By Jake Donovan
Floyd Mayweather ended months of speculation earlier in the week when he revealed his choice of Marcos Maidana as his opponent for the May 3 Showtime Pay-Per-View blockbuster event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The official announcement came on Monday as Mayweather was celebrating his 37th birthday.
The news resonated well with most fans, although to the detriment of those who hoped for longtime frontrunner Amir Khan to land the assignment. The former two-time titlist was under the impression for months that the fight was all his, even pulling out of a scheduled title fight with then-welterweight titlist Devon Alexander to ensure that nothing stood in the way of the May 3 jackpot fight.
A poll on Mayweather’s website had Khan as a considerable favorite, although Maidana won by wide margins on most other independently conducted polls. Most fans believed that Maidana enjoyed the greater momentum, including a massive upset win over Adrien Broner last December.
Mayweather himself agreed with that logic.
“Maidana came back very impressive; a lot of great wins lately, whereas Amir Khan is 2-2 in his last four fights,” Mayweather explained to Showtime’s Steve Farhood while at ringside for a ShoBox card promoted by Mayweather Promotions. “That's all there is to it.”
Khan owns a win over Maidana, but that feat came in Dec. ’10. He has won two straight since losing to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia in back-to-back fights, but hasn’t fought in nearly a year. His last ring appearance came in April ‘13, struggling to a decision over faded former lightweight titlist Julio Diaz after getting dropped early on.
Maidana (35-3, 31KO), meanwhile, has been on a roll, having won six of seven since his setback to Khan, including four in a row heading into the biggest fight – and payday – of his career.
The forthcoming superfight will take place at the 147 lb. limit, with Maidana’s recently acquired belt at stake. Weight has almost never been a concern for Mayweather at any point in his career, save for his Sept. ’09 comeback fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, in which a last-minute modification was made to accommodate his desire to upgrade from a catchweight to a welterweight fight.
Mayweather revealed that he is currently at 150 lb, fit and trim more than two months away from what he recognizes as a dangerous challenge in a career destined for the Hall of Fame.
“This is a very difficult fight for me. This is a guy I can't overlook,” Mayweather insists. “Marcos Maidana is always going to be at his best. I'm going to be at my best, sit down with my father and go over a game plan. Hopefully everything goes well in training camp and we look forward to a great fight on May 3.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox