By Chris Robinson

My plans while driving down Spring Mountain road in Las Vegas, Nevada were pretty simple. I was hoping to catch up with lightweight contender Sharif Bogere at the Pound 4 Pound Gym and later hit up Roger Mayweather and Floyd's gym just down the street to gather a few sound bytes or gym shots from each man. I was a little late in trying to catch Bogere and Mayweather was nowhere to be found but I was pleasantly surprised when Pound 4 Pound co-owner Rich Barrientes advised me that former interim WBA junior welterweight champion Marcos Maidana was in town and training out of his facility.

 

Maidana is closing in on an April 9th showdown with Erik Morales at the MGM Grand and by now Las Vegas is like a second home to him. He often trains out of this city and this fight with 'El Terrible' marks his 3rd fight in the area in his last four contests. I spoke to the Argentinean's advisor Sebastian Contursi upon the team's arrival and reassured that everything is running smoothly for this particular contest.

 

Maidana arrived in the city on March 15th after a four and a half week stint in Mexico City. The 27-year old had initially agreed to work with excellent strategist Nacho Beristain but that was a move that was frowned upon by his chief fighter Juan Manuel Marquez and they had to part ways. Hours later Maidana would link up with veteran Rudy Perez, known best for days with Marco Antonio Barrera, and the Mexican coach could be seen on this day overseeing Maidana's every move.

 

Maidana is coming off of a heartbreaking decision loss to Amir Khan last December inside of the Mandalay Bay. In that fight Maidana was floored in the first round from a stinging body shot but rose valiantly and worked his way back into the fight as he staged a hellacious late-round rally that saw him come up just short.

 

Maidana is the heavy favorite to defeat Morales, who had his best success in the late 90's and mid-2000's while campaigning between 122 and 130 pounds. If successful, Maidana said he would love a rematch with Khan but will be eyeing all options at 140 pounds.

Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. An archive of his work can be found here , and he can be reached at Trimond@aol.com