Carlos Manuel Baldomir
Encyclopedia
Carlos Manuel Baldomir is an Argentine
boxer
and the former WBC
& The Ring
welterweight
champion.
on January 7, 2006 in a mandatory challenge for Judah's title. The fight took place in Madison Square Garden
, and with his pressure style and hard right hands Baldomir won a unanimous decision (115-113, 114-113 and 115-112). Baldomir was crowned World Champion, after 6 months of preparations in Los Angeles
with Amílcar Brusa. After the fight, he said "This is a tribute to [Argentine boxing legend] Monzón
" who had died eleven years earlier on January 8th.
Baldomir failed to pay sanctioning fees imposed by the WBA
& IBF
when he beat Zab Judah for the WBC title, so, nominally at least, Judah remained the IBF title holder, while the WBA championship reverted to another boxer, Luis Collazo
. (The SHOWTIME broadcast mentioned that Baldomir chose not to pay the sanctioning fees for the other organizations, out of loyalty to the WBC, which gave him the opportunity to fight for a world title by naming him the mandatory challenger to Judah.) He would have liked to pay all of the fees, but he would have lost money if he did (the fees were more than he was being paid for the fight). Despite this separation of the three title belts, Baldomir was universally regarded as the true Welterweight champion since he defeated Judah, the recognized champion.
by TKO in the 9th round by overpowering the faster, but naturally smaller Gatti. This fight helped convince some skeptics that Baldomir's win over Judah was no fluke. Baldomir then expressed a desire to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.
to continue his unlikely rise in the welterweight division.
, on November 4, 2006 in Las Vegas for the WBC and The Ring welterweight titles. Said Baldomir of this challenge: "Mayweather is very good, but I can beat him. I'm going right at him. I'm going to keep attacking and not give him a chance to breathe or move. Mayweather has never fought anyone like me before."
Baldomir would ultimately lose both titles by unanimous decision. Ringside punch statistics showed Mayweather landing 199 of 458 punches, while Baldomir landed just 79 of 670. Baldomir was paid $1.6 million, which was a career high in earnings.
During the fight, Baldomir chased Mayweather sluggishly, unable to land any meaningful shots but trying to remain the busier fighter, while Mayweather picked away with sharp jabs and hooks, even managing to cut Baldomir over his left eye in the first round. This pattern continued throughout the fight, thanks in no small part to Baldomir's weighing in at 162 pounds compared to Floyd at 149 lbs, leading some to believe that Baldomir's sole intention was to knock Mayweather out. The defensive-minded Mayweather, however, apparently not looking to knock out or even exchange blows with his opponent, put on what many witnesses called a "boxing clinic" to take Baldomir's WBC and The Ring welterweight titles in a lopsided 12-round decision. Two judges had Mayweather winning all 12 rounds, with the other giving all but two rounds to Mayweather.
, he fought Vernon Forrest
for the vacant WBC Light Middleweight championship, losing a lopsided, yet very exciting and competitive decision. In the post fight interview with Larry Merchant
, he indicated that he would likely retire from boxing..
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and the former WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
& The Ring
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
champion.
Boxing Style
Carlos Baldomir isn't known as a power puncher, but has what many boxing analysts call a pressure fighter. This usually means he will try to impose his will on his opponents with a consistent, aggressive attack. Baldomir is also said to have one of the toughest chins in the sport. However, common criticisms of Baldomir are his slowness; his slow, plodding advance; and a lack of agile lateral movement. Opponents with speed can often create problems for him if he is unable to fight his style of fight.Upsetting Zab Judah
Baldomir defeated unified welterweight champion Zab JudahZab Judah
Zabdiel Judah is an American professional boxer. Judah has won five world titles between the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions, and is a former undisputed welterweight champion....
on January 7, 2006 in a mandatory challenge for Judah's title. The fight took place in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, and with his pressure style and hard right hands Baldomir won a unanimous decision (115-113, 114-113 and 115-112). Baldomir was crowned World Champion, after 6 months of preparations in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with Amílcar Brusa. After the fight, he said "This is a tribute to [Argentine boxing legend] Monzón
Carlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight title for 7 years, during which he successfully defended the title 14 times....
" who had died eleven years earlier on January 8th.
Baldomir failed to pay sanctioning fees imposed by the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
& IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
when he beat Zab Judah for the WBC title, so, nominally at least, Judah remained the IBF title holder, while the WBA championship reverted to another boxer, Luis Collazo
Luis Collazo
Luis Collazo is a boxer in the welterweight division. His boxing record is 31-4 . He is a former WBA welterweight champion.- Professional career :...
. (The SHOWTIME broadcast mentioned that Baldomir chose not to pay the sanctioning fees for the other organizations, out of loyalty to the WBC, which gave him the opportunity to fight for a world title by naming him the mandatory challenger to Judah.) He would have liked to pay all of the fees, but he would have lost money if he did (the fees were more than he was being paid for the fight). Despite this separation of the three title belts, Baldomir was universally regarded as the true Welterweight champion since he defeated Judah, the recognized champion.
Gatti vs. Baldomir
On July 22, 2006 Baldomir successfully defended his WBC welterweight title by defeating fan favorite Arturo GattiArturo Gatti
Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was a Canadian professional boxer. Born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager...
by TKO in the 9th round by overpowering the faster, but naturally smaller Gatti. This fight helped convince some skeptics that Baldomir's win over Judah was no fluke. Baldomir then expressed a desire to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. is an American professional boxer. He is a five-division world champion, where he has won seven world titles, as well as the lineal championship in three different weight classes...
to continue his unlikely rise in the welterweight division.
Baldomir vs. Mayweather
Baldomir would eventually get his chance against the pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather Jr.Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. is an American professional boxer. He is a five-division world champion, where he has won seven world titles, as well as the lineal championship in three different weight classes...
, on November 4, 2006 in Las Vegas for the WBC and The Ring welterweight titles. Said Baldomir of this challenge: "Mayweather is very good, but I can beat him. I'm going right at him. I'm going to keep attacking and not give him a chance to breathe or move. Mayweather has never fought anyone like me before."
Baldomir would ultimately lose both titles by unanimous decision. Ringside punch statistics showed Mayweather landing 199 of 458 punches, while Baldomir landed just 79 of 670. Baldomir was paid $1.6 million, which was a career high in earnings.
During the fight, Baldomir chased Mayweather sluggishly, unable to land any meaningful shots but trying to remain the busier fighter, while Mayweather picked away with sharp jabs and hooks, even managing to cut Baldomir over his left eye in the first round. This pattern continued throughout the fight, thanks in no small part to Baldomir's weighing in at 162 pounds compared to Floyd at 149 lbs, leading some to believe that Baldomir's sole intention was to knock Mayweather out. The defensive-minded Mayweather, however, apparently not looking to knock out or even exchange blows with his opponent, put on what many witnesses called a "boxing clinic" to take Baldomir's WBC and The Ring welterweight titles in a lopsided 12-round decision. Two judges had Mayweather winning all 12 rounds, with the other giving all but two rounds to Mayweather.
Baldomir vs. Forrest
Baldomir was challenged to fight by former champion, Shane Mosley, but HBO would not air the fight, so the concept was thrown aside. On July 28th, on HBO's Boxing after DarkBoxing After Dark
Boxing After Dark is an HBO boxing program, premiering in April 1996, that usually shows fights between well-known contenders, but usually not "championship" or "title" fights. Unlike its sister program, HBO World Championship Boxing, BAD features fighters who are usually moving up from ESPN's...
, he fought Vernon Forrest
Vernon Forrest
Vernon Forrest, nicknamed "The Viper", was an American professional boxer who became a world champion in the welterweight and light middleweight divisions and noted for his two victories over Shane Mosley and upset losses to Ricardo Mayorga.- Early years and amateur career :Forrest began boxing at...
for the vacant WBC Light Middleweight championship, losing a lopsided, yet very exciting and competitive decision. In the post fight interview with Larry Merchant
Larry Merchant
Larry Merchant is an American former sportswriter, a longtime commentator for HBO Sports presentations of HBO World Championship Boxing, Boxing After Dark and HBO pay-per-view telecasts, and is considered "the greatest television boxing analyst of all time" by ESPN Boxing analyst Dan Rafael.-Life...
, he indicated that he would likely retire from boxing..
Comeback
On Friday, 23rd of November, Baldomir fought against rugged journeyman Luciano Perez at the Morongo Resort and Casino in Cabazon, California. Perez came on strong and rocked the former champion early, but Baldomir stayed calm, and began to re-establish himself in the fight, dominating the second half of the ten round bout and scoring a 10th round TKO.Facts
- In his two 2006 fights, Baldomir has beaten two former or current world champions on what has essentially been the opposing fighters "home ring" (Brooklyn-native Judah at Madison Square Garden and long-time Jersey resident Gatti at Boardwalk HallBoardwalk HallBoardwalk Hall, formally known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is an arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States...
).
- Yoel JudahYoel JudahYoel Judah is the eldest member of the Brooklyn-based Judah boxing family. He has been a martial artist, three-time world champion kickboxer, and boxing trainer and manager.- Boxing and kickboxing career :...
accidentally called the fighter "Carlos Baldozar" during a post-fight interview after he upset Judah. On many boxing message boards on the internet, he is now jokingly referred to as "Baldozar" due to Judah's bad mispronounciation.