Marcos Maidana: I Feel Better at 140, 147 Didn't Work

By Chris Robinson

This past Saturday night was a humbling one for Argentinean brute Marcos Maidana.

Fighting inside of the Scottrade Center in his opponent Devon Alexander’ s native St. Louis, Missouri, Maidana was thoroughly outclassed over the course of ten agonizing rounds. The scorecards reading 100-90 twice and 99-91 were a reflection of just how dominant and precise Alexander was throughout the evening as Maidana struggled to get into an offensive rhythm.

The HBO-televised showcase saw both fighters rise from 140 to 147 pounds for the contest and while Alexander seemed to fill out well with his foray into the welterweight class, Maidana seemed out of sorts.

“Obviously, I'm quite disappointed [because] my body did not respond like I was expecting,” Maidana stated to me recently through his advisor Sebastian Contursi. “I have a physical style and I need to be 100% and I felt weak. No excuses because Devon out-boxed me all night as he had a great night. He never gave me enough space and I didn't know how to make it either.”

And with the recent setback, the third in his nearly eight-year career, Maidana addressed the rumors of a possible return back to the junior welterweight ranks.

“I gave it a shot at 147 and didn't work,” Maidana said candidly. “I feel better at 140 even though it's not that easy for me to make it.”

Maidana is just 28 years old but has endured some hard battles with former champions Andriy Kotelnik, Victor Ortiz, and Amir Khan while outlasting current WBC junior welterweight champion Erik Morales this past April.

Asked if he feels as though some of those grueling face-offs may be taking their toll on him, Maidana sharply denied as much.

“I don't think so, whatsoever,” Maidana said with defiance. “I am still young. But I am aware that I have to change a few things in order to improve. I've trained almost 90 days for Alexander but didn't work. But I feel I still have some great battles to offer out there.”

Maidana doesn’t have anyone in mind for a return but, just as is always the case with him, he is open to any name out there.

“Just give me a little rest and I'll be back,” Maidana stated.

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