If anybody harboured the belief that the only reason Floyd Mayweather Jnr climbs into a boxing ring is to climb back out of it again with more money than your average Swiss bank keeps in its vaults, his decision to rematch Argentina’s Marcus Maidana in his next outing on September 13 in Las Vegas has proved them wrong.

In their last fight in May, the Argentinian gave Mayweather the most torrid 12 rounds of his career, which given that the man who calls himself “Money” has been fighting for since 1996 is quite something.

From the first bell to the last, Maidana didn’t just set about defeating the hitherto undefeated pound-for-pound world champion, he tried to effect his physical dismemberment with the kind of brutal and sustained assault your average wrecking ball would struggle to compete with. 

Mayweather spent much of the fight back-peddling and up against the ropes in the face of this relentless pressure, during which his opponent came in low using both hands to club and maul like a man who hadn’t eaten for week. 

The champion’s inability to counterpunch as effectively as he normally does was testimony to the unorthodox style he was up against, which involved shots coming at him from every conceivable angle.

Regardless, experience combined with a winning habit combined to fashion an untidy majority decision in Mayweather’s favour, which he just about deserved due to the more effective shots he did land and the way he dominated proceedings in the latter rounds.

With only a couple of fights left to go as part of his mammoth Showtime six-fight deal, you would think that avoiding taking any unnecessary risks when it comes to his 48-fight unbeaten record, not to mention punishment, would be higher up on his list of priorities than rematching a fighter who pushed him to the limit in his previous fight. 

Clearly, professional pride still burns within the richest man in sport’s chest and the desire to prove to the critics and fans who think he got out of jail last time round is great.

On September 13, when the Mayweather roadshow once again takes over the billboards, hotels and casinos of Las Vegas, we will find out just how great a champion he is.