Floyd Mayweather survives epic fight with Marcos Maidana to claim majority decision victory in Las Vegas
Floyd Mayweather becomes unified WBC and WBA welterweight champion but is given one of the toughest tests of his professional career in a majority decision victory
Best in the business: Floyd Mayweather celebrates yet another victory Photo: GETTY IMAGES
2:55PM BST 04 May 2014
The denouement to the event was marred by a terrifying crush of spectators when a temporary partition wall collapsed outside the Grand Garden Arena media room with 24 people left injured.
As fans tried to leave the arena through a crowded, bottleneck passageway and into the main casino, a "stampede" of people caused mayhem for several minutes. A hundred or so spectators escaped the crush through the media room doors.
Eric Poleski, chief of the Clark County Fire Department, confirmed that 24 people were taken to local hospitals as a result of their injuries.
Poleski confirmed that a stampede-like crowd motion had taken place, sparked by fans mistaking a loud noise for a gunshot.
"What happened was a temporary wall had fallen over and it made a loud bang and people assumed that shots were fired, so they started stampeding," Poleski told Yahoo Sports.
Back in the media room 30 minutes later, Mayweather agreed to a rematch, shaking hands with Maidana's trainer Robert Diaz, claiming that he had deliberately taken part in a close quarters contest.
"If he thinks he won, we can do it again in September, absolutely we can," said Mayweather, who claimed the WBA belt to add to the WBC crown he already held.
"It was a tough, competitive fight. I normally like to go out there and box and move. But he put pressure on me. I wanted to give the fans what they wanted to see so I stood and fought him. But like a champion, I was able to make adjustments."
The official attendance for the fight was 16,268, a sell-out, and the $15 million gate was the fourth-largest in the history of fights in Las Vegas. The event is expected to have sold more than 1 million pay-per-views in American households.
Maidana gave Mayweather one of the toughest examinations of his 18-year, undefeated professional career, bullied as he was for extended periods of the fight; and yet Mayweather, often forced onto the ropes, was still brilliant in defence.
He is not regarded as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter for nothing, and retained his unbeaten record, going to 46-0.
Maidana swarmed boxing's No 1 prize fighter from the opening bell, but Mayweather surged back in the middle rounds, landing the cleaner shots to earn victory on two judges' cards, by 117-111 and 116-112. The third judge had the contest even at 114-114.
I had it 7-4 to Mayweather with one drawn, early in the piece, to return 116-113. From the sixth to the 11th rounds, we witnessed Mayweather soaking up punishment, avoiding the worst of it, and replying with brilliant counters.
There were also times in that period when the sport's leading protagonist boxed with command from the centre of the ring. Maidana threw far more punches, and attacked in flurries, but Mayweather was far more accurate as the two battled into the late rounds.
"I won the fight," Maidana insisted, speaking through an interpreter. "He fought a real man for the first time."
Punch stats by Compubox showed Mayweather landing 230 of 426 punches to 221 of 858 for Maidana. It was the most punches landed by any fighter against Mayweather in 38 fights where punch stats were compiled.
Moreover, Maidana scaled in at 165 pounds in his dressing-room earlier in the evening, having put on 18 pounds since he initially weighed in. Mayweather was still on the 147 pound welterweight limit.
Maidana captured the imagination of the crowd as he set upon Mayweather from the opening bell. "He never hurt me with a punch," Maidana said. "He wasn't that tough, I thought I won."
Maidana complained about being forced to fight with gloves he didn't want to use when the two camps engaged in a stand-off at the rules meeting a day earlier.
"If I would have had my gloves I would have knocked him out," Maidana said. "They took away my advantage. I am the first real man Mayweather has ever fought."
Mayweather earned $32 million for the contest which could swell to nearer $40 million with his share of pay-per-view revenue. Maidana earned a career best $1.5 million, but more than the money, Maidana earned the respect of the paying public. If they meet again in four months' time, it will be an even bigger event.
more at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxing/10807229/Floyd-Mayweather-survives-epic-fight-with-Marcos-Maidana-to-claim-majority-decision-victory-in-Las-Vegas.html
Poleski confirmed that a stampede-like crowd motion had taken place, sparked by fans mistaking a loud noise for a gunshot.
"What happened was a temporary wall had fallen over and it made a loud bang and people assumed that shots were fired, so they started stampeding," Poleski told Yahoo Sports.
Back in the media room 30 minutes later, Mayweather agreed to a rematch, shaking hands with Maidana's trainer Robert Diaz, claiming that he had deliberately taken part in a close quarters contest.
"If he thinks he won, we can do it again in September, absolutely we can," said Mayweather, who claimed the WBA belt to add to the WBC crown he already held.
"It was a tough, competitive fight. I normally like to go out there and box and move. But he put pressure on me. I wanted to give the fans what they wanted to see so I stood and fought him. But like a champion, I was able to make adjustments."
The official attendance for the fight was 16,268, a sell-out, and the $15 million gate was the fourth-largest in the history of fights in Las Vegas. The event is expected to have sold more than 1 million pay-per-views in American households.
Maidana gave Mayweather one of the toughest examinations of his 18-year, undefeated professional career, bullied as he was for extended periods of the fight; and yet Mayweather, often forced onto the ropes, was still brilliant in defence.
He is not regarded as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter for nothing, and retained his unbeaten record, going to 46-0.
Maidana swarmed boxing's No 1 prize fighter from the opening bell, but Mayweather surged back in the middle rounds, landing the cleaner shots to earn victory on two judges' cards, by 117-111 and 116-112. The third judge had the contest even at 114-114.
I had it 7-4 to Mayweather with one drawn, early in the piece, to return 116-113. From the sixth to the 11th rounds, we witnessed Mayweather soaking up punishment, avoiding the worst of it, and replying with brilliant counters.
There were also times in that period when the sport's leading protagonist boxed with command from the centre of the ring. Maidana threw far more punches, and attacked in flurries, but Mayweather was far more accurate as the two battled into the late rounds.
"I won the fight," Maidana insisted, speaking through an interpreter. "He fought a real man for the first time."
Punch stats by Compubox showed Mayweather landing 230 of 426 punches to 221 of 858 for Maidana. It was the most punches landed by any fighter against Mayweather in 38 fights where punch stats were compiled.
Moreover, Maidana scaled in at 165 pounds in his dressing-room earlier in the evening, having put on 18 pounds since he initially weighed in. Mayweather was still on the 147 pound welterweight limit.
Maidana captured the imagination of the crowd as he set upon Mayweather from the opening bell. "He never hurt me with a punch," Maidana said. "He wasn't that tough, I thought I won."
Maidana complained about being forced to fight with gloves he didn't want to use when the two camps engaged in a stand-off at the rules meeting a day earlier.
"If I would have had my gloves I would have knocked him out," Maidana said. "They took away my advantage. I am the first real man Mayweather has ever fought."
Mayweather earned $32 million for the contest which could swell to nearer $40 million with his share of pay-per-view revenue. Maidana earned a career best $1.5 million, but more than the money, Maidana earned the respect of the paying public. If they meet again in four months' time, it will be an even bigger event.
more at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxing/10807229/Floyd-Mayweather-survives-epic-fight-with-Marcos-Maidana-to-claim-majority-decision-victory-in-Las-Vegas.html
No comments:
Post a Comment