extract his revenge on Mayweather.
“This is the first time in my career that I’m doing a rematch. It can be a little bit of both,” Maidana said of the rematch. “You can argue that it can be hard, but at the same time we know each other so it can be easier.
I fight for glory. Obviously, my future is secure. But part of me fighting still is because I want to win. And I want to beat Mayweather.”
