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. [details]
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. [details]
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