Pay Per Views used to be a rare commodity in my home. One thing that I liked about boxing was that there were maybe two or three amazing events in a year that I would shell out my hard earned money for. In present time, Pay Per Views are like boxing promoters; they are a dime a dozen.
On September 13th boxing fans had high expectations for the latest Pay Per View which featured pound for pound king Floyd Maywether Jr. taking on Marcos Maidana for the second time this year and fans were let down. No it was not all Mayweather or Maidana’s fault. There were several different factors that contributed to make the show go from excitement to disappointment.
Let’s start off with the main event shall we? In their first fight Mayweather and Maidana provided quite a bit of action even when they seemed to slow down there was action but that did not carry over throughout the second fight. Yes, there were times on Saturday night that there was good exchanges but it would not last long as referee Kenny Bayless was quick to intervene and slow down the fight and not allow much action to take place. Bayless did not allow the fighters to do practically anything while in close range which totally change what could have been one hell of a rematch to a fight that left many unsatisfied. Aside from not letting the fighters work on the inside, Bayless allowed Mayweather to hold constantly. Floyd fought a smart fight and did what he was able to get away with because the referee did not call it but there is a line from being smart to being excessive. Bayless seemed to completely ignore the holding but warned Maidana on several occasions for shots straying low then deducted a point when Maidana threw Mayweather down during a clinch which is understandable but he should have brought up the clinching to Mayweather.
Aside from the officiating there was the whole biting farce that took place. Maidana may have tried to bite Mayweather and he may have not. There was no clear camera angles that truly showed whether it happened or not but one thing it did show Mayweather covering Maidana’s face with his glove then claimed to be bitten. Could he have felt a bite? Many boxing fans and trainer Robert Garcia feel it is doubtful that Maidana could have cause Mayweather pain if he bit through the glove with a mouthpiece. Commentator and former world champion Paulie Malignaggi has stated that he has been bitten by a fighter with a mouth guard before on the shoulder but the difference is the shoulder is exposed skin/body and the hand is covered by the glove.
The decision was fair with Mayweather winning but the fans were screwed out of seeing the type of fight they wanted to see.
The co-main event lacked the length and excitement needed to rev fans up for the main event and was a one sided event. Fans have come to point the finger at Leo Santa Cruz for the lack of an opponent which is partially correct as the fighter always has final say as to whom he fights but the promoters, managers and advisers are the ones that present the fighter with their options.
The fight between Miguel Vasquez and Mickey Bey was controversial for one reason, bad judging. Fans knew not to expect too much from the two fighters. The punch output was low and both fighters were able to one-up each other at some point in the fight. The fight was close but judge Robert Hoyle’s scorecard of 119-109 was atrocious. There was no way the fight was that far wide and Hoyle should be called out on the scorecard. Vasquez on the other hand could have done more to assure the victory. While I had him ahead I realized that he is fighting a Mayweather fighter on a Mayweather Pay Per View and the odds were against him.
Overall the event wasn’t a bad one. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad either. The bad calls and controversy overshadowed what could have been a terrific event and maybe next time around better matches/matchmaking could make up for what fans missed out on.
