Boxing News 2014: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Defends Picking Marcos Maidana for Next Fight

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is being criticized for picking an easier opponent for his next fight, but the reigning pound-for-pound king insisted that Marcos Maidana is more deserving of a bout than British boxer Amir Khan.

Mayweather was previously leaning towards facing Khan, but Maidana's sudden rise in popularity brought by his win over then-unbeaten Adrien Broner caught the attention of Mayweather.

In an interview with BoxingScene, Mayweather defended his decision to pick Maidana, saying that the Argentinian has been very impressive in previous fights, while Khan is just 2-2 in his last four fights.

Khan defeated Maidana in their 2010 showdown, but the 27-year-old Briton has lost twice since then, including a fourth-round knockout loss to Danny Garcia in July 2012.

On the other hand, Maidana has been on a roll for the past two years since he decided to train under 2012 Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia.

Before his emphatic unanimous decision victory over Broner in December, the 30-year-old Argentinian scored knockout victories over Jesus Karass in September 2012, Angel Martinez in December 2012 and Josesito Lopez in June last year.

When asked about his thoughts on his upcoming showdown with Maidana on May 3 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Mayweather admitted that he is expecting a tough fight, saying that there is no room for complacency against a fighter like Maidana.

"This is a very difficult fight for me," Mayweather admitted. "This is a guy I can't overlook. Marcos Maidana is always going to be at his best. I'm going to be at my best, sit down with my father and go over a game plan. Hopefully everything goes well in training camp and we look forwards to a great fight on May 3."

Maidana, who will put his recently-acquired WBC and WBA welterweight title on the line, recently vowed to do what fighters in 44 other fights failed to do before—to hand Mayweather the first defeat of his Hall-of-Fame-destined career.

"I just handed a great defensive fighter [Broner] his first loss and I plan to do the same to Mayweather. I don't care if he's the best and undefeated," Maidana said.

[ALSO READ: Marcos Maidana Vows to Hand Pound-for-Pound King First Loss]