Mayweather vs Maidana set for May 3 on Showtime PPV

By Scott Christ, February 24, 2014 for badlefthook.com

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Floyd Mayweather's return to the ring is signed and sealed, as he will defend his WBC welterweight title on May 3 against WBA titleholder Marcos Maidana, with the Argentine slugger beating out Amir Khan in the race for the fight.



Mayweather (45-0, 26 KO) last fought on September 14 of last year, routing Canelo Alvarez in the biggest fight of the year, and the biggest money fight in boxing history. He also defeated Robert Guerrero in May 2013.



From the SHO press release:



"I am extremely happy to be facing Floyd Mayweather because it will give me the opportunity to show the world that I am the best welterweight in the division," said Maidana, who will represent throngs of Hispanic boxing fans on Cinco de Mayo when he faces the pound-for-pound king. "I just handed a great defensive fighter his first loss and I plan to do the same to Mayweather. I don't care whether he's the best and undefeated. I will bring some real Latino power to him on May 3rd."



"This is an extremely dangerous fight for Floyd as Marcos Maidana is a technical knock-out artist and continues to show us that he gets better with each fight," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "Maidana showed so much in his last performance, he's clearly at the top of his game and a great match-up for Floyd."



"In Marcos Maidana, Floyd Mayweather may be in for his toughest opponent ever," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "Maidana is the type of fighter who will find out if Floyd still belongs on top of the pound-for-pound list. He's strong, tough and aggressive. He in giving Adrien Broner his first loss, he showed that he won't be intimidated by talk, a big fight atmosphere or an unbeaten record. I give Floyd a lot of credit for stepping up to the plate and testing himself once again. He is a true warrior, and the fans will be the winners on May 3rd."



"The first two events in our partnership with Floyd Mayweather were incredible and SHOWTIME PPV is proud to present the next chapter in Floyd's remarkable career," said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®. "Marcos Maidana is a boxer whose fearsome power can change the trajectory of a fight with a single punch. Couple that with his ferocity and perseverance and you have the recipe for an incredible fight on the grandest stage of the sport."

Maidana (35-3, 31 KO) fought his way into this spot by upsetting unbeaten Adrien Broner on December 14. Previously, the May fight was thought to be Amir Khan's almost by default, as Golden Boy didn't appear to have any other suitors at 147 or 154 pounds. But with Maidana beating Broner, an alternative was created to the Mayweather-Khan bout, which had received a lukewarm response at best.

Statistics: Posted by bgosh — Feb 24. 2014, 20:35 — Replies 0 — Views 4

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