Maidana-Corley Recap, Khan next
On Saturday night at Luna Park in Buenos Aires, WBA interim junior welterweight champion Marcos Maidana (30-1, 27 KOs) retained his title in a gruelling 12 round battle against former titlist DeMarcus Corley (37, 14, 22 KOs). While Maidana won a unanimous 117-110, 117-110, 115-112, many contest the fight was closer than points revealed on official cards.
The first round was slow, and entailed the two feeling each other out. By the end of it, they opened up and managed to exchange some exciting shots. Maidana used his devastating power to seriously hurt Corley in the second round, but Corley managed to utilize his veteran ringsmanship to hold on. Corley proved by the fourth he’d come to fight, and wouldn’t be an easy knock over for Maidana. It was quickly evident that Maidana, used to guys falling from his shots, was irritated by the heart and dedication of Corley.
In later rounds, however, Maidana began to cultivate an edge and he finally knocked Corley down in the eighth. Again Corley was able to survive and rally back, and by the eleventh Maidana looked on the verge of punching himself out due to fatigue. The 12 rounds saw more stellar action as both refused to give up and traded punches until the final bell. Fighters went through the ceremonies of the end of the bout, obviously tired, and finally Maidana was announced the victor.
With the win, Maidana has surely earned an opportunity to face WBA junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan. In recent weeks and leading up to Maidana’s fight the two had a war of words. After Maidana’s Saturday win, Richard Schaefer, who promotes Maidana, said: “Maidana really wants the fight. He's been waiting for this fight and he gave us a number, financially, and we'll be talking and see what we can come up with to make everybody happy.”
Discussing his recent fight, Maidana said: “Corley never hurt me with any of his punches. I worried about the cut. It was the first time that I was ever cut in my career. It complicated things and I was very nervous. I dedicate this fight for everyone in Argentina and my family.” Soon after, he vowed that “Khan is next,” and issued an open challenge to the fighter.
Last week Schaefer confirmed that negotiations had already started between the two camps, and that Maidana was clear about feeling entitled to a certain purse. Schaefer said: “We, of course have had some discussions already, and Maidana feels that he is the mandatory there for Khan anyway, and that it's eventually going to happen sometime this year or early next year. And so Maidana feels that there is a certain value to him and a certain amount of money that he deserves," Schaefer clarified.
He added that a main component was working out a deal with HBO, and then factoring in the necessary licensing fee with having the bout in the UK. Khan is British fighter, and as such a title bout would likely be on home soil for him. This would insure high draw and revenue.
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