Once again, a Mayweather fight grabs the attention of all fight fans and visitors of Las Vegas. Headlining the weekend’s festivities is the money man himself, Floyd Mayweather, taking on Argentina’s Marcos “El Chino” Maidana.
Maidana has come a long way from climbing the canvas three times when he was sent into test a young Victor Ortiz. Of course, he came back to win the fight by knocking the fan favorite, Ortiz, out. It is pretty remarkable that in two short years after linking up with trainer Robert Garcia, Maidana has been placed front and center in yet another fight in which he is the underdog.
During the anticipated fight weekend, AT&T – a proud sponsor of Golden Boy Promotions – invited me out to enjoy the fight live. Just walking around Vegas you see an assortment of colors ranging from black, red, white, and green TMT shirts to the Argentine baby blue. It’s not just the assortment of fans from all over the world making their presence known. There are merchandise booths selling tons of promotional shirts and posters, and plenty of things to keep fans busy while waiting to see their favorite fighters pass through the MGM lobby before the fights start.
As always, a full-size ring with the MGM lion sits in the entrance to the hotel. Additionally, AT&T had a booth filled with memorabilia from past historic fights called the #ATTCorner. Most notable, were the hand wraps from Oscar De La Hoya’s fight with Felix Trinidad in ‘99 and his fight with Julio Cesar Chavez in ‘98. If you were looking to find an old Riddick Bowe starter jacket, look no further than the AT&T museum wall. Also part of the mix was a pair of Marco Antonio Barrera’s trunks, which I wanted to mention because I’ve been a fan of his for some time.
The boxing-packed weekend also featured an undercard match that delivered excitement and suspense. Ishe Smith did something we didn’t think he could do anymore and knocked Ryan Davis out. Before the fight, most would have agreed that Smith would win, but no one thought he would have the power to get a second round knockout. In his last bout, Mickey Bey wasn’t dropped before getting knocked out by John Molina, but in this fight against Alan Herrera, he most definitely rose to victory.
Mayweather fights have the ability to transform Vegas differently than any other fight, including Pacquiao and Canelo. Regardless if you were Team Mayweather or Team Maidana, this weekend still brought a sense of camaraderie from people that you love most…boxing fans.
*I received compensation from AT&T to develop this blog post; however, all opinions are mine.
