Carlos Baldomir will put his official welterweight titles on the line this Saturday against the unofficial kingpin of the division Floyd Mayweather Jr. The HBO pay-per-view event is dubbed “Pretty Risky” as both men are risking their labels as champions. In other championship action Robert Guerrero defends his IBF Featherweight title and welterweight phenom Paul Williams will be in action.
Carlos Baldomir vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr
Money Lines: Baldomir +400; Mayweather -600
This is not only the main event of the night but also one of the most anticipated boxing matchups of the year. Carlos “Tata” Baldomir, 43-9-6 (13 KOs), introduced himself to the world by upsetting Zab Judah in January of this year. Zab went on to fight Mayweather after that loss but fight fans knew that only a paper championship was on the line. Baldomir proved his win over Zab was no fluke when he stopped Arturo Gatti in nine rounds back in July. Despite nine career losses, Baldomir has not lost since 1998. Since that loss, Baldomir has a record of 19-0-2. A win against Floyd would make the 35-year-old Argentinean a sure-fire winner for Fighter of the Year.
In order for Baldomir to retain his welterweight titles, he must defeat the man recognized as the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. Floyd Mayweather Jr is 36-0 (24 KOs) and fighting in just his third fight as a welterweight. Baldomir has been a welterweight his entire 13-year career. Floyd must also deal with the loss of his uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather. Roger is serving a suspension stemming from his actions in the ring during Floyd’s fight with Zab Judah. The loss of Roger shouldn’t effect Floyd too much as Pretty Boy Floyd is one of the most naturally skilled boxers in the world.
As far as predictions go, it’s always easy to side with Floyd Mayweather. No one knew much about Baldomir before his fight with Judah but in his last two fights, Carlos has proven he is a tough and durable welterweight. It seemed like he never tired in his brawl with Arturo Gatti and didn’t succumb to Juda’s dirty tactics. Mayweather doesn’t have one-punch knockout power, but he’s so fast that he hits you three times in the time it takes most fighters to land one punch. I see this playing out a lot like Floyd’s fight with Arturo Gatti. Baldomir will hang in there a little longer, but the ref will be forced to stop the fight when Baldomir has no answers to Mayweathe’s one-sided attack.
Prediction: Floyd Mayweather Jr by TKO in 10th round.
Robert Guerrero vs. Orlando Salido
This is Guerrero’s first defense of his IBF Featherweight Title. Salido, 27-9-2 (18 KOs), is making his second attempt at a world title. His first attempt was a loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in 2004. The 25-year-old Salido does hold a win over former world champion Cesar Soto. I don’t know much else about Salido other than he is young and Mexican and that generally means he is unpredictable and dangerous.
Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero has a record of 19-1-1 (12 KOs). His only loss was to Gamaliel Diaz and that loss was avenged six months later. Guerrero won the IBF Featherweight title from Eric Aiken on the James Toney-Samuel Peter undercard in September. It’s rare when the 25-year-old challenger is the more experienced fighter but that’s the case here as Guerrero is just 23 years old and has fought in 17 fewer fights than Salido. I don’t expect a lot of technical boxing and this could easily be the fight of the night.
Prediction: Robert Guerrero by split decision.
Paul Williams vs. Mauro Lucero
Lucero was just recently added to the card as Williams’ opponent and can’t be seen as anything more than a sacrificial lamb. Paul “The Punisher” Williams is an awkward yet exciting welterweight. Williams stands 6’1″ and is still able to fight at the 147 lb limit. To make things worse for his opponents, he is a southpaw. Williams has an unblemished record of 31-0 (23 KOs). His opponent has a record of 42-11-1 (28 KOs). I haven’t heard of too many of the guys Lucero has fought but he lost to all of them that I recognize. This should be an annihilation by Paul Williams as he continues to grow into an Antonio Margarito-type fighter that everyone avoids.
Prediction: Paul Williams by KO in the 3rd round.
Non-Televised Bouts
Robbie Peden vs. Wes Ferguson – 10 Round Lightweight Bout
– Peden is a former world super featherweight champion. He lost the title in his last bout against Marco Antonio Barrera. Ferguson is a lightweight prospect that is also trained by Roger Mayweather. This is a crossroads match but I see Peden getting the win.
Chris Arreola vs. Damian Wills – 8 Round Heavyweight Bout
– Right off the bat I notice that Chris’s last name is a synonym for nipple. People with funny last names are all right by me. Both are young and undefeated. Wills has a slightly better resume but there is no way I’m picking against Arreola.
Alejo Sepulveda vs. Cedric Holmes – 4 Round Welterweight Bout
– This is the pro debut for Sepulveda and Holmes is winless in three fights. At least one guy has an excuse for not winning in his career. I don’t care about this fight and neither should you.
