Boxing Notebook: Mayweather-Baldomir

Boxing Notebook: Mayweather-Baldomir
By Carlos Guzman
Posted: 3:30 am PDT 2006-09-12

On Nov. 4 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, the modern "Cinderella Man," Carlos "Tata" Baldomir, defends his welterweight title against the best pound-for-pound fighter today, "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The festivities kicked off this past Wednesday in New York at Tavern on the Green. The place was packed with boxing-crazed media hoping to get a glimpse at today's biggest names in the sport. Or maybe it was just the awesome spread of free food. Oh well.

The first person to make the scene was Baldomir, the true welterweight champion. Carlos looked very relaxed sporting jeans and a casual shirt. No gold around his neck, gold teeth or huge entourage -- he's just a good ol' boy from Argentina. But don't let his cool demeanor or even soft physique fool you -- he's all business in the ring.

Baldomir's latest victory was a KO over Arturo "Thunder" Gatti. It was a classic bout between two punchers with leaky defenses. Baldomir got hit with some "thunder;" he never flinched. Yes, his chin is that good. What I did notice was that Baldomir looked tired after the 4th or 5th round, and that concerned me. Baldomir's response was adequate:

"Yeah, I got tired. I got tired of hitting Gatti and he didn't go. So I took two rounds off, and came back to finish him."

We talked about his upcoming bout with Mayweather, and he made an interesting point:

"I'm very relaxed about this fight. I've done everything right up to now; I'm good. All the pressure is on Floyd to prove he's pound for pound the best ... all I have to do is win."

So how do you beat the Floyd? "All I have to do is walk through the ropes and keep on punchin'," said a confident Baldomir. "I'll just bring everything I have and beat him. He's worried. He knows I can beat him. Everyone should buy this PPV because it's going to be a great fight."

Floyd, worried? During the press conference Mayweather decided to fiddle around with his PDA and then take a snooze. Sure sign he's really worried about this bout (that's a joke, people). Mayweather said he's been at this level for 10 years; this is nothing new for him:

"I'm no Zab Judah, I don't take fights lightly. I'm no Arturo Gatti, I won't stand there and take punishment" stated Floyd. "When I get in there nobody knows which Floyd is going to be in the ring. Maybe I'll stand and trade. Maybe I'll just box circles around him."

The current sportsbook odds have Floyd an 8-1 favorite to win. I think this fight is going to be much closer, but the slick Floyd has all the tools to ruin Baldomir's fairy tale.

10 Seconds
On Oct. 14 in Providence, R.I., just signed is a bout that could provide some serious fireworks: Allan "Sweetness" Green will put his 22-0 record on the line against dangerous Jerson Ravelo. Green has gained notoriety since requiring only 18 seconds to blast touted prospect Jaidon Codrington last November. Ravelo (17-1), despite injuries and promotional issues that slowed his activity, may be his toughest opponent. Coming off three straight first-round KOs, the N.J. native would love nothing more than to spoil Green's plans by throwing a coming-out party on fight night

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