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By Jake Donovan - When all was said and done, the old veteran’s fighting heart wasn’t enough to overcome the young lion’s relentless pressure. But it was certainly more than enough to make things far more interesting than most expected to be the case.
Marcos Maidana remains in the junior welterweight hunt, though was given the fight of his life by legendary former three-division champion Erik Morales. Maidana managed to escape with a hard-fought majority decision on Saturday evening at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Scores were 114-114 even, and 116-112 (twice) for Maidana.
The first several rounds supported the odds as well as the concern that Morales was insane for demanding this fight. Maidana was ruthless from the opening bell, landing repeatedly upstairs and causing Morales’ eye to rapidly swell shut.
It wasn’t about to get any easier for Morales, though he wisely chose to ride out Maidana’s attack rather than attempt to go toe-to-toe and hope to come out ahead. Maidana was banking the early rounds, but Morales was positioning himself to become a threat as the fight wore on.
The first signs of that strategy paying off first surfaced in the fifth round. Right hands repeatedly found a home on Maidana’s chin, at one point wobbling the Argentinean. However, the round ended saw the action revert to form, with Maidana punishing the proud warrior and forcing his corner to work overtime to tend to multiple wounds.
Maidana rode that momentum into a brutal sixth round, highlighted by a flush right hand that forced Morales to lean back and steady himself while along the ropes. With his right eye swollen shut and gas tank beginning to dry out, Morales was heading to that point in the fight – and career- where concern for his health was in order. [Click Here To Read More]
Marcos Maidana remains in the junior welterweight hunt, though was given the fight of his life by legendary former three-division champion Erik Morales. Maidana managed to escape with a hard-fought majority decision on Saturday evening at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Scores were 114-114 even, and 116-112 (twice) for Maidana.
The first several rounds supported the odds as well as the concern that Morales was insane for demanding this fight. Maidana was ruthless from the opening bell, landing repeatedly upstairs and causing Morales’ eye to rapidly swell shut.
It wasn’t about to get any easier for Morales, though he wisely chose to ride out Maidana’s attack rather than attempt to go toe-to-toe and hope to come out ahead. Maidana was banking the early rounds, but Morales was positioning himself to become a threat as the fight wore on.
The first signs of that strategy paying off first surfaced in the fifth round. Right hands repeatedly found a home on Maidana’s chin, at one point wobbling the Argentinean. However, the round ended saw the action revert to form, with Maidana punishing the proud warrior and forcing his corner to work overtime to tend to multiple wounds.
Maidana rode that momentum into a brutal sixth round, highlighted by a flush right hand that forced Morales to lean back and steady himself while along the ropes. With his right eye swollen shut and gas tank beginning to dry out, Morales was heading to that point in the fight – and career- where concern for his health was in order. [Click Here To Read More]
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