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LAS VEGAS – If Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is the least bit nervous about his welterweight title match against World Boxing Council champion Carlos Baldomir at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night, you couldn’t tell it yesterday.
During a light-hearted give and take with a group of reporters at a lounge off the main lobby of the Mandalay Bay yesterday, Mayweather tipped his hat to Baldomir and then bought hats promoting the fight for all the reporters.
“I respect him for getting this far,’’ Mayweather said of Baldomir. “But I don’t respect his fight game. If you want me to respect your fight game you have to make me respect it.’’
That is what Baldomir will be fighting for when he climbs into that ring against Mayweather on Saturday night. If he beats Mayweather he will earn the respect of not only Mayweather, who is universally recognized as the best Pound-for-Pound in the sport, but all the other boxing fans who have doubted his abilities. So far this year Baldomir has knocked off former champs Zab Judah and Arturo Gatti. He’s going for boxing’s version of a hat trick to finish off 2006.
Baldomir is so confident in his abilities that he is predicting a knockout. He said this fight will be easier than the Judah fight because Judah was a southpaw and Mayweather is orthodox.
“I wasn’t able to knock Judah out because he kept holding on the whole time,’’ Baldomir said. “But this guy he’s fast but I will be able to knock him out.’’
Baldomir has never faced a fighter as fast as Mayweather and that will be his biggest test. Diego Corrales, who fought Mayweather as a junior lightweight, was more viewed as more powerful than Mayweather. But Mayweather knocked Corrales down five times on the way to stopping him on a TKO. [details]
During a light-hearted give and take with a group of reporters at a lounge off the main lobby of the Mandalay Bay yesterday, Mayweather tipped his hat to Baldomir and then bought hats promoting the fight for all the reporters.
“I respect him for getting this far,’’ Mayweather said of Baldomir. “But I don’t respect his fight game. If you want me to respect your fight game you have to make me respect it.’’
That is what Baldomir will be fighting for when he climbs into that ring against Mayweather on Saturday night. If he beats Mayweather he will earn the respect of not only Mayweather, who is universally recognized as the best Pound-for-Pound in the sport, but all the other boxing fans who have doubted his abilities. So far this year Baldomir has knocked off former champs Zab Judah and Arturo Gatti. He’s going for boxing’s version of a hat trick to finish off 2006.
Baldomir is so confident in his abilities that he is predicting a knockout. He said this fight will be easier than the Judah fight because Judah was a southpaw and Mayweather is orthodox.
“I wasn’t able to knock Judah out because he kept holding on the whole time,’’ Baldomir said. “But this guy he’s fast but I will be able to knock him out.’’
Baldomir has never faced a fighter as fast as Mayweather and that will be his biggest test. Diego Corrales, who fought Mayweather as a junior lightweight, was more viewed as more powerful than Mayweather. But Mayweather knocked Corrales down five times on the way to stopping him on a TKO. [details]
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