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Not to get too Antonio Tarver about things, but yes, Carlos Baldomir should be billed ahead of Floyd Mayweather in this fight. It has been confirmed that the two will fight presumably on HBO on November 4th, and let's not lose sight of a few things: Mayweather relinquished the IBF welterweight championship that never meant much when he won it from Zab Judah, since Judah originally lost that title in his match with Baldomir; also, in beating Judah, Baldomir became the linear welterweight champion. Knocking out Arturo Gatti assembled the image in most people's minds that Baldomir is the dominant fighter in the division, and now that Mayweather has signed to fight him, we really will get to see some business sorted out.
I would love to be able to criticise Mayweather for taking this fight, but he is waiting on De La Hoya next year and he needs to honor his contract by taking another fight this year. I assume Mayweather figures that he will deal with Baldomir easily, being too fast and skilled etc. From this, Baldomir should take heart, as Judah and Gatti fought him believing that they would beat him handily enough, and look what happened to them. Mayweather will not falter in his preparations, but he may be arrogant in his approach to Baldomir; a mistake that may be to his detriment.
Short of Antonio Margarito, I don't think there is a closer representation of the physical challenge that Margarito poses to Mayweather other than Baldomir. If I cannot see Margarito get the chance to impose himself on Mayweather, Baldomir is surely the next best thing. The Argentinean will not be easily deterred and will try to force the fight onto Mayweather, ensuring one of two circumstances: Mayweather finds Baldomir easy to hit and fights with an eye towards defense while slashing Baldomir with sharp shots at range; otherwise, Baldomir might be able to take Mayweather into a hard distance fight with constant pressure and non-stop punching forcing Mayweather into that uncomfortable territory he has not seen since Jose Luis Castillo I.
Personally, I think the prospect of Mayweather being taken apart by an honest, hard-working battlehorse like Baldomir, with nine losses, is one to savor. Indeed, if Baldomir were to have beaten Judah in January, Gatti in July, and then Mayweather in November, he would take his own slice of boxing history. The fact that he's signed to fight all of those fighters within twelve months shows that he has balls; he'll know that Mayweather is the fight of his life, and unlike Gatti, I think Baldomir will come to fight and not relent until he makes his mark on Mayweather.
I would love to be able to criticise Mayweather for taking this fight, but he is waiting on De La Hoya next year and he needs to honor his contract by taking another fight this year. I assume Mayweather figures that he will deal with Baldomir easily, being too fast and skilled etc. From this, Baldomir should take heart, as Judah and Gatti fought him believing that they would beat him handily enough, and look what happened to them. Mayweather will not falter in his preparations, but he may be arrogant in his approach to Baldomir; a mistake that may be to his detriment.
Short of Antonio Margarito, I don't think there is a closer representation of the physical challenge that Margarito poses to Mayweather other than Baldomir. If I cannot see Margarito get the chance to impose himself on Mayweather, Baldomir is surely the next best thing. The Argentinean will not be easily deterred and will try to force the fight onto Mayweather, ensuring one of two circumstances: Mayweather finds Baldomir easy to hit and fights with an eye towards defense while slashing Baldomir with sharp shots at range; otherwise, Baldomir might be able to take Mayweather into a hard distance fight with constant pressure and non-stop punching forcing Mayweather into that uncomfortable territory he has not seen since Jose Luis Castillo I.
Personally, I think the prospect of Mayweather being taken apart by an honest, hard-working battlehorse like Baldomir, with nine losses, is one to savor. Indeed, if Baldomir were to have beaten Judah in January, Gatti in July, and then Mayweather in November, he would take his own slice of boxing history. The fact that he's signed to fight all of those fighters within twelve months shows that he has balls; he'll know that Mayweather is the fight of his life, and unlike Gatti, I think Baldomir will come to fight and not relent until he makes his mark on Mayweather.
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