Maidana ready for his close-up

— -- LAS VEGAS -- Marcos Maidana, the powerful puncher and brawler from Argentina, stormed from his corner in the opening round of his welterweight title shot against Adrien Broner in December and never stopped pounding away at him.

Maidana dropped then-undefeated Broner twice, roughed up the Floyd Mayweather Jr. protégé throughout the bout and won a unanimous decision in a fight few had given him a chance to win. Not only did Maidana, a former junior welterweight titleholder, claim his second belt, but he emphatically stated his case that he should be the next opponent for pound-for-pound king and fellow welterweight titleholder Mayweather.

Ultimately, Mayweather did select Maidana as his opponent, and they will meet to unify their 147-pound world titles Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

"Adrien Broner's a good boxer and he roughed Adrien Broner up and he got to victory, so we can't say what this guy can or he can't do. We cannot overlook the guy," Mayweather said. "I can't just say he's going to be an easy fight because he's not going to be an easy fight for me; I don't think so. What I have to do is I've got to make sure that I'm at my best.

"I've got to go out there and take my time, keep my composure and be me. Everybody thinks he's just going to be a pushover, but I don't think so. That's why I'm training hard and I'm pushing myself to the limit every day."

The good news for Maidana is that it's the biggest opportunity (not to mention money) of his career even if he enters the fight as about a 12-1 underdog at the MGM sportsbook, with few giving him a prayer to win. In one survey of 46 members of the boxing media, not one picked the 30-year-old Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs).

So be it, as far as he is concerned.

"I know I am fighting the best in the world and that this is the biggest opportunity there is, so I am very thankful to Mayweather for giving me the chance," he said. "I never let what anybody outside the ring says bother me. I've heard a little about what they're saying, but it doesn't matter. I've heard it before. I've been an underdog my whole life. I was the underdog against Adrien Broner and Victor Ortiz, and you saw what happened. I won.