Floyd Mayweather Jr. was masterful in the rematch with Marcos Rene Maidana on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Instead of allowing Maidana to gain an advantage against the ropes, Mayweather turned him, skipped out or held whenever he was cornered.
It was an excellent adjustment to Maidana's game plan and it helped to allow Mayweather
to score the unanimous-decision victory.
Here's a breakdown of the biggest moments of the bout.
From the outset, Mayweather took command of the middle of the ring. From his demeanor, it was clear Mayweather was going to avoid the ropes like the plague. Maidana was intent upon not being as aggressive to ensure he wouldn't tire himself out, but his less-than attacking style to begin the bout actually allowed Mayweather to set the tempo.
In the fourth round, Maidana did his best work. He was able to corner Mayweather against the ropes in the beginning and middle portions of the round. However, just when it looked as if Money would be resigned to allow Maidana to steal the round with pressure, the pound-for-pound champion opened up with counter left hooks and uppercuts.
It may not have been enough to take the round convincingly, but it was clear Mayweather wouldn't give away any rounds—at least not until the 12th.
With Mayweather clearly in control and frustrating Maidana with his own gamesmanship and dirty tactics, the challenger appeared to have bit Mayweather on the left hand.
Money was covering Maidana's face in clinches, and the challenger chose to put an end to it with a bite.
It was a little bizarre and it led to a break in the action, but it also broke the monotony of a dominating Mayweather performance.
In one of the many clinches in the fight, Maidana used his forearm to push Mayweather to the mat. It looked worse in the instant replay than it did in fast motion. Still, referee Kenny Bayless penalized Maidana for the move.
It made Chino come out more aggressive the moment the action resumed, but Mayweather answered the energy with hard shots to the body. They appeared to hurt Maidana and at the very least, they slowed him down.
Biggest Takeaways
Despite a strong and valiant effort from Maidana, Mayweather did what we expected him to do in the first fight. He used his speed, quickness and technical acumen to prove he was simply a better boxer.
Photos
source: bleacherreport.com
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