Marcos Maidana Says Back Injury Excuse is a Lie Rips Manager
When interim WBA junior welterweight champion Marcos Maidana’s scheduled June bout against Timothy Bradley was first postponed to July and then cancelled, it raised suspicions among first observers. Many people felt that the excuse that Maidana had a back injury that prevented him from training was suspect. One of those people who questioned the excuse was Bradley’s promoter Gary Shaw, who said that Maidana’s camp had failed to provide him with adequate medical reports about the condition of Maidana’s back.
It turns out that those suspicions were based on fact, as evidenced by an open letter to fans published by Maidana on Monday. In the stunning letter, Maidana admitted that the back injury was bogus - it was simply a ploy used by Maidana’s (apparently now former) manager Mario Margossian to stall after Maidana balked at taking the fight.
According to Maidana, the first he had heard about the fight with Bradley was when he read about the fight being signed. Until that point, he had been out of the loop in terms of the negotiations and was completely shocked by the announcement. Further fuel was added to the fire when he learned that the negotiations involved receiving a payment that was far less than he felt he deserved for a bout between two champions.
Maidana said that he told Margossian that he would not accept the fight. Soon after, reports surfaced in boxing websites that the fight had been postponed from June 19 to July 17 because of a “back injury” suffered by Maidana - something the Argentine fighter said was an outright lie. Margossian tried to woo Maidana with a “slight” increase in money, but Maidana apparently had enough and severed ties with Margossian.
Maidana refused to point the blame at Golden Boy Promotions - the team handling Bradley’s promotion - or HBO. According to him, Golden Boy Promotions made him a “reasonable offer” to fight Bradley - one that he says was changed “significantly” by Margossian by the time it reached him. However, Maidana did say that Golden Boy Promotions has yet to reveal any contracts that they have which would show that he agreed to the fight, and he urged both Golden Boy Promotions and its partner Universum Box Promotions to make any agreements public if they exist.
Right now Maidana stands without a manager, having moved back to Argentina and started working with a team of advisors. He has notified Margossian that he is terminating his contract with him for managerial services, but the rumor mill suggests that Margossian is not willing to let Maidana walk away without a fight. Expect a tense legal battle in the upcoming months as Maidana attempts to free himself from his contract and Margossian tries to keep him on his roster - or receive a hefty payment for breaking their contract.
Maidana said that he is willing to face Timothy Bradley, Amir Khan or any other high-profile junior welterweight - providing that the price is right and that he has an adequate amount of time to train. In his open letter, Maidana took pains to assure his fans that his is not “ducking” anyone - pointing out his reputation and past history as a fighter willing to take on anyone at any location, including defeating Andreas Kotelnik in Germany and Victor Ortiz in Los Angeles.
The junior welterweight division is one of the most competitive and exciting in boxing. Along with Devon Alexander, Maidana, Bradley and Khan form the core nucleus of boxers who could provide a highly exciting series of fights within the next few years. Several people have suggested that a mini-tournament involving the four to determine an undisputed champion could happen, but the recent breakdown of Maidana’s relationship with Margossian could throw a monkey wrench into those plans.
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