No Time for Clowning Around, Money Barely Cashes In

by Kenneth D. Miller
Special to the NNPA from the Los Angeles Sentinel

As Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather approaches the twilight of his career facing four final fights he faced and won perhaps his most competitive one to date eking out a brawling majority decision win to improve to 46-0 and capture the two more welterweight title against Marcos Maidana before a sold out crowd of more than 16,000 Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“It was a tough fight, a tough competitive fight,” Mayweather said afterwards. “I wanted to give the fans what they wanted.”

Maidana who threw 858 punches to Mayweather’s 426, landing just 221 to Mayweather’s 230 thought he wan the fight. That’s the most any fighter has landed on him in 38 fights.

Mayweather suffered a cut as a result of an accidental head butt and bled for the first time in memory.

“A true champion can make adjustment to anything,” Mayweather said.

“I think I won the fight because he didn’t come fight like a man,” Maidana said through an interpreter.

Mayweather has added all of the elements of a full ring circus to his showmanship repertoire implementing dancing clowns to his extravagant ring walk that included rap star Lil Wayne and troubled singer Justin Beiber .

The wild freewheeling Maidana began the fight in his reckless swing style and did something that few fighters have done against Mayweather, won the first round.

Maidana continued his assault of Mayweather through six rounds, ripping to the body and head and puffing the right cheek of Mayweather, although the undisputed pound for pound champ may have won a couple of them.

Mayweather got into a much better rhythm in round 7 and, using his savvy ringsmanship, fast hands and experience.

As the progressed Mayweather proved why he is considered one of the best ever, making the essential adjustments the increasing his accuracy on jabs and body shots.

Ultimately, he became a matter of Maidana not having enough sustaining power, and Mayweather’s brilliant athleticism and tactical advantages.

Few can fault Maidana for his aggressiveness and intense effort, which may have earned him a rematch in September.

BRONER WINS

Adrien Broner returned to action after being dominated by Marcos Maidana and Carlos Molina proved that he too might have the answer to the ‘Problem.’

Before the debacle, Broner was considered the heir apparent to Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, but his underwhelming performance against the unheralded Molina proved otherwise on the pay per view undercard at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Displaying some of his same clownish ring antics, Broner caught more than his share of overhand rights and punishing kidney shots in his comeback 10 round affair.

Although he went back down to his comfortable weight  of junior welterweight division where his power is elevated, it was Molina who produced as much of the power punches.

Broner came on strong the final three rounds to polish off Molina, but did nothing to enhance his star power.

The crowd at the MGM booed Broner’s unanimous decision.

“At the end of the day I am still Adrien ‘Problem’ Broner. Anybody can get it. Afri ‘CANS, I just beat the sh… out of a Mexi –CAN,” Broner said while being interviewed in the ring following his bout. His racist rant was denounced by promoter Richard Schaefer following the event.

FINAL NOTE: A riot erupted after the main event and spilled over to the Media center where Sentinel contributor Fred Hawthorne was hit in the head and had to be hospitalized.