The 37 year-old, who improved his record to 46-0, was made to work by Maidana, who used the same tactics that ended the unbeaten run of Adrien Broner last December. ‘El Chino’ just found Mayweather that little bit cuter on the inside and was caught with some eye-catching shots that would have been the deciding point scorers for Mayweather.
Swinging back and forth for the first eight rounds, Maidana certainly gave as good as he got, although the superior skill of Mayweather was sufficient enough to take a majority points triumph on the cards.
Reading 117-111, 116-112 and 114-114, two of the scorecards probably didn’t reflect how close the fight actually was as Maidana proved he can live in the very top class against the best fighter of his generation.
After the fight, Mayweather, Maidana and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer all agreed to a rematch, which will take place in September if signed – as touted opponent Amir Khan’s religious beliefs are set to rule him out.
Maidana’s performance may have finally proven that Mayweather is on the wane in his advancing years, although the fans would surely take another helping of what was an entertaining contest.
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