Mayweather/Maidana: The ‘Mavinci’ Code

“Tonight is the night,” they said, “Maidana has the power,” they said. But once again, Floyd Mayweather showed in front of a full house in the MGM Grand Las Vegas, that he is miles ahead of any other boxer in the world. So far ahead in fact, even NASA cannot find him.

His majority point’s decision last night may not have been as clinical and clear cut as his previous wins, but he proved once again that he can adapt and beat any style that he comes across.

The fight was billed ‘The Moment’ and Marcus Maidana, the WBA champion, did indeed have his moments. He came out swinging from the opening bell intent on making a dent in the impregnable defence that the ‘Money Man’ applies.

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Amir Khan displays overall style improvements in his UD win against Luis Collazo

Amir Khan has had 15 title fights since 2007 and his welterweight debut against Luis Collazo at MGM Grand on Saturday was no exception. His opponent was strong and game but somewhat limited as a boxer and was expected to test Khan’s ability to deal with raw power and aggression.

Khan showed progress in the way he used his speed. His fast footwork did not appear to be chaotic like in previous outings and maneuvered him in proper range and correct angle towards the heavy handed southpaw Collazo. His hand speed was purposeful this time; he delivered sharp straight shots from comfortable range combined with good movement and defensive alert. The bulky and menacing Collazo was dazzled by the fast and accurate combos and constant motion of his opponent while he was looking for an opening and trying to walk Khan down to the corner.

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Mayweather Seizes “THE MOMENT” But Not Without A Fight From Maidana

For a moment, it seemed like Marcos “El Chino” Maidana could do the unthinkable – hand pound-for-pound champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather the first loss of his brilliant career. Only for a moment.

Mayweather, who is now the WBC and WBA Welterweight World Champion, prevailed with a hard-fought majority decision victory over Maidana in the main event on Saturday on SHOWTIME PPV in front of 16,268 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Judge Michael Pernick scored the fight a draw (114-114) while Burt Clemens scored 117-111 and Dave Moretti 116-112.

Mayweather vs. Maidana and Khan vs. Collazo will premiere on SHOWTIME next Saturday, May 10, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. In addition, ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. Maidana will premiere “Epilogue” at 11:45 p.m. ET/PT following the special SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast of the pay-per-view bouts.

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Amir Khan Defeats Luis Collazo Via Unanimous Decision In Co-Feature On SHOWTIME PPV

British star Amir Khan floored Luis Collazo three times en route to a 12-round unanimous decision 117-106, 119-104, 119-104.

Khan (29-3, 19 KOs), in his first bout at 147 pounds, showcased his speed, footwork and precision from the opening bell. Khan landed 50 percent of his power punches and mixed in a dose of roughhouse tactics, which added up to a frustrating night for Collazo.

Both fighters were fined a point in the eighth at separate times by referee Vic Drakulich. With Khan holding Collazo’s head down, Collazo was fined for a low blow. Just seconds later, Khan was penalized one point for holding.

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Adrien Broner, J’Leon Love Victorious On Mayweather/Maidana Undercard

In his debut in the 140-pound division, three-division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner bounced back from the first loss of his career with a unanimous decision win (99-91, 98-92, 100-90) over Carlos Molina.

Broner (28-1, 22 KO), who was fighting for the first time since his surprising loss to Maidana last December, started slow and was hit by a crushing overhand right from the confident Molina in the second round. While locked up in the third, Broner wrestled and tossed Molina (17-2-1, 13 KOs) to the ground, earning a hard warning by referee Kenny Bayless.

Broner picked up the pace in the middle rounds and took control of the bout with an impressive inside fight game.

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Mayweather decisions Maidana; Khan beats Collazo; Broner defeats Molina

WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (46-0, 26 KO’s) won a disputed 12 round majority decision over WBA 147lb belt holder Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KO’s) on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fans disagreed with the decision from the three judges, as they loudly booed the decision. The judges scored 116-112, 117-111 for Mayweather and 114-114 even.

Many of the rounds were very close due to the constant heat that Maidana was putting on Mayweather while pressuring him against the ropes. Mayweather was nearly helpless when Maidana had him on the ropes, and he had to hold in order to slow the tough Argentinian down. In the first three rounds, Mayweather tried to fight Maidana off the ropes, but he was not in Maidana’s league on the inside and he took a lot of punishment.

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Abraham defeats Sjekloca with one arm

Fighting with just his left hand, WBO super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (40-4, 28 KO’s) successfully defended his WBO 168lb title with a 12 round unanimous decision win tonight against an over-matched and terribly limited 35-year-old #12 WBO Nikola Sjekloca (26-2, 8 KO’s) at The Velodrom, Prenzlauer Berg, in Berlin, Germany.

The final judges’ scores were 116-113, 116-112, and 119-110 for Abraham. Sjekloca fought well enough to lose by a 116-113 score, but definitely not 119-110. That was way too wide of a score for the fight that took place tonight.

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The Moment – Big Fight Preview: Mayweather’s mindset, Khan’s toughest clash and Broner getting back to basics

Probably three of the top ten draws in boxing right now, today’s event featuring Adrien Broner, Floyd Mayweather and Amir Khan is one to relish.

Granted, real boxing fans know that the headline clash between Mayweather and Marcos Maidana is about as one-sided a bout as ‘Money’ has been in for a long time. However, a chance to also witness Broner back to his spectacular best and Khan in a real 50/50 bout makes this a special card.

Also featuring will be some of Mayweather Promotions’ best prospects as well as another UK Olympic medalist that Golden Boy Promotions are hoping to turn into the next Amir Khan. With such a stacked show it can be hard to get your head around all that is on offer, so here is a breakdown of all the goings on involved in The Moment.

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“The Moment”: Mayweather vs Maidana – Keys to Victory, Four to Explore, Final Prediction

Where will you be…..when the “moment” comes? For the past 8 weeks, fight fans around the globe have been asked this question. Where each of us may be is a pretty intriguing slogan; but a better question would be what can fans expect when that “moment” finally arrives? Will this moment be one in the same with every other Floyd Mayweather fight of the past? Will it be that proverbial “shot heard around the world”, finally removing the layer of invincibility that has surrounding Mayweather for so long? Will it be the foul stench of controversy that often rears its ugly head in boxing after a potential bad decision surfaces? Each of these questions remain to be seen.

In just a few hours, all questions will be answered, yet if the past any indication, on the heels of a recent Pacquiao victory, perhaps those answers could lead to more questions. With an angle for the future already in the back of our collective minds, we narrow things down for tonight’s event by taking a look at each man’s “Keys to Victory”, “Four to Explore”, and in the end, a “Final Prediction”:

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Abraham faces Sjekloca tonight

(Credit: Thomas Goos / Team Sjekloca) WBO super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (39-4, 28 KO’s) will be making an optional title defense tonight against #12 WBO Nikola Sjekloca (26-1, 8 KO’s) in what hopes to be an entertaining fight at The Velodrom, Prenzlauer Berg, in Berlin, Germany. It’s not a particularly interesting fight because Sjekloca has little to no power to speak of, and he’s only fought one good opponent during his career in Sakio Bika, who beat him soundly.

Abraham recently won back his WBO title with a victory over Robert Stieglitz last March, and now Abraham is taking an optional title defense before he faces Stieglitz likely for a fourth time in either late 2014 or sometime next year. Stieglitz needs to win at least one of two fights before he can get a fourth fight against Abraham, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be asked by the WBO to fight his way to another shot at the title.

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