World-title boxing: Floyd Mayweather vs Marcos Maidana II – as it happened
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Version 0 of 1. 12.11am ET05:11 Thank you and goodnight That was a fun fight, and a bit more competitive than the scores suggested. A moratorium on boxers biting one another would be good, but I’m not sure how we’d achieve that. Kevin Mitchell’s report from ringside will be up shortly. Thanks everyone who got involved, read, shared and clicked. Updated at 12.12am ET 12.07am ET05:07 “I thought I won the fight” “Maybe they like to give rounds to fighters who run,” says Maidana. He’s a bit delusional if he thinks he won, but he did make things tougher than most Mayweather opponents do. As for the bite, he says Mayweather might think he’s a dog, but he didn’t bite him. 12.03am ET05:03 “I got a couple of bumps and bruises” Floyd does his usual post-fight interview stuff thanking everyone and complains about the alleged bite. He’s somewhat evasive when he’s asked about fighting Manny Pacquiao. He says he expects to fight again in May, as he usually does. 12.00am ET05:00 Floyd Mayweather wins by unanimous decision The scores are calculated quickly (as you’d probably expect), and Floyd comes away with the win via scores of 115-112 and 116-111 twice. 11.58pm ET04:58 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round 12 Mayweather is up on his bicycle early, clearly aware that he’s ahead on the scorecards. The crowd doesn’t like it, but that’s never bothered “Money”. He plays keep away until the final bell. There’s no love lost between these two, and they don’t hug it out. “Floyd still a cut above the rest for now but not the fighter he was for me,” writes the loyal Matt Kemp. “You might expect Maidana to have a bit of success roughousing Mayweather, and periodically he was able to do so, but i cant remember Mayweather taking so many jabs, particularly early in the fight.” The Guardian’s unofficial score is 118-109. 11.54pm ET04:54 Mayweather vs Maidana: Round 11 Mayweather gets warned for an obvious (and seemingly deliberate) left uppercut to Maidana’s nether regions. The Argentine takes a little time, but it doesn’t help, and Floyd goes into punishment mode for the rest of the round, banging Maidana to the body and head. “Maidana is trying to win a fight” John Gentile writes in on Twitter. “Money is trying to win a match.” Sums it up really. Unofficial score: 109-99, Mayweather 11.50pm ET04:50 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round Ten Maidana gives Mayweather an elbow shiv and tackles him into the ground. Mayweather is not impressed, and neither is Kenny Bayless, who takes a point from the Argentine. Maidana does good work after, but not enough to even the round. “[Censored] my bet,” writes Matt Kemp. “Ole, ole, ole, ole, Chiiiinooo, Chiiinooo!” Unofficial score: 99-90, Mayweather 11.47pm ET04:47 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round Nine Maidana heads to the wrong corner after round nine, which can’t be a good sign. Mayweather is pot-shotting, and it seems there’s little Maidana can do to change the dynamic. He’s still having his moments, but he’s not winning rounds in my book. Unofficial score: 89-82, Mayweather Updated at 12.13am ET 11.41pm ET04:41 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round Eight Truly strange scenes here as Mayweather complains that Maidana bit his hand. There’s no way to tell and Kenny Bayless struggles to retain order. Floyd seemed close to tears for a while. The replay seems to show some mouth-to-glove contact, but it’s not conclusive. There’s no instant replay officially, so nothing comes of it. I don’t even know who won that round. Updated at 11.42pm ET 11.35pm ET04:35 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round Seven “I have Mayweather up 4-2 after the first 6 rounds,” writes Matt Kemp. “Looking a bit vulnerable at times. Looking his age under pressure more than he has in the past.” That’s a fair summary, I reckon (and Matt has no doubt been scoring the fight more closely than I have, since I’ve been round-by-rounding and all). In round seven, though, it seems like it’s Maidana who’s tiring. He needs to up his work rate if he wants to be in with any chance at all of winning a decision (which already seems unlikely). Unofficial score: 69-64, Mayweather Unfortunately Chino is tired too Updated at 11.35pm ET 11.32pm ET04:32 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round Six To my eye, Mayweather is winning these rounds fairly easily. That’s not to say it’s an easy fight, though. Maidana is working a jab as well as throwing his trademark wild and woolly shots, and the American’s mouth is bloody. He’s in control for now, though. Unofficial Score: 59-55, Mayweather Maidana has actually impressed me with his technical skills, he's just in against the wrong guy for it to work. Good feints, especially. 11.28pm ET04:28 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round Five That round was a return to the pattern, as Mayweather’s footwork and accurate punching keeps Maidana off, for the most part. Kenny Bayless is breaking the fighters fairly quickly, which is an advantage for Mayweather, because Maidana can’t bang away. In the corner, Maidana’s trainer Robert Garcia says “attack, attack, attack”. I think he knows that, but it’s easier said than done. Unofficial score: 49-46, Mayweather Bayless needs to be less active. 11.23pm ET04:23 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round Four Easily Maidana’s best round, as Floyd’s lies on the ropes and absorbs a lot of punishment (at least by his standards). He’s still landing hard counters, though. Kenny Bayless warns Maidana for low blows and cautions him not to bore in with his head. I have to give that one to Maidana folks, and Mayweather looks a bit disgruntled on his stool. Unofficial score: 39-37, Mayweather. Floyd looks like he's still a little off. He's making some weird faces and getting caught by a few things he normally doesn't. Updated at 11.24pm ET 11.19pm ET04:19 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round Three Maidana has some success early in the round as he back Mayweather into a neutral corner and unloads, but little, if anything lands. Floyd’s accuracy is something to behold. Maidana lands a big right on the bell, which gets the crowd involved. All Floyd, all day. Unofficial score: 30-27, Mayweather. This is easy money. Mayweather looking Maidana look silly. 11.16pm ET04:16 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round Two Mayweather is really on song tonight. Up on his toes, he catches Maidana rushing in and wheels him around more than once. Maidana’s trainer, Robert Garcia, tells him to move his head. Might be expecting a bit much. I’ve been told that the people demand an unofficial score, so I suppose I have Floyd up two rounds to zero, 20-18. 11.10pm ET04:10 Mayweather vs Maidana II: Round one Mayweather is up on his toes already, and is seemingly much more weary of Maidana’s bullrushes. He lands his signature jab to the body a few times while Maidana stalks. The crowd goes absolutely nutso when they tangle up and Floyd falls to the floor, but there’s not much in it - a “feeling out round” if ever I’ve seen one. I’m not going to try and blog and score at the same time, but I’d love to hear how you have it. Hit me up on mcclintock.alex@gmail.com or @axmcc. Round 1 to Mayweather Jr. 10-9 #boxing #MayweatherMaidana2 #Mayhem Updated at 11.12pm ET 11.06pm ET04:06 Fighter Introductions Mayweather is in fetching snakeskin trunks, while Maidana opts for the simple red. The crowd roundly boos Mayweather and chants “Chino” as referee Kenny Bayless gives his final instructions. 11.04pm ET04:04 Kenny Bayless He’s our third man in the ring tonight, and is one of boxing’s most respected referees. HBO just made a mini-doco about him, check it out: 11.02pm ET04:02 Floyd’s ring walk Floyd is now making his way to the ring, and it’s a bit disappointing. No Bieber, no clowns, no Lil Wayne. Just an air raid siren. I feel short changed. 10.58pm ET03:58 Marcos Maidana is now making his way to the ring, wearing a t-shirt advertising “BedLoo”. No, not it’s not an integrated mattress-toilet, it’s a “voting app”. Maidana is all smiles and seems relaxed. He’s so relaxed, in fact, that he was fined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for arriving late tonight. 10.52pm ET03:52 Now Monica is performing the US national anthem. Needs more flute. Updated at 10.53pm ET 10.50pm ET03:50 The crowd is booing the Argentine national anthem, which is being performed with an epic flute intro. In the meantime, Matt Kemp writes in, predicting a Mayweather victory. “I’m waiting on a Mayweather points win for to cap off a successful treble bet. Feeling pretty confident about that outcome. I dont think Maidana will get away to the quick, roughhouse start he got last time, and I don’t think boxing’s foremost woman beater will allow him to take the initiative this time round.” Not much to argue with there. 10.48pm ET03:48 A tender moment between Mike Tyson, Jim Gray and Lennox Lewis before the main event. A great moment in boxing. https://t.co/7B1dzJop1i via @vineapp 10.47pm ET03:47 As is traditional at fights between American and Argentine boxers, the Mexican national anthem is now being sung. It’s pretty good as anthems go, though. 10.42pm ET03:42 And to whet your appetite for violence, here’s James De la Rosa’s brutal knockdown of Alfredo Angulo from today’s undercard (De la Rosa eventually won a wide unanimous decision over a very worn-out looking Angulo). 10.40pm ET03:40 Just before the ring walks start, catch up on some reading: Kevin Mitchell in Las Vegas on why Mayweather needs a knockout to restore his popularity after some pretty awful comments on the Ray Rice domestic violence situation. Tim Lewis on whether Mayweather is in it for love or money. Yours truly on why Mayweather is really no different from Rice. And the ultimate guide to the fight, with everything you could possibly want to know but were afraid to ask. 10.34pm ET03:34 Hit me with some predictions (on @axmcc or mcclintock.alex@gmail.com) people! Can Marcos Maidana flip the script in the sequel, or will it be a typical Floyd domination? 10.27pm ET03:27 Introduction And we’re live! The undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana II is already over, after junior featherweight Leo Santa Cruz knocked out Miguel “Suavecito” Roman with a crushing right hand in the 1st round. “Suavecito” means “softy” in Spanish, which is rather fitting. Stay tuned for all the Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne action (oh, and some boxing too). |