Boxing: Nothing but a Number, Right?

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The scars are there if you look close enough. They traverse the corners of his eyebrows in short lines, and his face, though barely touched, is weathered from more than 30 years of boxing.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. does not like to talk about it. Nobody really likes to talk about what they once were, when their skin was tight and muscle definition sharp, as opposed to when they hit those 30s and there is a glint of the middle-aged paunch and all the sculpted work goes to pot. Mayweather has more than a few years before the onset of that, but the undisputed welterweight king and the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter has shown some cracks in his impregnable veneer lately. Sometimes we forget he is 37 years old.

Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) may have reminded everyone in May, when he shocked the boxing world by giving “Money” his toughest fight since Mayweather won a split decision over Oscar De La Hoya in May 2007. The De La Hoya fight generated a record-breaking 2.4 million buys on pay-per-view. Mayweather’s majority decision win over Maidana prompted only the second rematch of his storied career. It will take place this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where Mayweather will defend his WBC welterweight and light middleweight titles, along with the WBA super world welterweight belt.

One thing is certain: Mayweather will need to fight differently and show some youthful bounce in his legs to beat Maidana again.

Maidana hit Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) with 221 punches -- more than any other opponent in the 37 Mayweather fights tracked by CompuBox. Here is something else to consider: The only other fighter to hit Mayweather more than 200 times was Jose Luis Castillo, with 203 connections, when Mayweather won a disputed unanimous decision in capturing the WBC lightweight belt in April 2002. Castillo is the only other fighter that has ever been awarded a rematch with Mayweather.

Against Maidana, Mayweather struggled early, as he was roughed up and pushed around. His legs seemed to betray him. Maidana landed more than half of his punches with Mayweather leaning against the ropes, before the champion found the energy to prevail in the latter half of the fight. The contrails from the sparks that flew on May 3 had barely dissipated when thoughts quickly permeated the MGM Grand Arena that the once high-flying Mayweather could be leaking smoke. How long can he continue doing this at this high level? Maidana, 31, will certainly try to answer that question.

“I don't think age has anything to do with it,” Maidana said. “I don't think it does because in the first fight, yeah, [Mayweather] could’ve fought with me a little bit, but then he started boxing and moving at times, so I don’t think age has anything to do with it. He’s a good athlete. He’s in shape. I think that it was his decision to stand and fight with me. This second fight, I hope he decides to stand and fight with me, to fight like a man. I hope he doesn’t start running or trying to move away.”

Robert Garcia, Maidana’s trainer, agreed with his fighter, perhaps because he did not want any excuses thrown out there in case his charge, an 8-to-1 underdog, pulls off the upset.

“I agree with what [Maidana] just said,” Garcia said. “Mayweather is going to be 38, but he’s taken care of his body. He’s an athlete. He’s a natural, so I don’t think age is a factor in this fight, but like ‘Chino’ said, we just hope that he wants to please the crowd like he said he tried to do it the first fight. Well, hopefully, this time he does it even better. Let’s stand in front, let’s exchange punches and let’s see who is the better man. Let’s see who the stronger man is, and we’ll show him the difference there; but I think age is not a factor in his age right there.”

Still, age does need to be a consideration.

Mayweather keeps himself in tremendous shape between fights. He is addicted to working out. Each workout and sparring session, however, comes with a price. Talk to veteran fighters, and they will tell you the fight itself does not wear on you. The training camp poundings leading up to it can be telling. Early in his career, in preparation for an HBO fight on a Saturday afternoon against Emanuel Augustus in October 2000, Mayweather was hell bent on finding a gym to get “more work in” just a day before the fight.

“It’s why I can box until I’m in my 40s,” Mayweather said. “I always stay in great shape. I take care of my body, besides eating bad food sometimes; I can’t help it. I love training. I always have. You can say it’s a great addiction to have. It’s why I’ll be able to do this when I’m 50 if I wanted to.”

Mayweather’s turns 38 on Feb. 24. The Maidana rematch will be the fourth fight in his six-fight deal with Showtime, with two more fights planned for May and September. Maybe, just maybe, Mayweather is getting out at the right time. Maybe he feels the punches of more than 30 years, since the time he was a kid, beginning to catch up.

“I only got two more fights left [after Saturday],” Mayweather said, “and after the next two fights, I just want to build the Mayweather Promotions brand.”

He plans to walk away upon completion of the schedule he outlined.

“Absolutely, my next fight is in May and my last fight is in September,” Mayweather said, “so a year from now will be my last fight.”