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Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana II

Not since 2002 has pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather granted a fighter a rematch.  That fighter was Jose Luis Castillo who many people thought won his first fight with Mayweather.  The reason for a lack of rematches is because usually no fighter does enough against Mayweather to warrant one.  That changed in May of this year when Marcos Maidana gave Mayweather one of his toughest fights in the past ten years.  Now the two fighters are scheduled to do battle again for 12 rounds in the welterweight division but this time around even more will be on the line.  That is because not only will Mayweather be putting his WBC & WBA welterweight titles on the line but also his WBC junior middleweight title, something not done since the days of "Sugar" Ray Leonard. 

Mayweather was able to figure Maidana out late

By now it is no secret how Mayweather fights.  He is a defensive counter puncher who rarely takes any clean punches.  Mayweather is not only a defensive master but is also one of the greatest defensive fighters in the history of the sport.  Along with his excellent defense Mayweather also has some of the fastest hands in boxing, even at 37 years old.  Mayweather fights out of the orthodox stance and his best punches are his jab and straight right hand.  He also has a nice left hook but it's the jab and straight right that are his signature punches.  Mayweather looks to stick his jab to his opponents mid section and usually follows that up with a stiff straight right hand upstairs.  While he is an incredibly accurate puncher his opponents are not.  Mayweather makes opponents miss like few others are able to do.  He uses a shoulder roll to perfection and his ability to figure out opponents is legendary.  While he is at his best in the center of the ring he also fights very well countering off the ropes and can make opponents miss even in the pocket.  

When it comes to resumes Mayweather's is an impressive one.  He has wins over names like Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Shane Mosley and that's just naming a few.  Its no secret that Mayweather has never lost as a professional, something he is very proud of and his record stands at 46-0 with 26 knockouts.  After this fight Mayweather said he plans to fight twice in 2015 and then retire but before he thinks about finishing his career with a perfect record he will need to beat the tough Argentine Maidana.

Maidana was able to make things rough

As for Maidana he to has a very well known style.  He is a very aggressive fighter and likes to throw a high number of punches.  That high punch output has seen him fade in the second half of fights, something that happened in his first fight with Mayweather.  Under trainer Robert Garcia, Maidana has been able to develop a nice jab and like all of his punches it has some pop behind it.  Maidana's biggest knockout punch may be his left hook but it was his overhand right that he had the most success with against Mayweather.  Maidana seems to throw his overhand right from the moon and while it is wild it is also very dangerous.  The defense of Maidana is his weak point, he has been dropped before and has been badly hurt in fights although he has never been stopped.  

Like Mayweather the resume of Maidana also has some impressive names.  Maidana has wins over Erik Morales and Adrien Broner but has lost to the likes of Amir Khan and Devon Alexander.  As a pro his record is an impressive one of 35-4 with an incredible 31 knockouts.  If Maidana were to beat Mayweather it would not only be the biggest fight of his career but would also shock the world and put Maidana in the drivers seat on his way to some very high profile fights.

Rematches are a funny thing in boxing.  There is no telling which opponent has learned more about the other and who can make the proper adjustments.  In their first fight Maidana did a great job of keeping Mayweather on the ropes and his high volume of punches bothered Mayweather and he wasn't able to counter as well as he usually does.  If Maidana can once again bully Mayweather on the ropes and can straighten out his right hand Mayweather could be in for a long night.  However it seems more likely that fans have seen the best effort Maidana can give and it will be Mayweather who makes the necessary adjustments and keeps this fight in the center of the ring where he can outbox Maidana.

PREDICTION: Marcos Maidana gave fans a great show in the first fight but there is a reason Floyd Mayweather has been on top of the sport for so long.  Mayweather who is a genius in the ring has already seen Maidana for 12 rounds so he won't waste any time trying to figure him out in their rematch.  This time around Mayweather won't spend as much time on the ropes and he will really touch Maidana up on his way to a clear unanimous decision win.