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Floyd Mayweather on picking Maidana over Khan: 'I chose the better man'

Floyd Mayweather doesn't have any elaborate reason for picking Marcos Maidana as his next opponent instead of Amir Khan. He simply chose what he thought was the better fight, he says.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sport
Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

On last night's edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, which was a triple-header promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Floyd Mayweather spoke publicly for the first time since signing to face Marcos Maidana in a welterweight title fight on May 3, a choice that left previous front-runner Amir Khan out in the cold.

Showtime's Steve Farhood asked Mayweather (45-0, 26 KO) why he chose Maidana (35-3, 31 KO), and Floyd made it clear: he simply felt Maidana was the better and more deserving fighter at this time.

"Maidana has a lot of great wins lately, whereas Amir Khan is 2-2 in his last four fights. That's all there is to it," he said, adding, "I chose the better man."

Maidana is a massive underdog, as expected, but Floyd is doing his best to sell the Argentine brawler as a a major threat.

"This is a very difficult fight for me. This is a guy I can't overlook," said Mayweather. "Each and every time Marcos Maidana goes out there he gives it his best. I know I have to go out there and be at my best.

"I will sit down with my father and go over a brilliant game plan and hopefully this training camp goes well. He's tough. He's a champion just like I'm a champion, so when you bring the two together you get nothing but excitement. I must push myself to the limit, and May 3, The Money Team will be ready."

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