by David P. Greisman

The rematch between welterweight titleholder Marcos Maidana and Adrien Broner, — once thought to take place in April but since pushed back — might instead end up in June or July, according to Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions.

Broner, who lost the title to Maidana in December after getting knocked down twice and dropping a unanimous decision, exercised his option for an immediate rematch. Maidana’s manager, however, told BoxingScene’s Rick Reeno that Maidana needed more time to rest and train, and that Maidana also wanted to be present for the birth of his daughter, who is due in mid-March.

“Broner wants it. Maidana’s willing to give it to him. It’s just a matter of the date,” Gomez told BoxingScene.com on Jan. 24, prior to the weigh-in for Lamont Peterson vs. Dierry Jean. “Broner feels like he was getting the better of Maidana at the end. He feels that he made some mistakes. He wants to rectify what happened.”

Gomez said that it’s up to Broner to rehabilitate any damage that may have been done to his image with last year’s loss.

“The best way to do it is to beat the guy who beat you. And that’s part of the reason why he wants the rematch,” Gomez said. “Many are questioning it. Maybe it’s the right thing to do. Maybe it’s not. But he’s got his reasons. We respect that, and he’s a talented kid. He did have really good late rounds, so for some reason he feels that he can rectify all the mistakes he made and he can beat Maidana. You got to have respect for that, and you’ve got to give him his opportunity, and I think that it’ll be a terrific fight.”

Pick up a copy of David’s new book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide. Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com