Thursday, March 28, 2024  |

News

Aficianado

Boxing’s Mexican icons chime in on Maidana with pride

Fighters Network
29
Aug

Marcos_Maidana_training

Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s Sept. 13 rematch with Marcos Maidana represents the fourth of a six-fight Showtime deal for THE RING’s pound-for-pound number one fighter, who traditionally competes on the two Mexican holiday weekends, Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day, in May and September.

Mayweather (46-0, 26 knockouts), who defeated Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) by majority decision in May, is THE RING’s champion at 147 and 154 pounds as well as the beltholder for the WBA and WBC in each of those categories.

 



Click here for a peek into Marcos Maidana’s training camp.

The Mayweather-Maidana fight will be supported by four key bouts on Showtime Pay-Per-View, a line-up that includes seven fighters of Mexican descent at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Among those match-ups that are part of “Mayhem” are defenses by WBC junior featherweight titleholder Leo Santa Cruz and IBF lightweight beltholder Miguel Vazquez.

In addition to Santa Cruz’s defense against Manuel Roman and Vazquez facing Mickey Bey, Alfredo Angulo will return against James De La Rosa at 162 pounds and former 130-pound and lightweight titleholder Humberto Soto will be matched against junior welterweight John Molina.

In advance of the event, legendary Mexican champions Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Erik Morales, Israel Vazquez and Raul Marquez all weighed in with their opinions in a promotional release.

 

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.:

“We all know Marcos Maidana is not a technical fighter but nobody can deny he is a very dangerous one, perhaps one of the most dangerous fighters Mayweather has ever faced.

“I must confess, I was amazed to see how courageous Maidana was. He squared up in front of Mayweather and just went at it with everything he had.

“Maidana possesses a singular characteristic that we usually see only in Mexican fighters. He is simply fearless. He is brave and powerful and from the moment he steps into the ring, he fights like there’s no tomorrow.”

 

Erik Morales:

“When you think of what makes a great Mexican champion, you think of determination, aggressiveness, heart and the guts to get the job done. That’s what it means to be a great Mexican warrior.

“You leave everything in the ring. Your heart and soul are out there. I remember watching the first Mayweather vs. Maidana fight back in May and I can say, Maidana left his heart in the ring.

“He fights with passion and aggressiveness. He leaves it all out there. There’s no boxing in Las Vegas or anywhere without great Mexican fighters. We all know that and Maidana has the heart of a Mexican warrior.”

 

Israel Vazquez:

“Marcos Maidana’s boxing style resembles that of the great Mexican fighters. He is fearless, doesn’t stand down. He likes to pressure his opponent and has a very powerful punch.

“You have to give Maidana some credit for his boxing skills. He has won the lead role in a rematch fight against one of the best fighters in the world, Floyd Mayweather.

“Besides being a very good fighter, Marcos has a very nice characteristic. He’s truly humble. That’s a feature you don’t find that often in boxers of his caliber.

“This is a very tough fight for the both of them; that’s why I’ll refrain from any predictions. Both fighters have a big test in front of them.”

 

Raul Marquez:

“Maidana is a fighter that takes the lead and doesn’t back up. He comes prepared and he comes to fight. Nobody thought that he was going to stand up to Mayweather like he did. He left his heart in the ring.

“He made all Latinos proud. He stood in front of Mayweather like true Mexican champions do. He can go the distance if he wants. He’s aggressive. He fights with the determination of a Mexican.”

SIGN UP TO GET RING NEWS ALERTS