The younger brother of former welterweight champion Marcos “El Chino” Maidana is quickly rising up the welterweight ranks, but he's looking to create a style all his own.
Maidana vs Maysonet highlights: July 23, 2016
Fabian Maidana is quickly rising up the welterweight ladder. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he is the younger brother of former WBA welterweight champion Marcos “El Chino” Maidana.
But there’s more than just bloodlines in common. Fabian Maidana and his older brother share awesome punching power inside the ring. That, however, is where the similarities end.
The younger Maidana (15-0-0, 11 knockouts) has proven that he can defeat his opponents with brutal power punching or pinpoint accuracy. Whichever way the opposition opts to go down, Maidana has the talent to oblige.
Maidana will get a chance to put all of his ring talents on display July 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, where he is scheduled to face Andrey Klimov (20-4-0, 10 KOs). It will be Maidana’s second bout this year and second straight in the United States.
During his previous U.S. appearance in April, Maidana needed just three rounds to finish veteran Justin Savi at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The impressive victory occurred on a deep card, headlined by a draw between four-division champion Adrien Broner and former two-division titleholder Jessie Vargas at 144 pounds.
“Fabian worked behind the jab, maintained distance and broke him down by attacking the body, which was the beginning of the end of a dangerous veteran,” said Manny Robles, who trained Maidana for the fight. “Fabian’s a thinker, a counter-puncher and he can be aggressive. He’s a more complete fighter than his brother. He’s heading in a great direction for the future.”
Marcos was ringside on July 23, 2016, in San Antonio, for Fabian’s slugfest with Jorge Maysonet Jr., whose hard right hand bloodied Maidana’s nose in the first round. From that point on, however, Maidana, blood streaming down his chest, delivered a double-fisted beat-down of Maysonet, who failed to answer the bell for Round 7.
“With each fight, I want to show fans that I’m Fabian Maidana, not just (Marcos’) little brother. … Marcos advises me on how much tougher it is fighting in the U.S. than anywhere else because you find the best in America,” Maidana said.
“Marcos’ style was more of a brawler-puncher, and I am more a boxer who likes to work to find the right moment to finish my opponents. We didn’t spar each other much, but when we did, our sessions always made us tougher. As far as desire, we share the same, and that is to be 100 percent prepared for everything and to be the best.”
“ With each fight, I want to show fans that I’m Fabian Maidana, not just Marcos’ little brother. ” Welterweight prospect Fabian Maidana
To prepare for Maysonet Jr., Maidana logged several rounds with four-division champion Mikey Garcia, younger brother of Robert Garcia, who trained both Fabian and Mikey at the time. Mikey served as a main sparring partner, and Robert, cornerman for Marcos Maidana’s career-ending 147-pound unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. during their rematch in September 2014.
“We sparred often with Mikey when I used to train with Robert Garcia, first in his Oxnard, Calif. gym and then in Riverside, Calif. That was a tremendous experience for me,” the 25-year-old Maidana said.
“You always gain a lot from mixing with the best fighters, especially if you are a young fighter like me. They make you tougher and teach you how to deal with skillful fighters.”
In November 2017, Maidana scored a 10-round unanimous decision over former world champion Johan Perez in Medellin, Colombia. That victory followed three consecutive knockout wins in his native Argentina.
“Fabian’s a counter-attacker who thinks a lot and has a vicious body attack. He’s more skillful than Marcos and has totally the opposite style of ‘Chino.’ We feel good about his win over Johan Perez,” said Sebastian Contursi, who has managed the Maidana brothers.
“Fabian has the talent and the potential to be a world champion, but people think because his name is Maidana that he’s automatically ready for a title shot. He’s only had 15 fights.
“We want him to gain more experience … and to hopefully be ready for a title next year.
For a closer look at Fabian Maidana, check out his fighter page.
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