Desperate times call for desperate measures, and apparently, Golden Boy Promotions is indeed desperate. According to multiple sources, former jr. welterweight champion Marcos Maidana was recently pulled from his scheduled July 21 bout with Keith Thurman and is now the frontrunner to land the September 15th assignment against WBC jr. middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Ironically, it may have been Maidana himself who first spilled the beans when he replied to one of his followers on Twitter who asked him when he would be back in the ring. "15 de septiembre, vs canelo alvarez," Maidana would respond in spanish. You don't have to be fluent in the language to know that translates to "September 15th vs. Canelo Alvarez".
That message was posted just one day after Josesito Lopez upset the original plans of Golden Boy Promotions, stopping Victor Ortiz at the end of the 9th round after breaking his jaw. Although the original message from Maidana has been conveniently deleted from his Twitter account, thanks to the power of retweets, you can find his comments on the timelines of several other users. Since then, he has continued to express his desire to face Alvarez with comments like "the one I'd like to fight is Canelo Alvarez. he's a bit bigger than me but I think I have the power to ko him" and "I am happy that boxing fans loved the idea of me facing canelo alvarez and knocking him out". Although many originally thought it was just wishful thinking on the part of Maidana, his alleged exit from the July 21 card could be a sign that a fight with Alvarez is much closer to being finalized than anyone thought.
Maidana last fought in February, when he was dominated over the course of 10 rounds by top welterweight contender Devon Alexander. It was his first fight at 147 pounds, and afterwards, he promptly stated that it would likely be his last, hoping instead to return to the 140-pound division. Instead, Maidana agreed to come back at 147 to face undefeated Keith Thurman, who himself has had several fights north of 147 as a jr. middleweight. Evidently, Maidana is now looking to face a 154-pounder with a much bigger name. Whether or not the naturally smaller Maidana can actually be competitive against Canelo remains to be seen, however, the fight is sure to produce fireworks on the event appropriately titled "Knockout Kings". Check back for more details as this story develops.
UPDATE: According to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, Canelo's opponent has indeed been selected, however, he insists that it's not Maidana and it will have nothing to do with the outcome of this weekend's bout, which include previous potential opponents Corneilus Bundrage and Erislandy Lara. If what Schaefer is saying is 100% accurate, that means that Bundrage, Lara, Trout, and Maidana have all been ruled out. The only two somewhat known names left are Carlos Quintana and Carlos Molina, but given those choices, I almost prefer for Maidana to get the bout.
UPDATE: Marcos Maidana has taken to his Twitter account to clarify that he was never offered a fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. "Clarifying rumors. 1 week ago I've asked for Canelo Alvarez as a foe since I've faith in myself. But Golden Boy never offered it. That's all," Maidana wrote. "I'm a person who listen to advises. Many told me Canelo is too big for me and I'accepted it. End of the story." Don't be surprised if instead, Maidana ends up fighting Lucas Matthysse on the undercard of the September 15th event.
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