Floyd Mayweather wants to end any questions few had about him after last May’s majority-decision win against Marcos Maidana, in a world title 147-pound rematch on Sept. 13.
“The rematch with Mayweather is the only fight that really motivates me,” Maidana said in the release. “I feel I earned it in the ring and Floyd owed it to me. I’ve already proved that I don’t care if the man I have in front of me is the best pound-for-pound champion. I was close to ending his reign last time. On Sept. 13, he will not get away undefeated.”
Mayweather won a majority decision — 117-111, 116-112 and 114-114 — to unify 147-pound world titles in a competitive fight, one of the most competitive and entertaining of his career.
“Marcos Maidana is a tough customer and he gave me a fight that had me work for the victory,” Mayweather said in a news release. “His style is difficult at best, but with experience comes a way and will to win. I’m not one to give second chances in the ring, but I want to give the fans what they want to see. I will be as prepared as I always am when I step in the ring on Sept. 13. I only see the outcome one way and that’s another successful night for me and my team.”
Although most thought Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs), 37, did enough to win, Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs), 30, of Argentina, disputed the decision and had given Mayweather his most difficult fight in years.
Mayweather also probably picked Maidana because he is essentially out of established opponents to face since a showdown with fellow champion Manny Pacquiao — the one fight the public has demanded for years — is not even up for discussion, given their different promotional and network alliances. And that’s even before an argument over the financial split, drug testing and numerous other issues.
“It was such a great fight in May and I know everywhere I’ve been going the fans have been saying that and that Floyd should fight him in a rematch,” Mayweather Promotions chief executive Leonard Ellerbe told ESPN.com. “So why not? Maidana thought he won the fight. Floyd knows he won the fight. It was a tremendous fight.”
Ellerbe said they considered other potential opponents, but he declined to name names.
“I don’t want to get into the names. It comes down to that the first fight was a great fight, and this is a fight that fans wanted to see again,” Ellerbe said.
The fight will be promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, which has promoted all of Mayweather’s fights since 2007. That is noteworthy is because last month, in the wake of the resignation of Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer, who is very close to Mayweather, Ellerbe told ESPN.com that they would no longer work with Golden Boy.
