SO Amir Khan won but really he lost and Marcos Maidana lost but he really won.
Maidana deserved his shot at Floyd Mayweather more than Khan did, but Khan might have posed the more searching questions in the ring.
Ultimately, however, after Floyd Mayweather asked the fans to vote in a poll on his website saying he would let the fans decide who he would fight next, he went with the minority vote and picked Maidana regardless of the figures in favour of the British star.
Why he went against the grain we will probably never know.
We will likely get soundbites about how Maidana, having beaten Floyd's Lil Bro Adrien Broner and owning the WBA welterweight title, deserved his shot.
We might also be told that Maidana won a number of independent polls.
You can't dispute that. Danny Garcia aside, it is hard to see a more deserving fighter among the Golden Boy ranks that Mayweather so enjoys feasting upon.
Yes, Khan defeated Maidana in a thriller in 2010 but that was four long years ago – although, of course, that victory made the straight shootout between the two more complex.
Going in Maidana’s favour was not just the win over Broner, but that the fight will happen on the Hispanic holiday, Cinco de Mayo weekend, also known as Cinco de Mayweather in boxing parlance.
And Floyd’s ire was probably raised when an English newspaper reported the fight was on last October and again when Khan said he’d signed a contract for it earlier in the year.
No one breaks Mayweather’s news, even if it is someone else’s news. He dances to his own tune.
Khan’s enormous reach on social media would have helped keep him in the race, because Twitter, Shots and Instagram are languages Mayweather talks and he’s fluent in most of them.
More: http://www.boxingnewsonline.net/latest/feature/amir-khan
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Mayweather has shafted Khan by choosing to fight Maidana - Jeff Powell's verdict
Amir Khan has been royally shafted by the king of world boxing.
By anointing Argentina’s Marcos Maidana as his next opponent, Floyd Mayweather has left Khan with a broken promise and a career in need of being fast-tracked back out of limbo.
The Bolton boy was pre-selected as long ago as October to meet Mayweather on May 3 in what would have been the richest fight ever to involve a British boxer.
The process had begun a month earlier, at the Las Vegas weigh-in for Mayweather’s clash with Canelo Alvaraez, with Khan being feted on stage.
Two mornings after Mayweather won that fight in impressive fashion, on an American Airlines flight from Vegas to New York, I sat next to the key executive for his US television broadcasters.
He told me Khan had been ear-marked because he would bring something excitingly different to Floyd Jnr’s unbeaten equation – speed – but that it would be unwise for him to jeopardise the Mayweather jackpot by going through with a world welterweight title challenge to Devon Alexander scheduled for December.
Talks began soon after. So keen was Khan to clinch the fight – and so convinced he could win it - that he told his team to ‘give Mayweather whatever he wants.’
Within weeks the terms had been approved by Mayweather’s leading advisers.
Khan did as he was encouraged and pulled out of the Alexander fight, then signed the contract.
So what went wrong?
After it was detailed on this website that the deal was done in principle, that same TV magnate was quoted as denying he had spoken to MailOnline. I prefer not to believe that.
He has always been truthful with me and those reports came from American journalists irked at being caught off-guard by the revelation, which they sought to discredit.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-2567479/
By anointing Argentina’s Marcos Maidana as his next opponent, Floyd Mayweather has left Khan with a broken promise and a career in need of being fast-tracked back out of limbo.
The Bolton boy was pre-selected as long ago as October to meet Mayweather on May 3 in what would have been the richest fight ever to involve a British boxer.
The process had begun a month earlier, at the Las Vegas weigh-in for Mayweather’s clash with Canelo Alvaraez, with Khan being feted on stage.
Two mornings after Mayweather won that fight in impressive fashion, on an American Airlines flight from Vegas to New York, I sat next to the key executive for his US television broadcasters.
He told me Khan had been ear-marked because he would bring something excitingly different to Floyd Jnr’s unbeaten equation – speed – but that it would be unwise for him to jeopardise the Mayweather jackpot by going through with a world welterweight title challenge to Devon Alexander scheduled for December.
Talks began soon after. So keen was Khan to clinch the fight – and so convinced he could win it - that he told his team to ‘give Mayweather whatever he wants.’
Within weeks the terms had been approved by Mayweather’s leading advisers.
Khan did as he was encouraged and pulled out of the Alexander fight, then signed the contract.
So what went wrong?
After it was detailed on this website that the deal was done in principle, that same TV magnate was quoted as denying he had spoken to MailOnline. I prefer not to believe that.
He has always been truthful with me and those reports came from American journalists irked at being caught off-guard by the revelation, which they sought to discredit.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-2567479/
Promoter: Floyd Mayweather Jr. said Amir Khan lacks 'signature' win
A “very disappointed” Amir Khan is now mulling his options after getting passed over by Floyd Mayweather Jr., who Monday chose Marcos Maidana as his May 3 opponent.
Khan promoter Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, which has assisted Mayweather in the promotion of all of his fights since 2007, said Mayweather (45-0) told Schaefer at the Lakers game Sunday night that Khan lacked “a signature” victory that would convince Mayweather to fight him.
“I explained to Amir that this doesn’t mean he’ll never get the fight,” Schaefer said. “Sometimes you go fishing and catch the big one.
“And sometimes you don’t. It doesn’t mean you won’t fish again. That fight is going to happen, I have no doubt.”
England’s Khan, a former world junior-welterweight champion who beat Maidana by decision
in the 2010 fight of the year, has lost two of his past four fights and was dropped by journeyman Julio Diaz before winning a decision in April.
Schaefer said Khan (28-3, 19 knockouts) is in the running to fight in late April to early May, either in Los Angeles or possibly even on the Mayweather-Maidana card, expected to be fought at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Schaefer said he’s trying to match a slew of welterweights against each other, including Khan, International Boxing Federation welterweight champion Shawn Porter (23-0, 14 KOs), Lamont Peterson, Luis Colazzo, Robert Guerrero, Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, the 22-0 fighter who has a staggering 87% knockout percentage.
More: http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-boxing-mayweather-khan-maidana
Khan promoter Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, which has assisted Mayweather in the promotion of all of his fights since 2007, said Mayweather (45-0) told Schaefer at the Lakers game Sunday night that Khan lacked “a signature” victory that would convince Mayweather to fight him.
“I explained to Amir that this doesn’t mean he’ll never get the fight,” Schaefer said. “Sometimes you go fishing and catch the big one.
“And sometimes you don’t. It doesn’t mean you won’t fish again. That fight is going to happen, I have no doubt.”
England’s Khan, a former world junior-welterweight champion who beat Maidana by decision
in the 2010 fight of the year, has lost two of his past four fights and was dropped by journeyman Julio Diaz before winning a decision in April.
Schaefer said Khan (28-3, 19 knockouts) is in the running to fight in late April to early May, either in Los Angeles or possibly even on the Mayweather-Maidana card, expected to be fought at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Schaefer said he’s trying to match a slew of welterweights against each other, including Khan, International Boxing Federation welterweight champion Shawn Porter (23-0, 14 KOs), Lamont Peterson, Luis Colazzo, Robert Guerrero, Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, the 22-0 fighter who has a staggering 87% knockout percentage.
More: http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-boxing-mayweather-khan-maidana
MARCOS MAIDANA ON FLOYD MAYWEATHER CLASH: "IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE I HIT THE LOTTERY...BEATING HIM, IT WILL"
"Thanks a lot to everybody who supported me around the world! I'll give it all to give you a victory on May 3rd," wrote WBA welterweight champion Marcos Maidana, who addressed his followers on Twitter shortly after undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd "Money" Mayweather announced him as his opponent for his highly-anticipated return to the ring. Though Maidana is extremely happy that he landed the coveted assignment, he's not quite ready to cash in on his Mayweather Sweepstakes lottery ticket.
"I'm just happy to face Mayweather, but it doesn't feel like I hit the lottery like he said. Only beating him, it will," he added. On May 3, Maidana will get the opportunity to hit the jackpot if he can duplicate the success he had against Adrien Broner and score another upset victory over the biggest name in the sport.
Thanks a lot to everybody who supported me around the world! I'll give it all to give you a victory on May 3rd!
— Marcos René Maidana (@ChinoMaidana) February 25, 2014
I'm just happy to face Mayweather but it doesn't feel like I hit the lottery like he said. Only beating him it will
— Marcos René Maidana (@ChinoMaidana) February 25, 2014
More: http://www.fighthype.com/news/article16220.html
"I'm just happy to face Mayweather, but it doesn't feel like I hit the lottery like he said. Only beating him, it will," he added. On May 3, Maidana will get the opportunity to hit the jackpot if he can duplicate the success he had against Adrien Broner and score another upset victory over the biggest name in the sport.
Thanks a lot to everybody who supported me around the world! I'll give it all to give you a victory on May 3rd!
— Marcos René Maidana (@ChinoMaidana) February 25, 2014
I'm just happy to face Mayweather but it doesn't feel like I hit the lottery like he said. Only beating him it will
— Marcos René Maidana (@ChinoMaidana) February 25, 2014
More: http://www.fighthype.com/news/article16220.html
Shane Mosley explains why Marcos Maidana will give Floyd Mayweather a harder fight than Amir Khan would have
On Monday, Feb. 24, the same day he celebrated his 37th birthday, Floyd Mayweather officially announced that he will be facing off with Marcos Maidana on May 3 in Las Vegas.
The decision by Mayweather comes after months of speculation as to whether he would select Maidana or British star and former two-time champion Amir Khan as his next pay per view foe
Maidana is the fighter with much more momentum riding in based off of his December upset over Adrien Broner and his all-action style will likely help to create some kind of drama during the match.
Catching up with former Mayweather foe and three-division titlist Shane Mosley a few days prior to Mayweather’s announcement, he spoke on who would be a tougher matchup for Floyd.
“I think the style of Marcos Maidana might be a little harder for Floyd to fight,” Mosley explained. “Marcos Maidana, he’s kind of awkward.
“But I still think Floyd beats both guys fairly easy,” Mosley added. “That’s just my opinion. The only thing that is going to beat Floyd now is Floyd.”
Mosley feels that Maidana’s unconventional attack from various angles will at least allow him a better shot than someone like Khan, who Shane feels would be at more of a disadvantage.
“I think Marcos Maidana has an awkward style, where he throws punches, not traditionally,” Mosley explained. “And that might give Floyd more of a problem than maybe Amir Khan that throws punches straight forward. Floyd dips off the link a lot and it might be kind of hard for Amir Khan to get any type of shot in.
“Marcos Maidana throws punches differently,” Mosley said. “He throws them from different angles, where it might throw Floyd off a little bit. I think Marcos Maidana might have a better shot because of that.”
http://hustleboss.com/shane-mosley-explains-why-marcos-maidana
The decision by Mayweather comes after months of speculation as to whether he would select Maidana or British star and former two-time champion Amir Khan as his next pay per view foe
Maidana is the fighter with much more momentum riding in based off of his December upset over Adrien Broner and his all-action style will likely help to create some kind of drama during the match.
Catching up with former Mayweather foe and three-division titlist Shane Mosley a few days prior to Mayweather’s announcement, he spoke on who would be a tougher matchup for Floyd.
“I think the style of Marcos Maidana might be a little harder for Floyd to fight,” Mosley explained. “Marcos Maidana, he’s kind of awkward.
“But I still think Floyd beats both guys fairly easy,” Mosley added. “That’s just my opinion. The only thing that is going to beat Floyd now is Floyd.”
Mosley feels that Maidana’s unconventional attack from various angles will at least allow him a better shot than someone like Khan, who Shane feels would be at more of a disadvantage.
“I think Marcos Maidana has an awkward style, where he throws punches, not traditionally,” Mosley explained. “And that might give Floyd more of a problem than maybe Amir Khan that throws punches straight forward. Floyd dips off the link a lot and it might be kind of hard for Amir Khan to get any type of shot in.
“Marcos Maidana throws punches differently,” Mosley said. “He throws them from different angles, where it might throw Floyd off a little bit. I think Marcos Maidana might have a better shot because of that.”
http://hustleboss.com/shane-mosley-explains-why-marcos-maidana
Floyd Mayweather v Marcos Maidana: Amir Khan misses out as Mayweather confirms unification bout against Argentine
Floyd Mayweather will fight Marcos Maidana in a welterweight unification contest on May 3, ending Brit Amir Khan's hopes of being the WBC champion's next opponent.
Khan, 27, signed a contract in December that he had hoped would set him up for a possible super-fight with Mayweather this year but finally admitted on Twitter last week that he did not think the fight would take place.
And now promoters Golden Boy and Mayweather Promotions have confirmed that the 37-year-old will face Argentinian WBA champion Maidana instead.
"After weeks of speculation, including feedback from fans across an array of social media platforms, boxing's pound-for-pound superstar, pay-per-view king and WBC Welterweight World Champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather will face the dangerous, power-punching WBA Welterweight World Champion Marcos "El Chino" Maidana on Saturday, May 3," read the statement.
Undefeated Mayweather (45-0) launched a social media campaign earlier this month asking fans to decide which of the two men he should take on in his next bout.
"Marcos Maidana's last performance immediately brought him to my attention," said Mayweather.
"He is an extremely skilled fighter who brings knockout danger to the ring.
"I think this is a great fight for me and he deserves the opportunity to see if he can do what 45 others have tried to do before him - beat me."
More: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/boxing/floyd-mayweather-v-marcos-maidana
Khan, 27, signed a contract in December that he had hoped would set him up for a possible super-fight with Mayweather this year but finally admitted on Twitter last week that he did not think the fight would take place.
And now promoters Golden Boy and Mayweather Promotions have confirmed that the 37-year-old will face Argentinian WBA champion Maidana instead.
"After weeks of speculation, including feedback from fans across an array of social media platforms, boxing's pound-for-pound superstar, pay-per-view king and WBC Welterweight World Champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather will face the dangerous, power-punching WBA Welterweight World Champion Marcos "El Chino" Maidana on Saturday, May 3," read the statement.
Undefeated Mayweather (45-0) launched a social media campaign earlier this month asking fans to decide which of the two men he should take on in his next bout.
"Marcos Maidana's last performance immediately brought him to my attention," said Mayweather.
"He is an extremely skilled fighter who brings knockout danger to the ring.
"I think this is a great fight for me and he deserves the opportunity to see if he can do what 45 others have tried to do before him - beat me."
More: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/boxing/floyd-mayweather-v-marcos-maidana
Maidana up next for Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather Jr. gave himself a 37th birthday present on Monday: an opponent. The pound-for-pound king announced on Twitter that he will next fight fellow welterweight titleholder Marcos Maidana on May 3.
I will be fighting Marcos Maidana May 3rd on Pay-per-view Showtime/CBS http://t.co/mtj7H8WVxu pic.twitter.com/Rc2N87zcjP
- Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) February 25, 2014
The 147-pound unification fight will be carried by Showtime PPV and take place at a venue to be determined -- either in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, the front-runner, where Mayweather has had his last eight fights, or the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., which came into the picture in recent weeks and is making a strong push for the fight.
Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer, who has worked with Mayweather since 2007 and also promotes Maidana, told ESPN.com that he hopes to have the venue locked in "in the next couple of days along with the ticket information."
The fight will be the third of a 30-month, six-fight deal worth $200 million-plus that Mayweather signed with Showtime and parent network CBS last February. Mayweather has said he plans to retire at the conclusion of the contract.
Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs) holds world titles at junior middleweight and welterweight but will return to welterweight to make his second defense when he faces Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs), a 30-year-old crowd-pleasing slugger from Argentina who will be making the first defense of his belt. Maidana, who landed the fight over fellow former junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan, won his world title in dramatic upset fashion by scoring two knockdowns in a unanimous decision against Adrien Broner in their Dec. 14 brawl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/10513894/floyd-mayweather-jr-lines-marcos-maidana
I will be fighting Marcos Maidana May 3rd on Pay-per-view Showtime/CBS http://t.co/mtj7H8WVxu pic.twitter.com/Rc2N87zcjP
- Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) February 25, 2014
The 147-pound unification fight will be carried by Showtime PPV and take place at a venue to be determined -- either in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, the front-runner, where Mayweather has had his last eight fights, or the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., which came into the picture in recent weeks and is making a strong push for the fight.
Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer, who has worked with Mayweather since 2007 and also promotes Maidana, told ESPN.com that he hopes to have the venue locked in "in the next couple of days along with the ticket information."
The fight will be the third of a 30-month, six-fight deal worth $200 million-plus that Mayweather signed with Showtime and parent network CBS last February. Mayweather has said he plans to retire at the conclusion of the contract.
Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs) holds world titles at junior middleweight and welterweight but will return to welterweight to make his second defense when he faces Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs), a 30-year-old crowd-pleasing slugger from Argentina who will be making the first defense of his belt. Maidana, who landed the fight over fellow former junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan, won his world title in dramatic upset fashion by scoring two knockdowns in a unanimous decision against Adrien Broner in their Dec. 14 brawl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/10513894/floyd-mayweather-jr-lines-marcos-maidana
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