Marcos Rene Maidana, El Chino, Real Combat Media’s Risk Taker of The Year in 2013
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
Marcos Rene Maidana was figured to have absolutely no chance whatsoever against Adrien ‘The Problem’ Broner in their World Boxing Association World Welterweight title bout at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on December 14, 2013. Only a miracle, it was figured by most experts, could prevent Maidana from being carted away on a stretcher somewhere during the bout, which figured not to last very long.
Broner, who jumped up from lightweight to welterweight, had the flash and wanted the cash, but turned out to be nothing more than as cheap imitation of his idol, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd, it should be noted, along with Bernard Hopkins, is perhaps the most disciplined athlete in the world. Floyd has never underestimated any opponent. Broner underestimated Maidana big time. After going the distance, getting outworked, and then receiving a ‘gift’ split decision to take PaulieMalignaggi’s WBA title in June 2013, the handwriting was on the wall. Malignaggi, much like Daniel Ponce De Leon in March 2011, had fought the correct fight to beat Broner by outworking him from pillar to post.
Maidana prepared for Broner by following the Malignaggi and De Leon game plan to the extreme, determined to throw twice as many punches than Broner and win the bout on points in a runaway. Maidana also prepared for Broner by training for a full arsenal of power shots, lethal, accurate, consistent and telling, which would put Broner in trouble for most of the bout and perhaps finish him. Finally, Maidana repared for Broner with a game plan to significantly cut off the ring to back up his power shots and arsenal of nonstop punches, putting suchheat on Broner there would be no room for which Broner could either run or showboat. Broner’s flash was doomed to fizzle, unless he prepared for a varied game plan and had answers to deal with Maidana’s flexible approach.
Broner brought his egotistical flash into the ring, and appeared not to study footage on Maidana, as Maidana had meticulously studied footage on him. Showboating, running and throwing a few punches would not impress the judges. Perhaps Broner could win a few rounds along the way, but he had not trained enough to respond to his opponent’s sustained 12 round give and take attack.
Maidana added one more variable to the equation to beat Broner: get inside and attack! Maidana upped ther stakes one more ante: he fought his way inside with complete risk and was determined to fight Adrien Broner to the death. In a Roberto Duran style bout reminiscent of Duran versus Sugar Ray Leonard I, a determined and courageous Maidana took the fight to Broner and put it all on the table to take the fight to Broner, which a smug and overconfident Broner, whose mouth is bigger than his ego, had not expected. Maidana did not care about a word Broner said. He only cared for making the best of what might have been his last opportunity at a world title, given the competitive nature of the welterweight division and the sport of boxing where it is today.
Maidana sent a battered Broner to the canvas in rounds two and eight, and had to butt his way out of a headlock when Broner, afraid of getting knocked out, held on in desperation. It cost Maidana a point when Broner took a fake roll on the canvas, but he wasn’t ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ and didn’t fool anybody in the house. By this point in the bout, instead of being loved, the exposed Broner had seen him image transformed into the fighter everybody loves to hate. Everybody being rooting for Maidana, a 5 to 1 underdog, Broner and the bookies would be taken to the cleaners, but the bout’s result appeared to be anything but an upset. Frustrated by Broner’s cocky and condescending behavior, Maidana kicked Broner’s butt, and everybody watching loved it.
Maidana threw 964 punches to Broner’s 400. Outpunching more than two to one, Broner had nowhere to run and nowhere ot hide. Maidana took his best shots, and with risk in return, made Broner eat 231 power shots. Broner landed 122 power shots, meaning he got hit over a hundred times more with power shots, the effect of which wore him down and left him with nothing in the tank with which to try to win the later rounds when the bout got down to nitty gritty work. It was a massacre, and probably left Floyd Mayweather Jr. worrying about whether it was a better idea to fight Maidananext instead of Amir Khan in Europe. Maidana’s performance in beating the 27-0 Broner, winning at least nine rounds, more than justified his receiving the next shot at Floyd by being Floyd’s counterfeit protégé. If not, PaulieMalignaggi versus Maidana could be next, given Paulie’s nice win over Zab Judah.
Maidana ultimately came forward and was successful in cutting off the ring, leaving Broner without enouh room to counter or match his offensive output with the ropes behind him. Watching Maidana take the fight into the inside was a thing of boxing beauty, surprising Broner, the world and himself in his prime, a fine testament to heart, hard work, determine, and courage.
Muhammad Ali once said, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in his life.” Marcos Rene ‘El Chino’Maidana of Buenos Aires, Argentina, the WBA World Welterweight champion, is Real Combat Media’s boxing risk taker of the year in 2013. The ‘Red Badge of Courage’ could not be clear enough. Maidana showed us all something. He showed us what he was made of. We were all made believers.
It wasn’t just that Maidana exposed Broner.Maidana went beyond the limits of his ability to achieve beyond his best. Maidana was willing to take life and death chances to win with extraordinary vision. His guts would be tested to the limit. Maidana put his life on the line, and gave boxing fans the thrill of the year because he truly came not just to fight, but with the determination to win. When push came to shove, Bronercaved in, which nobody expected. Maidana was the underdog, the ‘Rocky’ of 2013, and in the end, boxing fans loved his performance. For Maidana to outpunch Broner two to one, and hit him with 231 power shots, 100 more power shots than Broner, which scored, the definitive conclusion is not just Maidana is a much better technical fighter than Broner. Truth be told, Adrien ‘no game plan’ Broner can’t cut the mustard against the heart of the welterweight division.
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