By Rick Reeno
Can lighting strike three times for WBC welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir (43-9-6, 13 KOs)?
Baldomir, more than any other fighter in the sport, should be considered the true “Cinderella Man.” In January, he was given absolutely no chance to beat unified welterweight champion Zab Judah in New York. Matched against Judah as nothing more than a tune-up for Judah’s April date against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Baldomir stunned the sport by winning a twelve-round decision over Judah, and almost stopped him in the process. Prior to the bout, he told the papers in Argentina that he was planning to retire if he lost his fight with Judah.
Several months later, he was the underdog against Arturo Gatti when the two fighters clashed in New Jersey. Even Mayweather predicted that Gatti would win. Once again Baldomir proved the public wrong by knocking Gatti out within nine rounds.
Saturday night, he will meet Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (36-0, 24 KOs) at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. In a year, Baldomir went from being an unknown fringe contender to headlining a major pay-per-view against the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Mayweather, a four-division champion and recognized by many as the most gifted fighter in the sport, is not expecting any problems with the larger, yet much slower champion.
Baldomir is not going to lose without making a lot of noise in the ring. The champion has been undefeated for almost 8-years and has not been stopped in a fight since 1994, when he was a young fighter. Baldomir’s stamina level, which sees him always throwing punches, and his physical size - are his strengths. The problem for the champion is that he may be too slow to use any of his strengths to his advantage.
The staff of BoxingScene comes together to voice their opinions, strategies and predictions for the big fight.
Tom Donelson - Baldomir is a tough fighter and he should take the fight into the later rounds. As he demonstrated against Zab Judah, he can deal with quick boxers. But unfortunately, Mayweather is a great fighter who is a step or two beyond Judah. And Baldomir doesn't have one punch knockout power, but can create a knockout upon wearing an opponent out. Mayweather is too quick, and has enough power to stun Baldomir. Mayweather wins an easy decision or late round TKO. Baldomir will keep coming forward but he is merely running into punches delivered from the fast-handed Mayweather.
Ron Borges – Floyd Mayweather, Jr. by way of a one-sided twelve round decision. Mayweather is too fast, and too good.
Hank Kaplan – Baldomir will need Mother Nature on his side to win this fight. Unless Floyd Mayweather gets sick, comes unprepared or falls apart, do not expect Baldomir to win. Mayweather by decision.
Tim Smith – Floyd Mayweather's speed is impressive. I'm not sure Carlos Baldomir has the remedy for that. Mayweather in a 12 round decision.
Richard McManus - Baldomir is a tricky fighter who will have his moments against the skilled Mayweather but the speed differential will probably be too much for him. There are plenty of fighters out there that pose a legit threat to Floyd, unfortunately Baldomir isn’t one of them.
James Blears - The bigger they are, the harder they hit, but Carlos Baldomir has to catch up to Floyd Mayweather to connect and that's going to be difficult. There's a gulf between their technical abilities and Floyd is also in great shape with no weight problems. If he hits and moves and doesn't make the mistake of trading, the referee will have to intervene somewhere after the sixth round and before the ninth to save Carlos. But I've also got a feeling that Floyd might just get a touch careless and flirt with danger albeit momentarily
JE Grant - Of course there is not supposed to be a real contest that occurs when Floyd Mayweather meets the champion Carlos Baldomir. There's little doubt that Floyd's consummate skills, almost impenetrable defense, and confidence born of a training regime second to none make him the runaway favorite. Just a clearly Baldomir was to have no chance at Zab Judah. He was also supposed to be a victim to Arturo Gatti who many thought would get the last laugh in capturing the true world championship ahead of Mayweather. Neither of his wins in those bouts was expected. However, don't expect the unexpected on this night.
The sterling brilliance of Mayweather is the real thing. He will out-speed, out-punch, out-everything Baldomir. The champion Baldomir is not a phony and is not to be trifled with --- and despite his cocky flair, the most complete professional in the game today, Mayweather, won't take anything for granted. Baldomir is gritty and comes to win. His efforts will lead to a rapid-fire pounding and a brutal finish.
John Hively - Baldomir could pull the upset. I think this bout will be much closer than most people expect. Mayweather by decision in a competitive fight. Scoring should be something like eight rounds to four, perhaps seven to five, but all of the rounds should be competitive.
Joe Harrison - It has been quite a year for Baldomir, upsetting Zab Judah and taking out Arturo Gatti. However, he will not win against Mayweather. Mayweather will be too much for him. Although Baldomir will put up a fight, Mayweather should have a clear victory.
Mayweather by UD
Keith Terceira - My prediction is four rounds of action , 1 round of running, 1 round of holding, and in the seventh Baldomir crumbles to the canvas from an overdose of speed - Mayweather's speed that is.
Larry Tornambe - My biggest concern for Floyd Mayweather vs. Baldomir is his hands. Floyd hasn't had any hand problems lately, so I hope they're a past problem because Carlos has a hard head. I see Floyd outspeeding Baldomir to a decision win. 118-112 twice, 117-113 if you want to be specific
Brent Matteo Alderson - Right after Baldomir beat Gatti I predicted that Mayweather would fight him in a July article. It’s a risk-reward scenario. Mayweather gets a chance to fight a full fledge Welterweight who isn’t a big puncher and win a legitimate World championship in one of the original eight weight classes. Mayweather’s titles at 130 and 135 were legit, but his 140 pound championship wasn’t. At 147 I think it’s the perfect fight for Floyd. Baldomir isn’t a big puncher and is kind of slow. I think Mayweather will box circles around Carlos and take a fairly easy decision unless he decides to fight with him. I just don’t think Baldomir has the talent to beat a guy like Floyd. He’s not fighting Gatti or Judah, he’s fight Floyd Mayweather, the best fighter in the world.
Mike Indri - A year ago this fight would have had "tune up" written all over it! What a year Carlos Baldomir has had, and it could not have happened to a more deserving or worthy person. Re-energized and re-born, Baldomir has risen from obscurity and made himself a true world champion.
All that being said, "Flamboyant" Floyd Mayweather is a fighter on a totally different level. He is THE FIGHTER of this generation and will prove, once again, just how superior a boxer and fighter he truly is. No doubt Baldomir will come to fight, and with Mayweather - he will get it.
Mayweather will defeat Baldomir via late round TKO.
Jim Cawkwell - Though not a spectacular fighter with any outstanding asset, Baldomir is a rugged challenge for Mayweather, and perhaps one that Mayweather has avoided for some time. All Baldomir can do is press the fight every minute of every round to see if he can force Mayweather into making mistakes. Baldomir is not considered a puncher, but he's hurt each 140-pounder that dared to step up to his natural weight this year, he might be able to to impose himself on Mayweather if he can sustain an attack long enough. In sum, though, Mayweather is still quick and skillful enough to evade further damage of it gets too hot in there. Mayweather will take a decision, but he will find enough spots to stand and make it an entertaining scrap.
Dr. Peter Edwards – I don’t think Baldomir is going to be able to catch up to Mayweather. I think Floyd will thoroughly outbox him to win a unanimous decision.
Eric Rineer - I've been looking forward to the Floyd Mayweather-Carlos Baldomir fight for a long time. These fighters possess very different styles, so it should be a real interesting matchup. Carlos is a very, very tough fighter and a worthy champion. Floyd, on the other hand, is in a league of his own. He's the total package. He's tough, he's smart, he's fast and extremely gifted. I would expect Floyd to use speed to his advantage and get in and get out with his shots. He's too savvy to stand and brawl with the bigger man. Floyd will need to fight cautiously and avoid getting clipped with that big shot. If he can do that, he should find his way safely to a unanimous decision.
Bradley Yeh - Common sense tells me that Baldomir’s victories over Judah and Gatti, (ie; how and when they happened), means that they're not a perfect indication that Pretty boy Floyd will lose to Carlos. To my eyes, PFM didn’t look good against Judah in the first 1/3 of their fight while Judah was fresh and fast, and despite the reluctance of some to admit this serves as an indicator of how Mayweather responds when tested with like skills. The question is; can Baldomir really test Mayweather?
Rather than compare Mayweather’s plethora of advantages against Carlos, a quicker comparison of advantages may come from turning the tables and looking at Baldomir’s advantages; Size, hunger and punch resistance. To me this means that Baldomir must find a way to use his strength and durability to win and test Mayweather. Knowing Judah (rather than Gatti) presented a challenge for PFM I looked to how Baldomir handled Judah to see if he was successful in using his strength and durability against a slickster such as PBF. If I disregard critique of Judah’s chin and stamina I saw that Baldomir was capable of doing just that, using his strength and durability against a technician, and he did it to someone that (for a few rounds) seriously challenged PFM.
So if you are one that doesn’t believe that the Judah vs. Baldomir fight was lost more by Judah than it was genuinely won by Baldomir, … then Carlos Baldomir’s stock may still rise a bit more when considering his possible success against Mayweather. Even in consideration of that possibility I still pick Floyd to win this fight against Baldomir, who will almost definitely walk into the ring as a light middleweight this weekend. Why? Because the problem that PFM couldn’t solve against Judah that allowed Judah to be successful for the 1st third of their fight was speed combined with Zab’s southpaw style. Carlos Baldomir has no such advantages, although sometimes I wish he did.
Glenn Wilson - Mayweather is without a doubt the most talented boxer in the world today, he is deservedly at the top of everyone's pound for pound list, so that is why I am going with Carlos Baldomir. This isn't a pound for pound list, this is a fight, and it brings two fight to mind: Mayweather-Castillo 1 and Hatton-Collazo.
Floyd's toughest fight to date was his first fight with Jose Luis Castillo. Castillo outmuscled Floyd and many thought that Castillo should have gotten the nod. As far as Hatton facing Luis Collazo, Ricky is one of the best conditioned fighters in the game today, but he showed how difficult it can be to fight a naturally bigger man as Hatton was lucky not only to win the bout but also lucky he wasn't knocked out.
Baldomir wins a tough, hard fought decision.
Adam Pollack – Floyd Mayweather, Jr. by unanimous decision
Sammy Rozenberg – I can’t bring myself to pick Baldomir under any circumstances. Floyd Mayweather by unanimous decision.
Kevin Kincade - Only a fool would suggest that Floyd isn’t one of the fastest and most well-schooled men in boxing today; this is why he is ranked so highly on pound-for-pound lists. However, anyone who thinks that Baldomir is without skill is equally foolish. Baldomir toppled Zab Judah off of his Welterweight Throne; and whether or not Zab underestimated him is irrelevant, for that took skill. Zab Judah, while one of the more overrated fighters in recent years, he was also one of the fastest, and he had a good punch. Still, despite all of that speed and God-given talent, Baldomir, a man who had fought in relative obscurity for years, who we knew next to nothing about, hustled Zab Judah out of his title right before our very eyes and later took Arturo Gatti completely apart in 9 rounds. How skilled is Carlos Baldomir? Is he good enough to beat Floyd Mayweather? Well, anything’s possible.
Mayweather, like Judah is incredibly fast. When the two of them met earlier this year, Zab’s speed and strategy gave Floyd fits in the early going; but, ultimately, it was Floyd’s skill and the execution of the good advice from his Uncle Roger that won him the day. Floyd is a thinking man’s fighter and a fighter with good well-rounded boxing knowledge and execution can overcome speed every time.
That being said, this fight, I believe, will be a lot tougher than many think. Timing is everything when it comes to dealing with a faster opponent. Zab was fast, too; but he wasn't on the same skill-level as Mayweather. So, we know Baldomir is skillful enough to beat speed......but can he out-skill the faster Mayweather as well by employing the right game plan? If he does employ the right game plan, how well will Floyd adapt? How versatile is he? How will he react if he is smothered from the opening bell, when he realizes that his punches don’t have enough pop to make the naturally stronger Baldomir respect him? How will Baldomir react if he finds that Mayweather is sliding out of range before he can land that overhand right or inside left hook?
Baldomir, to have any chance of victory, is going to have to crowd Mayweather, bully him, and put in overtime on his body work. Mayweather, I don’t feel, is going to coast to victory or dominate Carlos as some would suggest. Floyd will have his stomach for the sport tested come Saturday. The fight that comes to mind is Duran-Leonard I. Will this fight look exactly like that? Probably not, what could? However, Carlos offers that same kind of picture to Floyd that Duran offered to Leonard; Ray fell into the trap and went into the trenches with Duran. Floyd cannot afford to do that with Baldomir. He might be able to do it on occasion and then get out of the way and box from outside; but he can’t stay inside with the bigger man for 12 rounds. Floyd is going to have to mix and mesh his game plan because Baldomir is too skilled for Floyd to box on the outside all night long also. Baldomir won’t let him do that. Carlos will make Floyd fight; and we’re going to witness Floyd during one of the few gut-checks of his career.
This is going to be a good fight, a close fight; and, in the end, Mayweather will end up on top with a close decision victory.
Dan Creighton – Floyd Mayweather, Jr. by unanimous decision, by at least four rounds.
Ronnie Nathanielsz - Floyd Mayweather should cement his place as the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter with a comfortable win over Baldomir. Mayweather is simply too classy for Baldomir. I expect Mayweather to outbox the Argentinean in the early rounds, give him a lesson in what talent is all about and eventually take him out. It seems as simple as that.
Ron Gallegos - The Baldomir-Mayweather fight serves notice to the camp of Baldomir to validate that he is legit in every respect. Even a loss via a great showing to Mayweather would serve Carlos well in authenticating his position as a contender to be reckoned with. A poor showing will relegate him to club fighter status.
This one has generated interest. Smart money says Floyd will win, but I’m betting it won't be as easy as he thinks. Carlos has too much heart and the road getting to this point has been long and weary. He won't give it up easily, but Floyd isn't ready to check it in yet. Floyd by unanimous decision.
Terence Dooley - Mayweather by unanimous decision over Baldomir. Look for Floyd to have some uncomfortable moments, but he will out-box Baldomir for 90% of the fight.
Mike Casey - Not an easy fight by any stretch for Pretty Boy. Baldomir is teak-tough, persistent and dangerous in the most awkward way. It is still somewhat difficult to measure his true worth, since Arturo Gatti seemed to come apart in that sudden way that some fighters do. But Baldomir certainly impressed me with his somewhat funky brew of skill and toughness. I have to go with Floyd Mayweather, as he appears to be a cut above most of the other fighters around today. But I won't be at all surprised if Floyd is forced to work hard and made to look pedestrian in the process. A points win for Mayweather seems to be the general consensus, but I fancy he might just go up an extra gear and secure a TKO around the 10th round
Carlos Irusta - As far I can see, Baldomir has a lot of chances to win, if he did his homework as witnessed in the Zab Judah fight. Mayweather is a very capable boxer, but he is not a real welterweight. He has a tremendous weapon against Baldomir, his speed.
But, let me ask: who must work more in the fight on Saturday night? The challenger or the champ? If judges are correct, they must think in detail if Mayweather did enough to win, because the challenger has to go into the fight and work for that title. The real pressure is on Pretty Boy, because he CAN´T afford to lose this fight.
Rusty Rubin – A lot of questions in the Mayweather fight. Can he handle the weight? How as camp without Roger Mayweather? Is he looking ahead to Oscar De La Hoya?
Baldomir has surprisingly fast hands. If he hurts Floyd early, there could be a major upset. Can a wounded Mayweather play hit and run enough to steal a win? I’ll take a longshot here and go with Baldomir by way of a TKO upset win before round seven.
Alphonso Costello - Carlos Baldomir is a tailor-made opponent for a smooth and fluid talent like Floyd Mayweather Jr. The most dangerous punch Mayweather can encounter is the one he cannot see. Fortunately for him he will see every punch Baldomir throws. Baldomir has the hand speed of a tortoise. Mayweather’s great defense, speed, agility and counterpunching skills is more than enough to overwhelm the slow-moving welterweight champion.
Baldomir has captured lighting in a bottle twice this year. Too bad he can’t hit Mayweather over the head with it.
Mayweather defeats Baldomir by unanimous decision.
Paul Gallegos - The smart money says Floyd will win and there is nothing that Carlos can do about it. The heart factor must come into play in this fight. Floyd has heart and also has the major skills to back up everything he says. Every advantage overwhelmingly leads to Floyd winning a very lopsided fight. Then there is Baldomir who keeps proving everyone and mean everyone wrong. He was supposed to be nothing more than an opponent for Zab Judah. Arturo Gatti was supposed to destroy him, but was stopped. Finally, there is the fact that he hasn't lost a fight in many years which has to be taken into consideration. He doesn't have the speed of Mayweather or the talent, but there is something that got him to this point. The real advantage that Carlos has in this fight is his size. Can Floyd negate that factor with his speed? I think that he can. Carlos doesn't have KO power and that is a real disadvantage. If Carlos has somehow gained more power, then this would be another fight all together. The lack of power and speed are going to enable Mayweather to dictate the pace and give a tremendous boxing lesson. I see Floyd winning a unanimous decision as Carlos continually chases him around the ring.
George Phillips - Mayweather will win by way of a 12 round majority decision. This will be Mayweather's toughest test yet, and I have a feeling that the fight will have enough action that the public will demand a rematch.
Rick Reeno – I think the bout will be more of a fight than many others have predicted. I think Baldomir is going to try and maul Mayweather against the ropes like Jose Luis Castillo and attempt to batter his body in order to break him down. The plan may work for a few rounds before Mayweather takes over the contest with his natural gifts. Baldomir has a very good chin, so I didn’t expect Mayweather to stop him. The only way Baldomir will win is by landing a lucky shot. Even if he does land the lucky shot, Mayweather is one the best defensive fighters in the sport, and will quickly get himself out of danger to regroup.
Mayweather by twelve round decision.