Marcos Maidana took a majority decision loss in his first fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., but the welterweight contender is confident that he can turn things around in their upcoming rematch.
Maidana, who will face Mayweather for the second time on Sept. 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, said in an interview that he is not intimidated by the reigning pound-for-pound king.
The 31-year-old Argentine pointed out that facing Mayweather is easier than it appears, saying that the way he managed to put a lot of pressure on the unbeaten champion's shoulder during their first fight is a clear proof.
Maidana, who lost his World Boxing Association title in their first fight on May 3, insisted that he could have handed Mayweather his first defeat if not for the critical mistakes that he committed - mistakes that he is planning to minimize their next fight.
"He's not as difficult as he appears," Maidana said of Mayweather via BoxingScene. 'I was able to put him against the ropes and hit him with a lot of punches. I had opportunities and I hit him but with the anxiousness I had in wanting to beat him, I made some mistakes and wasn't able to take advantage of some of the little things he did."
Before their first fight, Maidana admitted that he was informed that it is very hard to land clean punches against Mayweather because of his tremendous defense and superb counter punching skills.
The Buenos Aires, Argentina native pointed out, though, that he found one tool to stop Mayweather on his tracks - his effective jabs that he is also planning to use more for the second showdown.
"Well I was told by a fighter that had fought him before that Floyd can't avoid the jab. So I remembered that in the fight and I started throwing the jab. And it's true, he couldn't avoid the jab," Maidana said.
And when asked to give his prediction for their upcoming rematch, Maidana said that he will go for a knockout win, but he is also ready to go the distance.
"I always look for the knockout in my fights. If it comes great, if not, we can still win the fight," said Maidana, who will look to reclaim the WBA welterweight crown and get Mayweather's World Boxing Council welterweight and light middleweight titles.
