Floyd Mayweather wins by unanimous decision against Marcos Maidana

Round-by-round updates from Floyd Mayweather's unanimous decision victory against Marcos Maidana in Las Vegas.
Floyd Mayweather wins by unanimous decision against Marcos Maidana
Floyd Mayweather wins by unanimous decision against Marcos Maidana /

LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather earned a decisive victory in his rematch against Marcos Maidana. Mayweather won in a unanimous decision Saturday night to improve his record to 47-0 (26 KO). Here's round-by-round analysis of Mayweather-Maidana II in reverse-chronological order.

And we go to the scorecards: (116-111) Dave Moretti, (115-112) Guido Cavallerie and (116-111) John McKaie. All for Mayweather. Easy work.

ROUND 12: Mayweather dancing around the ring. Maidana not throwing. Crowd booing as loud as they have all night. Couple of pitter patter shots landed by Mayweather. Maidana misses with a wild right. Maidana charges, throwing wildly. Disappointed with Maidana here. He should be going for broke. He knows he is down big. Floyd just dancing. Not throwing much. Floyd content to run this thing out. 10-9 Maidana. It won't matter.

ROUND 11: Mayweather lands a low blow on Maidana. Maidana upset. May be milking it a little. Mayweather waving at him to keep fighting. Maidana misses a chopping overhand right. Two good body shots by Mayweather. Taps Maidana with a jab. Mayweather seems content to just ride out what should be a comfortable decision win. Close, but give it to Maidana. 10-9 Maidana.

ROUND 10: A detectable waft of marijuana is now floating through the crowd. Maidana again tries to push Mayweather into a corner. Maidana levels Mayweather with an elbow. Referee takes away a point. Maidana backs Mayweather up with a flurry. Lands a couple. Nice counter right by Mayweather. Maidana won that round, but the one point deduction makes it even. 9-9.

ROUND 9: Maidana charges out of the corner, pushes Floyd back. He must know he is down big. Nice check hook by Mayweather. He's been excellent at blocking and countering. Maidana has no defense. None. Mayweather is potshotting him when he comes in. Maidana with a hard charge, but doesn't land much. Closer round, but again you have to give it to Mayweather. Too accurate. 10-9 Mayweather.

ROUND 8: Maidana lands a nice overhand right. Mayweather counters with two check hooks. He's fighting a brilliant technical fight. Maidana taps Mayweather on a break. Mayweather complains to Kenny Bayless. Bayless warns Maidana. Beautiful counter by Mayweather. Spins out of the corner, lands two shots. Nice overhand right by Maidana. And now Mayweather says Maidana bit his glove! Referee warns Maidana. Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, in attendance, would both be proud. 10-9 Mayweather.

ROUND 7: Maidana looks reluctant to just go in recklessly. He may feel Floyd's shots more than he lets on. Mayweather bounces off the ropes. He hasn't stayed on the ropes more than a few seconds for most of this fight. Maidana connects with a shot as both fighters throw together. Mayweather clips Maidana with a couple of nice body shots. Close round. Mayweather might have stolen it in the final 30 seconds. 10-9 Mayweather.

ROUND 6: Crowd booing a little now. Maidana just can't cut the ring off against Floyd. Mayweather is not throwing anything devastating, but he is far more accurate. Mayweather darts out of the way of a Maidana bull rush. He has been masterful at that so far tonight. Slow round, but, again, Mayweather landed the cleaner shots. 10-9 Mayweather.

ROUND 5: Maidana looking to jab more. Mayweather lands a sharp right. Nice jab by Floyd. Not sure why Maidana is trying to box in the middle of the ring this round. That's Mayweather's turf. Kenny Bayless has been quick to break up clinches early this fight. That was a big issue for Mayweather in the last fight. Easy round for Floyd. 10-9 Mayweather.

ROUND 4: Maidana comes out fast and has Floyd against the ropes. Landing some solid shots. Best minute of the fight for Maidana. Floyd seems content to parry along the ropes this round. Seems like Floyd is trying to time something. Nice straight right by Floyd. Good uppercut by Mayweather backs Maidana up. Mayweather rallied in the final minute, but I think Maidana did enough to win it. 10-9 Maidana.​

ROUND 3: Maidana a little more aggressive at the start. Pushes Mayweather into the corner, but he doesn't land much. Mayweather lands a 1-2 combination. Sharp right by Mayweather. Maidana winging shots, but they aren't connecting. Floyd is brilliantly tying him up when he is trapped. Nice right by Floyd. Maidana tags Mayweather with a shot right at the bell. Could have been after the bell. Wobbled Floyd a bit. Either way, another round for Mayweather. 10-9 Mayweather.​

ROUND 2: Maidana trying to cut the ring off. Mayweather moving well. Maidana can't keep him cornered for long before getting tied up. Mayweather setting Maidana up with that soft, touch jab to the body. Mayweather with a nice combination to the head. Maidana charges, misses. Mayweather is way too fast and keeping way too much distance. 10-9 Mayweather.​

ROUND 1: Slow start. Mayweather pushing the jab to the body. Snapped a couple to Maidana's head. Maidana showing some patience in the first round. Maidana pushes Floyd to the ropes. Lands a solid shot to the head. Mayweather slips trying to tie Maidana up. No knockdown. Nice left by Mayweather. He's moving well. Another left land. Slow round, but give it to Mayweather. 10-9 Mayweather.

11:05: Offical Blog Prognosticator Cheapo Tony has checked in ... and he's calling the upset! In a short text, Cheapo keeps it simple: "Maidana."

11:00: And here comes Mayweather. Serious look on his face. Somewhat surprising. He doesn't look as relaxed as I've seen him before. Mixture of boos and cheers as he heads to the ring. This fight was not a sellout.

10:58 p.m. ET: Marcos Maidana headed to the ring. Hard to tell who the crowd favorite is. Maidana has his share of fans, but it's far from the reaction a Mexican opponent of Mayweather gets in Las Vegas. My guess: Most fans, like most reporters, are just here to see if Mayweather can be beaten.


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Chris Mannix
CHRIS MANNIX

Chris Mannix is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated covering the NBA and boxing beats. He joined the SI staff in 2003 following his graduation from Boston College. Mannix is the host of SI's "Open Floor" podcast and serves as a ringside analyst and reporter for DAZN Boxing. He is also a frequent contributor to NBC Sports Boston as an NBA analyst. A nominee for National Sportswriter of the Year in 2022, Mannix has won writing awards from the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Pro Basketball Writers Association, and is a longtime member of both organizations.