By Jim Cawkwell (photo by Richie Maldonado)

 

The publicity machine is gathering steam behind Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in the form of mainstream television exposés and magazine spreads assuring those uninitiated viewers that he stands at the pinnacle of our sport as the pound-for-pound champion. You won’t be hearing of another Mayweather assault charge for some time, and there’s even talk of him patching up the notorious feud with Floyd Senior. Why? Because if Mayweather is a champion in and out of the ring, he’ll make superstar money for himself and the spin doctors working to clean up his act.

 

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Oscar de la Hoya fathered his first child with Millie Corretjer. And that rape charge thrown at him a few years ago disappeared in a hurry. In fact, to offset the successful reputation, designer suits and contagious smile, to truly feel the public’s wrath, the “Golden Boy” would have to be caught financing Al Qaeda. When your star shines bright enough, there isn’t much you can’t get away with. Mayweather will soon be enjoying the full benefits of P.R. preservation.

 

But as these secret stratagems seek to illuminate Mayweather’s greatness and enrich his co-conspirators, we see that boxing is not without a sense of irony, as the next man to challenge Mayweather, and attempt to bring down the “Pretty Boy” empire, is Carlos Baldomir, or, the anti-Mayweather.

 

They are opposites in every way. Where Mayweather was able to launch himself into the professional ranks through the Olympics, and waltz through multiple weight classes, having his pick of championships, Baldomir was not so fortunate. The Santa Fe native traveled the world, eking out a meager living as a professional fighter, and when that proved insufficient, he sold feather dusters in the streets to support his family.

 

Mayweather’s public demeanor is loud and dynamic as he hails himself as the greatest boxer in the world; Baldomir is unassuming, humbly accepting of his place in the shadow of Argentine great Carlos Monzon, and grateful for his current success.

 

On paper, it isn’t even a fight. Mayweather’s speed, vast array of skills, and talent for adaptation in the ring set him leagues ahead in class from Baldomir’s slow but sure persistence. But when they meet, the weight of expectation on each man will also differ; though this time, to Baldomir’s advantage.

 

All Mayweather’s maneuverings of late have brought him to the cusp of a vulgar fortune from a fight with De La Hoya; therefore, however slight Mayweather perceives the threat of Baldomir alone, it is galvanized by the obstacle it presents to his immense potential wealth.

 

So insignificant was Baldomir a year ago, that his very presence before Mayweather amidst a battle for the legitimate welterweight championship of the world seems illogical. But he is the champion, and one that left two supposed superstars in Zab Judah and Arturo Gatti beaten in their own back yards. He intends to inflict the same fate upon Mayweather, and perhaps more than the sheer force of his will sustains the possibility.

 

The unquestionable supremacy of Mayweather’s skill stands in severe contrast to the calculated construction of the last four years of his career. Undefeated though he was, his quality was not the sole factor in his ascension to the top of the pound-for-pound list. His arrival there coincided with the shock defeat of Bernard Hopkins by Jermain Taylor; while Hopkins’ own anointing atop that hallowed list undeniably occurred because of the unraveling of Roy Jones, Jr.

 

And upon finally achieving this great distinction, how has Mayweather displayed his superiority? In a marking time bout against faded former champion, Sharmba Mitchell, and an illegitimate clash for a welterweight championship with Judah whom Baldomir already defeated. Not the statement you would expect from a man representing the very best the noble art has to offer.

 

Mayweather’s decision to forego legitimacy for loot has kept him from the type of fight in which he would be forced to reach beyond the comfort zone his skills provide. The question is whether or not Baldomir can drag Mayweather into that fight.

He certainly deserves the chance to try.

 

As formidable as Antonio Margarito seems, that appearance is all we have to justify his right to challenge Mayweather. Where Margarito frittered away this year fighting Manuel Gomez, confronting Mayweather at press conferences, and lauding himself as boxing’s most avoided fighter, Baldomir won and defended the undisputed welterweight championship.

 

In doing so, Baldomir became a viable alternative for Mayweather; a favorable risk/reward proposition that would answer recent criticisms over his acquiring of paper championships.

 

Underestimating Baldomir has proven a grievous error, and one that a fighter of Mayweather’s renowned professionalism will not repeat. A mere thirteen stoppages in fifty-eight fights indicates that Baldomir does not possess the power in either fist to gain Mayweather’s respect. Natural size is the only physical ally he can claim to aid the completion of this momentous task.

 

But for this fight, Baldomir has something that Mayweather long gave up: Absolutely nothing to lose.

 

Mayweather is the quintessential example of what a fighter may become if he is groomed for stardom from the very beginning: An impeccable and irreplaceable commodity. Baldomir epitomizes the journeyman that became champion: Expendable. Fifteen minutes of fame on borrowed time.

 

Though their careers, and indeed lives run in total parallel, they have nonetheless arrived to share the same stage at this point in time. Baldomir may have nothing more powerful than his heart to help him overcome a spectacular talent in all its majesty, but might that be enough to tip the balance of a fight with a man who has chosen not to fight with his?

 

Obscurity is a place Baldomir knows well, and one to which he will not fear returning. The inherent nature of a fight defies predictability; therefore, Baldomir’s freedom allows him to enter this one knowing he can give his all, and that only a devoted few believe he can win.

 

Meanwhile, victory seems assured for Mayweather, but it has yet to be achieved. If successful, what awaits Mayweather is beyond even his deepest fantasy; failure brings with it the destruction of his desired future, and an immeasurable embarrassment.

 

Amongst champions and championships the like of which Mayweather takes for granted, as a pauper daring to assume the identity of a prince, Baldomir is already living his wildest dream. Is November 4th the next phase of that dream, or the abrupt awakening?

 

Contact Jim Cawkwell at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk