LAS VEGAS – As Carlos Baldomir approached the scales yesterday, he took a deep breath, sucked in his stomach and gingerly stepped up to learn whether his year would have a magical ending. The assembled crowd of promoters, trainers, media and fans all held their collective breaths until Michael Buffer announced Baldomir’s weight: “147 pounds.”
It means Baldomir, who normally walks around at about 180 pounds, had made the legal limit to defend his welterweight championship tonight against “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather at Mandalay Bay. (HBO PPV, $49.95).
It means Baldomir’s year will have its magical ending no matter the outcome of the fight. When this year began, few even knew who Baldomir was until he dethroned Zab Judah at Madison Square Garden in January and then dominated Arturo Gatti last June in Atlantic City. Now Baldomir meets Mayweather, the four-time, unbeaten world champion, who could be en route to becoming one of the greatest fighters of his era.
It’s a win-win situation for Baldomir. Baldomir will earn $1,5 million to Mayweather’s $8 million for this fight, a far cry from the $100,000 he made for fighting Judah. It continues to be a rags-to-riches story for the Argentinean, who once sold feather dusters to make a living and spent much of his career as a journeyman club fighter. Signed by Sycuan Promotions, Baldomir (43-9-6 with 13 KO) hasn’t lost in eight years and is given a puncher’s chance to win tonight because of his strength and resilience. Baldomir has predicted he will knockout Mayweather, who is a 5-2 favorite.
“I’m going to come to fight,” Baldomir said through an interpreter. “I will know when I hurt him, and if I do hurt him, he will end up going down.”
Mayweather (36-0, 24 KOs) will be without his trainer Roger Mayweather, who was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his role in a near in-the-ring brawl during Mayweather-Judah last April and is also serving a jail sentence for domestic abuse. Floyd Mayweather’s long-time adviser and trainer, Leonard Ellerbe will the lead in the corner.
“Floyd’s been doing this so long, he could do it in his sleep,” Ellerbe said. “He just has to execute the game plan.”
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Serguei Liakhovich defends his WBO heavyweight against Shannon Briggs in Phoenix (Showtime, 9 p.m.) Also, Juan Diaz defends his WBA lightweight title against Fernando Angulo in the co-feature.
