Floyd Mayweather usually made boxing look like a light jog in the park. He’d spend twelve rounds barely breaking a sweat, popping a jab, and disappearing before his opponent could even blink. But on May 3, 2014, that whole "Pretty Boy" image got dragged through the mud. Marcos "Chino" Maidana didn't care about the legacy or the undefeated record. He just wanted to hit Floyd. Hard. Everywhere.
If you watched Floyd Mayweather vs Marcos Maidana that night, you saw something rare. You saw Floyd look human. Honestly, he looked rattled.
The Night the Blueprints Failed
Most fighters treated Floyd like a math problem they couldn't solve. Maidana treated him like a guy in a bar fight. From the opening bell, the Argentine swarmed him. It wasn't "sweet science"; it was chaos.
According to CompuBox, Maidana landed 221 punches on Floyd. That might not sound like a crazy number until you realize it’s the most anyone had ever landed on him in 38 fights tracked by the system. Think about that. Canelo couldn't do it. Miguel Cotto couldn't do it. But a guy from Santa Fe with a wild overhand right did.
The Glove Drama No One Forgets
Before the first bell even rang, there was a massive blowup. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes stuff that makes boxing so weirdly dramatic.
- The Original Gloves: Maidana wanted to wear custom Everlast MX gloves. They were blue and white (the Argentine colors) and used horsehair padding.
- The Rejection: Floyd’s team, led by Leonard Ellerbe, absolutely lost it. They claimed there was no padding in the knuckles.
- The Threat: Mayweather literally threatened to cancel the fight on Friday night if Maidana didn't change them.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) actually sided with Floyd on the custom pair, but then Floyd’s team rejected the backups too. Eventually, they settled on a different pair of Everlasts, but Maidana later claimed it "took away his advantage." Rumor has it Maidana’s team got a fat six-figure check just to shut up and wear the approved gloves.
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Breaking Down the Scorecards
The first fight ended in a Majority Decision. One judge, Michael Pernick, saw it as a 114–114 draw. The other two had it 116–112 and 117–111 for Mayweather.
It was close. Kinda too close for Floyd’s liking.
Maidana’s strategy was basically a relentless assault. He pinned Floyd against the ropes and threw punches from angles that shouldn't exist. He hit Floyd in the hips, the back of the head, and the shoulders. It was ugly. But it worked. Floyd was cut over his right eye in the fourth round because of an accidental headbutt. For two rounds, he said he couldn't even see.
"He put pressure on me and that's when I decided to fight differently," Mayweather said after the fight. "I stood there and fought him."
That was the key. Floyd couldn't use his usual "bicycle" movement because Maidana’s pressure was too high. He had to sit in the pocket and trade.
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The Rematch: "Mayhem" and the Tooth Incident
Because the first fight was such a nail-biter (and sold about 900,000 PPV buys), they did it again in September 2014. This one was titled "Mayhem."
It wasn't as good of a fight. Floyd adjusted—because that's what he does—and stayed off the ropes. But it gave us one of the weirdest myths in boxing history: The Missing Tooth.
In the third round, Maidana caught Floyd with a blistering right hand. If you watch the slow-motion replay, a white object flies out of Floyd’s mouth. Fans went nuts. People claimed Maidana literally knocked Floyd's tooth out.
To this day, Maidana claims he has the tooth. He even posted a picture of it on social media years later, showing it off as a souvenir. Floyd, of course, denies it. He says it was just spit or a piece of his mouthguard. Honestly, looking at the footage, something definitely left his mouth, and it didn't look like liquid.
The Bite Heard 'Round Vegas
The rematch also featured a moment where Floyd claimed Maidana bit his hand. In the 8th round, during a clinch, Floyd started yelling at referee Kenny Bayless. He claimed his fingers were numb because Maidana bit through his glove.
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Maidana's response? Basically: "How can I bite him? I have a mouthpiece in."
Why These Fights Still Matter
These two bouts were the last time we saw Floyd Mayweather truly pushed before he entered the "exhibition" phase of his career. It showed that even the greatest defensive wizard of all time could be bothered by a high-volume, "dirty" style of fighting.
If you’re looking to understand the technical side of what happened, here’s the breakdown:
- Volume vs. Accuracy: Maidana threw 858 punches in the first fight but only landed 26%. Floyd threw 426 and landed 54%.
- Ring Generalship: In the first fight, Maidana controlled the geography. In the second, Floyd used lateral movement to keep the fight in the center of the ring.
- The Alex Ariza Factor: Strength coach Alex Ariza, who had been in Maidana’s camp for the first fight, actually joined Mayweather’s camp for the rematch. It was a classic Floyd move—taking a piece of the opponent's brain trust to gain an edge.
Next Steps for Boxing Fans:
If you want to dive deeper into the technical "Mayweather Style," go back and watch the 4th and 5th rounds of the first fight on mute. Without the crowd noise, you can see how Floyd uses his elbows and forearms to create space when Maidana has him pinned. Then, compare that to his fight against Canelo Alvarez to see the difference between fighting a "boxer" and fighting a "brawler."