By Norm Frauenheim-
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has said repeatedly during the promotional push to his May 3 bout with Marcos Maidana that nobody has ever seen him at his best.
He said it again Tuesday during his media day at his Las Vegas gym. He introduced the idea on March 8 during a
round-table session with reporters before Canelo Alvarez’ victory over Alfredo Angulo at the MGM Grand.
“I still haven’t been able to move my ‘A’ game up,” Mayweather said then. “I’ve beaten fighters with a ‘C’ game, probably a ‘D’ game. I’ve never had to do it with an ‘A’ game.”
The suggestion is that Mayweather’s best-ever in an 18-year, unbeaten career will be on display against Maidana. There’s salesmanship attached to that. Mayweather, advisor Leonard Ellerbe and associate Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions have been effusive in their praise of Maidana. They have to be. Betting odds against the Argentine have ranged between 7-to-1 to 11-to-1. Showtime’s pay-per-view price tag is approaching sticker shock. At $64.99 to $74.99 for the PPV telecast, they have to assure a reluctant public that the Argentine has a real chance, despite overwhelming odds that say otherwise.
But there’s something else too. The best Mayweather ever would seem to be Mayweather by knockout. During the round table, Mayweather wouldn’t go that far. He knows not too. If he had, he would be left with the task of having to explain why there was no stoppage. It’s the very problem still confronting Manny Pacquiao after a rematch victory on April 12 over Timothy Bradley by decision following weeks of promising a knockout.
When asked in March whether Mayweather’s ‘A’ game meant a knockout, he quickly countered, saying:
“No, no, just winning.”
The KO prediction comes with a real downside if it doesn’t happen. But there’s plenty of upside if Mayweather does what he hasn’t promised. Can he stop Maidana? The one-sided odds say, yes, hell yes. Mayweather’s history of picking opponents indicates he believes there’s a real shot at a stoppage, too. First, it would fulfill some of the unspoken promise Showtime had in him when it signed the welterweight to a contract for a possible six fights and worth a potential $250 million. Then, it would end a knockout drought. Mayweather has won three straight by decision over Miguel Cotto, Robert Guerrero and Canelo since a stoppage of Victor Ortiz in 2011. But the fourth-round Ortiz stoppage was clouded by controversy over the way it happened. Ortiz was looking at the referee when the KO blow landed.
Mayweather hasn’t had a clean stoppage since a 10th-round TKO of Ricky Hatton in 2007. Maidana’s power makes him a lot more dangerous than Hatton. Maidana has been knocking out 81.58 percent of his opponents. Hatton’s KO ratio was only 66.67 percent. Still, there are similarities. Like Hatton, Maidana has spent more of his career at light-welterweight then welter. Maidana’s height is listed at 5-feet-7. Hatton was 5-7 1/2.
In a national conference call Wednesday, there were a few Mayweather comments that hinted at the KO possibility.
“We must realize that I am the bigger guy,” Mayweather said. “I walk around at 150, and I don’t go no higher than 152. I’m naturally the bigger guy because I’ve been at 147 for almost 10 years now. So I’m naturally the bigger guy.”
Big enough apparently to go toe-toe with Maidana.
“I’m not going to do a lot of moving,” Mayweather said. “I’m going to come straight ahead and do what I have t
The what sounds a lot like a KO.
PHX Homecoming
Referee Tony Weeks, who will work the Mayweather-Maidana fight, will return to Phoenix Saturday night for an Iron Boy Promotions’ card at Celebrity Theatre. Weeks, who started his career in Arizona, is schooled to work a Phoenix card that includes junior-middleweight Siju Shabazz (3-1, 3KO) in his co-main event bout against Rollin Williams (23-16-2 8KO). Shabazz was an Olympic alternate in 2008. Opening bell is scheduled for 6 p.m.
