The Modern Cinderellaman

[CountryBoy]

Carlos Baldomir's passport has been punched more than he has... Despite the fact he's the World Boxing Council welterweight champion, Carlos Manuel "Tata" Baldomir knows: at best he can only be the second most famous boxer from his hometown.

"I accept the fact that I, along with every boxer from my country and my hometown, can only toil in the shadow of the great Carlos Monzon," said Baldomir, who, along with the late Monzon, comes from Santa Fe, Argentina.

But Baldomir achieved some greatness of his own on a nationally televised card Jan. 8, 2006, in New York City when the Sycuan Ringside Promotions boxer upset Zab Judah by unanimous decision to capture the WBC 147-pound title and become recognized as the undisputed welterweight world champion.

"I always felt as though I have the right promoter at the right time," the soft-spoken Baldomir said. "Sycuan Ringside Promotions came into my life just when it was my time to win a world championship at 147 pounds. Some things in life are meant to be."

"We're so excited about Carlos winning the WBC welterweight title," said Glenn Quiroga, president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions of San Diego.

"We were aware this was going to be a very tough fight against a skillful champion in Zab Judah, and it was" said Quiroga. "But Carlos' work ethic and experience prevailed against Judah just as it did against (Miguel) Rodriguez."

"Carlos has risen to the occasion and will do so again," said Willie Tucker, executive vice president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions.

Baldomir, who now has a record of 42-9-6 with 12 knockouts, earned the shot against Judah with another unexpected unanimous decision win, this one against highly touted Miguel Rodriquez during May, 2005, in Chicago.

But despite the impressive win over Judah, the WBC title and a future that is one of the brightest in boxing, Baldomir doesn't forget his roots.

"I am reminded of Monzon's greatness every day in the gym because my trainer, Amilcar Brusa, was Monzon's trainer and teacher," said Baldomir. "Monzon was a legend and so is (octogenarian) Amilcar."

Being in the shadow of Monzon, who died at age 52 and who owned a sparkling Hall of Fame ring record of 87-3-9 with 59 knockouts, is not a hang-up for the clever-boxing and remarkably persistent Baldomir.

"I could never have had Monzon's career," Baldomir said. "I have had a different, more difficult path, but I did make it to the mountain top."

Baldomir, who is managed by Javier Zapata and trains in Los Angeles, indeed, has taken a circuitous route to the pinnacle of the boxing world. He had to take fights as an unwelcome visitor in eight countries on four continents. And he only has the power of a pop gun as attested to by his mere 12 knockouts. By contrast, Monzon stood a towering 6-2 and had a pulverizing punch to go along with his other natural ring skills.

"But I got the job done, and won the world championship," said Baldomir. "I am bringing the green and gold WBC belt back to my wife and children in Santa Fe."

Baldomir, the consummate professional, stayed in the United States and trained four months in preparation for his career-defining bout against Judah, eschewing spending the holiday season with his family.

Few gave Baldomir a chance to win his against Rodriguez, let alone against Judah.

"But Carlos took Miguel to school in that fight and he did the same against Zab," said Scott Woodworth, vice president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions. "Against Rodriguez, Carlos was in control through the first eight rounds and then the kid came on with too little, too late, and against Judah, Carlos never gave up and took control. In both fights, you could see the difference in maturity and experience that Carlos displayed. He's a pro's pro and Sycuan Ringside Promotions is proud of him."

While the win over Judah came in Baldomir's first world championship fight, it, certainly, wasn't his first title bout. More than one-quarter of his 56 fights since turning pro during 1993 have been 12-round contests for welterweight or super lightweight championships. Baldomir had been the WBC International welterweight champion since 1999.

But there remains only one ring legend from Santa Fe, and Baldomir, a modest man of considerable ability, knows this.

"Monzon was and always will be a giant," Baldomir said. "If they only mention me as another boxer from Santa Fe who won a world title, I can accept that. If they only say I was another boxing student of Professor Brusa, I can accept that."

How do you say "Cinderella Man" en espanol?

Sycuan Ringside Promotions is considered to be the fastest-growing and most dynamic promotional entity in the sport. Sycuan Ringside Promotions made its promotional debut during 2004, but already has or had four world champions; has promoted and presented world title bouts on premium cable networks; and has promoted cards in the states of California, Illinois, New York and Texas.

Sycuan Ringside Promotions has many notable boxers in its stable, including WBC and International Boxing Federation 122-pound champion Israel Vazquez, former IBF lightweight champ Julio Diaz, undefeated former World Boxing Organization junior featherweight king Joan Guzman and undefeated teenage sensation Jorge Paez Jr.

[X]

Bit of trivia for you ...... his trainer (Amilcar) is named after the great general Hannibal's brother, Hamilcar.

Not a lot of people know that

[CountryBoy]

Cool...I didn't know that

[superheavyrhun]

I must agree with the topic thread, Baldomir got his shot at the title and took it to great effect, and has made a lot of cash and he certainly earned me as a fan, despite the defeats he's suffered. He's brave, comes forward, and whilst not the greatest boxer, has heart and desire to win. that goes a long way in my book.

[BoomBoom]

Baldomir is a guy that I admire so much. hes a true warrior and has earned every cent hes made. He went Denmark to fight a 30-0 Danish boxer and stopped him, then the next year goes to Germany to fight a German 21-0 Alpaslan Aguzum and stops him in a round. He definately took the hard road but Im happy he had his shot cause If he hadnt he wouldnt have had his recent sucess and would probably never have been heard of. That really would have been a shame. Nice article man. He may not be Carlos Monzon but Carlos Baldomir has a great story and a damn good legacy imo.

[Landon]

Bit of trivia for you ...... his trainer (Amilcar) is named after the great general Hannibal's brother, Hamilcar.

Not a lot of people know that

I would say most people didnt know that .

Baldomir is a great guy, one of those guys you dont hear of anybody that dosent like him or happy for his success in and out of the ring.

[DaxxKahn]

Yeah Baldo is truly one of the sports good guys...He is a dedicated family man who earns every ent he earns in the ring...He really has not made the big money many others have but he should have over the years.....When he beat Judah it was the paycheck that allowed him to keep only one of the title belts...Poor guy could not afford all the sanctioning fees ....Shameful when you think about it.....

[amat]

Yeah Baldo is truly one of the sports good guys...He is a dedicated family man who earns every ent he earns in the ring...He really has not made the big money many others have but he should have over the years.....When he beat Judah it was the paycheck that allowed him to keep only one of the title belts...Poor guy could not afford all the sanctioning fees ....Shameful when you think about it.....

I remember that. Just to pay the WBC sanctioning fees (which have to be paid before the fight) he had to spend something like 120 K, that's enough money for most American families to live on for a whole year.

[CutMeMick]

If half of the fighters of today would step into the ring with the will to fight, like Baldomir does they'd earn some respect.

Baldomir talk about a guy who earns his paychecks everytime he steps onto the canvas....

[LeftHookToTheBody]

Baldomir should blame his representation for the seeming end of his career. His last two opponents were absolutely awful matchups style wise. OK, Mayweather was certainly the biggest money fight at the time, but suppose he fought Margarito instead. Two relentless, come forward, granite chinned warriors...it probably would have been a classic, and we might be anxiously awaiting a big money Margarito-Baldomir III bout instead of watching Carlos fade back into oblivion. Match-making is terribly important to a fighters career, and Baldomir's representation did him no favors with his last two bouts. He's no worse of a fighter than he was when he fought Judah...the only difference is his folks put him in with bad stylistic matchups.

[DaxxKahn]

Yeah Baldo is truly one of the sports good guys...He is a dedicated family man who earns every ent he earns in the ring...He really has not made the big money many others have but he should have over the years.....When he beat Judah it was the paycheck that allowed him to keep only one of the title belts...Poor guy could not afford all the sanctioning fees ....Shameful when you think about it.....

I remember that. Just to pay the WBC sanctioning fees (which have to be paid before the fight) he had to spend something like 120 K, that's enough money for most American families to live on for a whole year.

The average American family does not have an income even half that we are talking two maybe 3 years....

If half of the fighters of today would step into the ring with the will to fight, like Baldomir does they'd earn some respect.

Baldomir talk about a guy who earns his paychecks everytime he steps onto the canvas....

Absolutely Mick and the sport would be so much better off thats for sure

Baldomir should blame his representation for the seeming end of his career. His last two opponents were absolutely awful matchups style wise. OK, Mayweather was certainly the biggest money fight at the time, but suppose he fought Margarito instead. Two relentless, come forward, granite chinned warriors...it probably would have been a classic, and we might be anxiously awaiting a big money Margarito-Baldomir III bout instead of watching Carlos fade back into oblivion. Match-making is terribly important to a fighters career, and Baldomir's representation did him no favors with his last two bouts. He's no worse of a fighter than he was when he fought Judah...the only difference is his folks put him in with bad stylistic matchups.

Truth is he really had no choice....You can't go from being The WW champion to fighting anyone less then the best...besides at his age he knows not much time is left and he has to make what he can off the momentum has has because we all know in boxing that is short lived...

[Kev]

Ok at the risk of raining on this little sentimental lovefest what has Baldimor actually done to warrant his Cinderellaman title?

All he did was beat an underprepared unfocused Zab Judah and all of a sudden he's a modern day story of truimph over adversity.

Don't get me wrong he worked hard to get where he was but there are a million and one title belts these days and they change hands virtually every weekend, so what qualifies Baldimor to be the most cherished underdog?

There are literally dozens of unknown journeymen who win a belt every year, why isn't Shannon Briggs the Cinderella man for example? Or how about Glen Johnson? Or Oleg Maskaev? Or John Ruiz? Or Lamon Brewster? Or Gavin Rees? Or Antonio Tarver? Or Frank Bruno?

All of these guys were considered journeyman fighters who had a career of relative mediocraty and disappointment until one momentous night when they suprised everybody, defeated a hot favourite and became a world champion.

I can only presume it's because Baldimor was the only one to sell feather dusters

[OumaFan]

Ok at the risk of raining on this little sentimental lovefest what has Baldimor actually done to warrant his Cinderellaman title?

All he did was beat an underprepared unfocused Zab Judah and all of a sudden he's a modern day story of truimph over adversity.

Don't get me wrong he worked hard to get where he was but there are a million and one title belts these days and they change hands virtually every weekend, so what qualifies Baldimor to be the most cherished underdog?

There are literally dozens of unknown journeymen who win a belt every year, why isn't Shannon Briggs the Cinderella man for example? Or how about Glen Johnson? Or Oleg Maskaev? Or John Ruiz? Or Lamon Brewster? Or Gavin Rees? Or Antonio Tarver? Or Frank Bruno?

All of these guys were considered journeyman fighters who had a career of relative mediocraty and disappointment until one momentous night when they suprised everybody, defeated a hot favourite and became a world champion.

I can only presume it's because Baldimor was the only one to sell feather dusters

Actually Glen Johnson probably does have a better case. Started off well, then went on that long streak with some losses and some bad decisions, some really horrible decisions and then kinda makes it to the top.

[Kev]

Ok at the risk of raining on this little sentimental lovefest what has Baldimor actually done to warrant his Cinderellaman title?

All he did was beat an underprepared unfocused Zab Judah and all of a sudden he's a modern day story of truimph over adversity.

Don't get me wrong he worked hard to get where he was but there are a million and one title belts these days and they change hands virtually every weekend, so what qualifies Baldimor to be the most cherished underdog?

There are literally dozens of unknown journeymen who win a belt every year, why isn't Shannon Briggs the Cinderella man for example? Or how about Glen Johnson? Or Oleg Maskaev? Or John Ruiz? Or Lamon Brewster? Or Gavin Rees? Or Antonio Tarver? Or Frank Bruno?

All of these guys were considered journeyman fighters who had a career of relative mediocraty and disappointment until one momentous night when they suprised everybody, defeated a hot favourite and became a world champion.

I can only presume it's because Baldimor was the only one to sell feather dusters

Actually Glen Johnson probably does have a better case. Started off well, then went on that long streak with some losses and some bad decisions, some really horrible decisions and then kinda makes it to the top.

cc, agreed. Actually Winky deserves it as well, he struggled for years travelling overseas to work his way up to the top. Baldimor has that quality that so many seem to like, that of being a gallant hapless loser. If you get beat around the ring, bleed a lot and keep falling down you get called a blood and guts warrior, if you just have a hard head and plod around the ring eating shots without having anywhere near the level of boxing ability of your opponent you get called gritty, a warrior and a cinderellaman.

If you have all the attributes of the above but are a little bit better, you just get overlooked

Johnson and Winky are better examples of a Cinderellaman imo, the only difference being they went on to achieve more, which seemingly disqualifies them in the eyes of most boxing fans.

To be a cinderellaman and a story of courage and truimph you need to have just one shock win. Any more and you are just a decent boxer and so nobody cares.

[Punisher136]

Ok at the risk of raining on this little sentimental lovefest what has Baldimor actually done to warrant his Cinderellaman title?

All he did was beat an underprepared unfocused Zab Judah and all of a sudden he's a modern day story of truimph over adversity.

Don't get me wrong he worked hard to get where he was but there are a million and one title belts these days and they change hands virtually every weekend, so what qualifies Baldimor to be the most cherished underdog?

There are literally dozens of unknown journeymen who win a belt every year, why isn't Shannon Briggs the Cinderella man for example? Or how about Glen Johnson? Or Oleg Maskaev? Or John Ruiz? Or Lamon Brewster? Or Gavin Rees? Or Antonio Tarver? Or Frank Bruno?

All of these guys were considered journeyman fighters who had a career of relative mediocraty and disappointment until one momentous night when they suprised everybody, defeated a hot favourite and became a world champion.

I can only presume it's because Baldimor was the only one to sell feather dusters

Actually Glen Johnson probably does have a better case. Started off well, then went on that long streak with some losses and some bad decisions, some really horrible decisions and then kinda makes it to the top.

cc, agreed. Actually Winky deserves it as well, he struggled for years travelling overseas to work his way up to the top. Baldimor has that quality that so many seem to like, that of being a gallant hapless loser. If you get beat around the ring, bleed a lot and keep falling down you get called a blood and guts warrior, if you just have a hard head and plod around the ring eating shots without having anywhere near the level of boxing ability of your opponent you get called gritty, a warrior and a cinderellaman.

If you have all the attributes of the above but are a little bit better, you just get overlooked

Johnson and Winky are better examples of a Cinderellaman imo, the only difference being they went on to achieve more, which seemingly disqualifies them in the eyes of most boxing fans.

To be a cinderellaman and a story of courage and truimph you need to have just one shock win. Any more and you are just a decent boxer and so nobody cares.

Bilbo, you have to keep in mind that there's a fine line between having a lot of heart and just plain getting your ass whooped.