Jackie Kallen: Maidana Gets the Mayweather Nod
By Jackie Kallen
According to Amir Khan, Floyd Mayweather screwed him without even kissing him first. A big no-no. Why did Mayweather ask the public to select an opponent then ignore what they picked? Why give a man images of a huge payday then take it away?
It may sound macho and courageous for Khan to boast that Mayweather is “afraid” of him. But does anyone with half a brain buy that? It’s true that Khan is ten years younger and is a talented boxer. But he was stopped by both Danny Garcia and Breidis Prescott and got a SD loss to Lamont Peterson. He is not infallible. Most people agree it would not have been much of a fight. Mayweather would wear him down and grind him up.
You can’t say that Khan didn’t work the social media well. He made it known how much he wanted the fight and he kept his fans updated on the daily frustrations of waiting for Mayweather’s decision. But ultimately he got overlooked. He was left feeling embarrassed, second-best, and disrespected.
Boxing purists seem to agree that Maidana, having just beaten Broner, is a much better opponent for Floyd. It’s true that he has also lost three fights, and was beaten by Khan in a close fight, but he appears to be crisper and on an uphill roll. Beating Adrien Broner and knocking him down twice was a real boon to his career.
Of course we all realize that beating Broner (a Mayweather wannabe) is not even close to beating Money. But Maidana is feeling confident and cocky these days and he will try to give Floyd a run for his money. He knows that the win over Broner was his ticket to big money. Had he lost that fight, he would not be fighting Floyd on May 3.
The back and forth between Khan and Maidana as possible opponents for Floyd served one purpose for sure. We talked about it. Fans debated who would do better and it was a guessing game for awhile. That distracted us from the basic fact that neither man would have much of a chance. That is not to say that Floyd is looking for a cushy fight. It’s just that the competition for him is not that exciting.
Some boxing pundits are opining that the choice of Maidana over Khan was a plot to lure the Hispanic market. They are a big part of the PPV pool and they were not chomping at the bit over Mayweather/Khan. Maidana is an Argentinian who has a nice following in the Latino market. So it makes a lot of sense to use him against Floyd.
Pacquiao and Bradley are with arch-enemy Bob Arum, so what’s the ultimate payday for Mayweather after he beats Maidana? There have been whispers that Khan could be the co-main event against Broner. Then–if he wins–he could get Floyd next. Anything is possible in this crazy business. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, the scenario shifts.
Don’t count out guys like Shawn Porter and Paulie M as potential undercard draws. Even Keith Thurman’s name has been floating around along with Luis Collazo. I have no doubt that the co-main event will be a powerful one. This will be an action-packed night of boxing.