Maidana to end retirement and return to boxing

The Argentine welterweight star is coming back.

Marcos Maidana, who won secondary titles at 140 and 147 and gave Floyd Mayweather two of the rougher, more awkward fights of his career, is returning to boxing after a nearly five-year retirement.

Maidana, 35, hasn’t fought since his pair of bouts with Mayweather in 2014, coming in May and September of that year. The first bout was a majority decision win for Mayweather, and it was competitive and entertaining enough for the rematch to be made. Mayweather won again, that time by unanimous decision. There were no real arguments for Maidana in either fight, but he made Mayweather more uncomfortable than most opponents, and gave a good accounting of his skills.

After the two big paydays, Maidana left the sport to be fat and happy at home in Argentina. He stayed around boxing, but out of the ring, retiring with a record of 35-5 (31 KO).

But sources say that Maidana recently watched victories by Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman, felt he could beat those guys, and it has inspired him to get back into the action.

Whether or not it’s a good idea remains to be seen. He’s not particularly old, really, especially for modern boxing. He turns 36 in July, so in theory he could have a few good years left. But five years is a long time to be out of the ring, and Maidana didn’t exactly stay in peak shape during that time off, either. I’m not trying to be insulting or anything, it’s just the reality of it.

But we’ll see. If nothing else, it’s an intriguing idea, and “Chino” has long been a fan favorite, so I’m sure a lot of people are excited to see what he has left.