(Marcos Maidana’s duckface + leopard print snakeskin tuxedo = look of the year)
Don’t follow boxing very often, but you want to know the gist of Saturday’s mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana? Follow boxing all the time, and want one place that rounds up all the links about the junior middleweight showdown you could ever want? This Ultimate Guide to the Sept. 13 pay-per-view event known as “Mayhem” is for you, no matter what kind of fan you are.
We start, as always, with what The Queensberry Rules staff has been up to, and it has been very busy. Alex McClintock previewed the undercard of Mayweather-Maidana II, then compared the Ray Rice situation to Mayweather’s situation before others had done so, followed by an examination of the meaning of Maidana’s nickname of “Chino.” Sam Sheppard contemplated the nature of Maidana as the B-side, while Matthew Swain took a step back and looked at the times in boxing history when brawlers bothered boxers. TQBR Radio, hosted by Patrick Connor and James Foley, had a Mayweather-Maidana II preview for the auditory-minded. I provided a preview and prediction of Mayweather vs. Maidana. Jeff Pryor examined the dynamics at play in sweet science sequels and finally, the entire staff discussed the bout in a roundtable chat.
A picture, however, is worth a thousand words. Showtime really needs to give in and adopt a “greatest hits” video highlight format, ripping off HBO in the process, because their “All Access” does so with HBO’s “24/7” and wisely so. Failing that, it doesn’t get much better than simply making the entirety of the first fight available.
For a fuller accounting of each man’s boxing record, go with BoxRec.
The aforementioned All Access serves as something of an introduction to the personalities of both men, although since Mayweather has a role in producing the show, it leaves out or downplays unflattering elements of the storylines surrounding the bout, like Mayweather’s dalliance with the ex-Manny Pacquiao coach he hinted had provided Pacquiao steroids (until the final episode, and it basically ignored what Mayweather had said about him previously), or ex-fiancee Shantel Jackson’s domestic abuse allegations. Check the episodes out here.
Let’s say you want to watch the fight. You are looking at a $64.95 or $74.95 cable/satellite bill to do so in your own home, depending on whether you want to go standard definition or HD. If you’re willing to go communal, depending on where you live, you might be able to watch it in movie theaters for closer to $25. (If anyone is aware of any cable/satellite providers offering discounts for Showtime subscriptions for those who buy Mayweather-Maidana 2, please provide information in the comments section.) The start time for the Mayweather fight could be earlier than the usual midnight-ish hour, as the overall card is starting earlier, too, at 8 p.m. EST. Oh, also, there should be a quality fight on non-PPV Showtime before 8 p.m. It’s an interesting experiment to get it going so early. So look for the main event to start closer to 11 p.m. If you care to watch the weigh-in Friday, you can do so at 6 p.m. EST on ESPN, Showtime’s YouTube channel and many other places.
Some mainstream media coverage: Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times columnized on the debacle of Mayweather + Rice, while beat reporter Lance Pugmire featured Maidana’s relationship with trainer Robert Garcia. The New York Daily News’ Mitch Abramson noted that Mayweather has a history of defending controversial figures. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated wass sounding a little jaded about the whole Mayweather circus. The Associated Press contended that Mayweather had a bad week, as if interjecting himself into the Rice situation wasn’t a calculated move. The Washington Post surprisingly weighs in with a nice piece about Mayweather’s imperfection outside the ring vs. inside it. ESPN’s Fight Credential has its usual bevy of coverage. Watch for more of the mainstream media’s coverage Friday throughout the day, as well as Saturday.
We leave you with Lil Wayne getting pelted after the last fight by a water bottle. WORLD STAR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqnBGSfp5fE
