Floyd “Money” Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) will take on “El Chino” Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) for a second time in Las Vegas Nevada. In their first match, El Chino came out strong, but a little to fast. He burned out, gaining early success, until Mayweather dominated the second half of the fight, ultimately winning via majority decision. This is how the BMB team see’s tomorrow night’s fight. 

Jose Hernandez

Floyd “Money” Mayweather will face off against Marcos “El Chino” Maidana for the second time on September 13th 2014. This will be Floyd’s only second rematch in his illustrious career (the previous being against Castillo over 11 years ago!). In my eyes there can only be three possible outcomes, a) Mayweather picks up where he left off in the later rounds of their first match (dominating most of the action and taking advantage of Maidana’s aggressiveness). b) Maidana comes in, in the best shape of his life and maintains a relentless pressure for most of the fight. He also increases his accuracy and wins a close decision (similar to Bradley Vs Pacman I) hurting Mayweather along the way. c) We witness something that only happens once every couple of boxing generations, Maidana hurts Mayweather early and awakens the dragon, seemingly cementing himself at the helm of boxing immortality. As a fan I want to option c to happen, we’ve seen a glimpse of this a couple years back against Mosley, and the stage is set for perhaps one of the most exiting fights, if not in the history of boxing, at least in the career of Floyd. Maidana is Floyd’s antithesis, he embodies his greatest fear, someone that is not attracted to boxing for the glory (and the material things that you can gain from it) and thus is not phased by Floyd’s masterful mind games (Ariza at his gym, the PR train that comes with the promotion, etc.). Maidana is a man who, “fears no living man on this earth”, and he’s going to bring it on Saturday, Floyd better be ready.

Prediction: A combo of a+b Floyd Money Mayweather by decision (not decisive)

Jarrett Bato

There’s an underlying tension between the rematch thats becoming more palpable as we reach fight night. The rematch is has no allure of, say, a rematch between Leonard and Hearns, or Arguello vs Pryor, where the fans were left with unanswered questions. This time a fan backing a particular side is pretty confident of the outcome, he/she is just hoping to convince the enemy that indeed the winner was Chino/Mayweather.

This rematch is all about emotion and legacy, and i think each side has a lot of stake. I think El Chino is prepared to stay underwater for 12 rounds and thats what I’m excited for. I think Mayweather isn’t prepared for more than his regular but will be exciting to see who shows up to fight. I believe it will go all 12, SD Chino.

Prediction: El Chino by Split Decision

Ms. LadyJustice (Julie Alarcon)

Ok, so we are all tired of the same show: Mayweather dominating every opponent he comes across, no boxer having a real chance at dethroning Money May – The Best Ever, and Mayweather walking away with over 25 Mil for a light day of work. Nevertheless, I ask you to take a step back. Look at this rematch with more observant eyes and I dare you to say, “Well, maybe.”

What do we know about Maidana? He looked good last time. Sure, you’re thinking good isn’t good enough for Mayweather and it really isn’t, let’s be honest. However, let us take a deeper look. Maidana’s camp said he was only able to train 5 out of the 8 weeks last time because he was expecting a new born. This time, he has 8 full weeks and a new strength and conditioning coach. The two new developments will enable Maidana to take full advantage of his brawler style. He will pressure Mayweather, a situation Mayweather runs from.

Also, let’s talk about the insistent request of padded gloves? Do not even say that gloves don’t make a difference or say Mayweather would have won regardless (unless of course, you have been in the ring and have been hit with 8 oz. gloves). The glove specification will not change this fight but it does indicate Mayweather was concerned, or at the minimum took note, of Maidana’s punching power. Maidana is aware of this and will have to translate it into 12 rounds.

Maidana may have found the key not only to beat Mayweather in this rematch but also give Mayweather something great. If Mayweather loses, it may increase his marketability. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, his remaining fights under his Showtime contract will get the attention of boxing fans who will want to see how he responds after his first defeat. Also, people who are tired of seeing the same show will be on the edge of their seats for the next contender to blotch Mayweather’s record and put his arrogant persona in check. TBE may lose to Maidana but stands to win much more in the long run. It may sound ludicrous but it just a thought.

Ultimately, Maidana is the only fighter that has had a chance at winning. He is going to have to come much stronger than 4-6 rounds. He is going to have to leave his soul in the ring in order to dethrone Money May, the undefeated Champ, but I have a weird inclination that he might just do that.

Prediction: Maidana by split decision

Rudy Mondragon

This is Mayweathers second rematch in his undefeated career. This will be the first one for Maidana. Historically, we can see that a rematch would benefit Mayweather. He lost to Castillo in a close decision and in their rematch, Mayweather acclimated and made the adjustments to win more comfortably. If history can teach us something, it is that Mayweather is a creative genius when it comes to making adjustments during a fight, let alone for a rematch. Maidana however, is a cold blooded fighter. No mental games will get to him. He can ignore everything and stick to his game plan. His game plan needs to change for this one if he wants to come out on top. He cannot come out like a sprinter. He will need to come out like a marathon runner and find a pace to fight a complete 12 round fight. If he can do that, he will overwhelm Mayweather and if he works on some accuracy, he will score points on the judges cards.

History tells us a lot about Mayweather’s success, but it also tells us about previous greats who have suffered their first defeats. Tomorrow will be one of those nights. Mayweather will be dethroned and history will be made. Maidana will cut the ring and out work Mayweather. He won’t get tired as he will fight a complete 12 round fight, pacing himself and not burning himself out.

Prediction: Maidana by split decision