Evidently, not even Marcos Maidana, the recipient of two Floyd Mayweather windfalls, can ward off the boxing bug.
The hard-hitting Argentine, who hasn’t fought since his second bout against Mayweather in 2014, is planning a comeback fight against 47-year-old kickboxer Jorge Acero Cali in early April, according to reports. The fight will be set for five three-minute rounds at a catch weight of 85 kilograms (roughly 187 pounds), or more than 40 pounds over his last fighting weight. An announcement is planned for this Friday.
Maidana’s manager, Ernesto Ricci told the Argentine media outlet Telam, according to BoxingScene.com, that the fight is the former welterweight titleholder’s way of saying goodbye to his fans.
“Maidana returns to boxing because he accepted the challenge of ‘Acero’ Cali,” Ricci said. “They have been trading messages and videos since January of this year, before Marcos left for the United States to prepare for the return that did not happen. This is serious. … (The fight) “is a way to say goodbye to the fans of Argentina, something he could not do. With Marcos, nothing is ever final. Perhaps when dusting off the gloves he gets bitten by the bug and goes for a world-class opponent. Offers (for high profile fights) are not lacking.”
It was reported in February that he would end his retirement to sign a contract with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions in a bid to face the top welterweights. But Maidana backtracked a few months later as be started training in Las Vegas, citing his “lost hunger” for the sport.
Maidana last fought on Sept. 13, 2014, when he lost a unanimous decision to Mayweather in their rematch.