By Keith Idec
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is an 11-1 favorite over Marcos Maidana.
Those odds are much wider than when he encountered Canelo Alvarez, whom Mayweather dominated Sept. 17 in Las Vegas. The 37-year-old Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs) still is approaching their May 3 pay-per-view showdown in Las Vegas with the same trademark professionalism that has helped the undefeated five-division champion become the best boxer in the world.
Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs) isn’t considered a skilled technician, but Mayweather watched Maidana manhandle Adrien Broner four months ago in San Antonio and he isn’t is about to let overconfidence cost him his unblemished record.
“Adrien Broner’s a boxer and he roughed Adrien Broner up and he got the victory,” Mayweather said. “We can’t say what this guy, what he can or he can’t do. We cannot overlook this guy. I can’t just say, ‘Oh, he’s just going to be an easy fight,’ because it’s not going to be an easy fight for me. I don’t think so. So what I’ve got to do is I’ve got to make sure that I’m at my best. So I’ve got to go out there and take my time, keep my composure and be me. Everybody thinks he’s just going to be a pushover, but I don’t think so. So that’s why I’m training hard and I’m pushing myself to the limit every day.”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
