Maidana and De La Hoya Talk About “The Moment,” And More

Marcos Maidana told media taking part on a Wednesday afternoon conference call to hype his May 3 fight against super-skilled pugilist Floyd Mayweather that he isn’t simply looking for a KO, and that yes, he wants to hurt Floyd with every punch, but that he is preparing for 12 rounds of boxing.

I asked if a KO was the only route a win, and he said that people thought he could only beat Adrien Broner by KO, but that he won by decision.

The Argentine fighter, coming off a career-best win, over Mayweather-lite Broner, holds a 35-3 (31 KOs) record.

Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya resurfaced, amid rumors of a power struggle for Golden Boy, and day to day boss Richard Schaefer wasn’t on the call, for whatever that’s worth, if anything.

Oscar introed Maidana, and called his knockout ratio amazing. Oscar said the kid is never in a dull bout and always comes to fight. The former fighter, who lost to Floyd, said Floyd is “slippery,” and that is maybe the hardest thing to deal with. He said if he was younger he would have beaten Floyd, however.

I asked Oscar for a prediction, and interestingly, he didn’t bite. “No prediction,” he said, beyond that he will enjoy the fight, and he wished that the best man would win.

And regarding the rumors of infighting at Golden Boy, I asked, is Golden Boy a cohesive unit heading to this event? Golden Boy is “stronger,” and “better than ever,” Oscar stated, emphatically. “The sky is the limit” for Golden Boy, he said. So perhaps the talk of all the lawyering up and such has been overstated.

Oscar said he could work with Bob Arum in the future and that neither has a problem with the other, not that he knows, so for those postulating that he wants to take Golden Boy in a different direction, and help end the Cold War, well, here was grist for that mill.

The bout and the card is being referred to as “The Moment,” and others involved, including his trainer Robert Garcia weighed in.

To start off, Oscar said he is humbled and honored to be working with Mayweather Promotions on the event. He handed off to Stephen Espinoza, the Showtime boxing boss. Espinoza said he saw the first episode of “All-Access,” and he said he was wowed by his backstory, on a show which premieres Saturday night. He called him a “world class” fighter, and noted his “game-changing” power. He cited his “ferocity” and “relentlessness” as his top attributes.

Maidana in Spanish, said that he is happy to be part of the event, and promised the best fight of his career.

He was asked about Top Rank promoter Bob Arum’s dissing of the fight, and the long odds. The boxer said that it doesn’t bother him at all, and that people will see him beat Floyd. He said he has beaten Arum fighters, when he was the underdog, and Arum fighters have been beaten by immense underdogs. “I think Bob should know better than that,” he said.

Oscar said that maybe Arum was using reverse psychology, and that he thinks Arum should stick to his event.

Ellerbe said “everything that comes out of Arum’s mouth is a lie” and then said he didn’t have anything bad to say about anybody.

Garcia said he is psyched to be part of “The Moment,” and said he’s seen immense growth from Maidana over the last two years. Mayweather has been “the best” for the past 15 or 16 years, the trainer said, and he promised a strong effort from his guy. He said that Floyd has never faced the package that Maidana has, the power, heart, the will, etc. He will train to hurt his foe, and has “tremendous” power in both hands. He won’t be put off by Floyd’s skill, the trainer said.

Ellerbe weighed in, and said that Maidana bangs from minute one, unlike some others. He will continue to bring it, and not stop. “Floyd hasn’t faced anybody like that,” he said. “When Maidana hits guys, they fall.”

Ellerbe, of Mayweather Promotions, also said he watched Maidana at his media day, on Tuesday, and was impressed with the fan support. He said this will be a tough fight for Floyd, and that Maidana can end things with one blow.

Oscar talked up the undercard. He mentioned the Amir Khan-Luis Collazo scrap, for a vacated welter belt, and the Adrien Broner-Carlos Molina tiff. The opener, the J’Leon Love-Marco Antonio Periban super middle scrap could steal the show at the MGM, he said.

Tix, Oscar said, go from $1500-$350, with the lesser ducats having been sold out.

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