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“As of now, I say to Floyd Mayweather: I am the true champion”
When Carlos Baldomir spoke those words, after his TKO victory over Arturo Gatti last month, the boxing world has been buzzing over the prospect of such a fight between the welterweight titans. Floyd Mayweather Jr., 36-0 (24), is regarded by many to be the greatest fighter in boxing today. He is undefeated in his 36 professional fights, and is recognized by The Ring as the #1 Pound-for-Pound boxer.
Although his recent string of opponents have been questionable, Mayweather’s skill must be taken seriously. Always the gym rat, Floyd has been able to neutralize his gift and use it to propel him into stardom the likes of which most boxers only dream about.
His jack rabbit-like offense is only overshadowed by his superb defense. A defense that, despite being tested by many, has never allowed the man to be in any serious trouble. Recently, we have seen him called out by just about every fighter within the three divisions he plans to travel between: Jr. Welterweight, Welterweight, and Jr. Middleweight. Although it is hard to deny his claims as being the best-skilled fighter in all of boxing, he does have one man keeping him from being recognized as the top dog in the welterweight division: Carlos Baldomir.
Unlike Mayweather, who had the spotlight on him since day one, Carlos Baldomir, 43-9-6 (13), has played the game journeyman role for most of his career. Baldomir became an instant hit among boxing fans after his January dethroning of Zab Judah. Baldomir, the lightly regarded underdog, rallied to stun the welterweight champ and claim his spot in the history books.
After most boxing experts wrote off Baldomir’s win as a fluke, he took a fight with the great Arturo Gatti. Fighting on Gatti’s home court of New Jersey, Baldomir once again showed the world his time was now as a left hook sent “Thunder” to the floor and prompted the ref to end the fight in the ninth round. Having won or gotten the draw in every contest he’s been in for the past eight years, Baldomir has finally received the recognition he has deserved and is now known as the welterweight champion of the world.
In order for Mayweather to back his own claim as the best welterweight, he will have to fight Baldomir and attempt to take the title from the solid-as-a-rock Argentinean. According to recent articles, the fight is being finalized by both sides and the dust shall settle come November 4.
It may not be the most illustrious match up, but it does make the most sense as the fans will be treated to a good ol’ fashioned champion versus #1 contender showdown. Mayweather may be, technically, the more skilled of the two, but to dismiss Baldomir’s chances would be foolish. Baldomir has been on a roll as of late, and by the look of his record, his chance of pulling off an upset looks pretty good.
