Everyone knew Marcos Maidana was good going into his fight against Adrien Broner this past December.

The Argentine slugger had won consistently, stopping the vast majority of his opponents with his well-documented punching power, and went down swinging even in his three losses – all by decision.

Few if any predicted what happened against Broner, though. Maidana, supposedly too crude and too slow for his athletic and unbeaten opponent, overwhelmed Broner from the beginning and earned a one-sided decision.

As bi-lingual correspondent Bart Barry writes in One Perfect Night in the April 2014 issue of THE RING Magazine, “It was immediately apparent Maidana was the better fighter at the Alamodome.”

Maidana’s reward? More respect and a lucrative date with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 3.

In a related story, titled An Anti-hero’s Comeuppance, contributor Tim Smith notes the glee with which many fans greeted Broner’s setback and opines that the young fighter was asking for such a reaction with his bad-boy behavior.

And in  At a Loss, contributor Norm Frauenheim explores the challenge of bouncing back from losses such as those suffered by Broner, Canelo Alvarez and Abner Mares.

Some fighters use their setbacks as fuel to return better than ever while others struggle to get back on track.

Also in the April issue, contributor Keith Idec writes in Unexpected Opportunity that the departure of Vitali Klitschko has opened the door for Chris Arreola to fight Bermane Stiverne for a major heavyweight title. Arreola says he’ll be ready.

Thomas Hauser looks back on the career of the late WBC President Jose Sulaiman, who did a lot for boxing but also had many detractors.

RingTV.com Editor Doug Fischer suggests in Will Alvarez vs. Angulo sell? that the All-Mexican junior middleweight fight seems to have the buzz that will translate into a successful promotion.

In Stainless Steele, contributor Ron Borges writes that retired referee Richard Steele earned his place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, which will induct him in June.

Hauser reviews Mike Tyson’s autobiography, which he says is flawed but compelling.

And in Hand to Hand Combat, contributor Bernard Fernandez writes that boxing in the service academies — Army, Navy and Air Force — is alive and well.

In our monthly departments:

• Hauser gives us an example of the late Emanuel Steward’s generous nature in Jabs and Straight Writes.
• In Advanced Degrees, a reader connects Muhammad Ali to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in fewer steps than you might imagine.
• The Mexican star Marco Antonio Barrera is our subject in Best I Faced.
• David Greisman writes in Ready to Grumble that Alvarez made the right choice in choosing to fight Angulo in terms of entertainment value.
• Jean Pascal, who easily defeated Lucian Bute, is our Fighter of the Month.
• The Best of Dougie’s Mailbag, taken from Fischer’s column on RingTV.Com, is a new feature in the magazine.
• In Letters from Europe, correspondent Gareth A Davies chronicles the remarkable transformation of new bantamweight titleholder Stuart Hall.
• Scott LaFee explains in Sweet Science why a punch to the liver can be so debilitating.
• Hard-working junior middleweight prospect Juilian Williams is the subject of our latest New Faces.
• And in Women’s Boxing, columnist Thomas Gerbasi focuses on the unusual punching power of Jelena Mrdjenovich.

The April 2014 issue of THE RING Magazine is on newsstands now. Or you can buy it – or subscribe to the magazine – by clicking here.