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Baldomir vs. Mayweather: Pay-Per-View RipoffLast year, my dad took me to the Mayweather/Gatti fight, where we witnessed a nasty beatdown from the 7th row. I knew Pretty Boy's next step was the Welterweight WBC crown, so I hoped to fly to Las Vegas with my dad for the action. As luck would have it, my job got in the way and I had to stay around here. But I couldn't complain - a title fight between a modern-day Cinderella man and the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world on a 60" plasma. It could be a lot worse. So after the game, we ordered the fight, a few kegs, a lot of pizza, and set up a viewing party at $10 a head. I didn't know about anyone else, but I was expecting a helluva fight. Before the action began, I called a 12-round, unanimous decision in Mayweather's favor but was sure Baldomir would make it entertaining. I saw what he did to Zab Judah and Arturo Gatti. The Argentinian isn't a puncher with true KO power but he's gritty, durable, and has a chin made of stone. Mayweather lacked the power to bring him down the way pound-for-pounders of old could. If Baldomir could get him on the ropes and unleash a furied, sustained assault on the body, Floyd could make a few mistakes, allowing Baldomir to capitalize and make a run at a great finish. During the first round, I thought Baldomir looked tentative because he was trying to feel out the situation. But it became readily apparent that he looked slow because he was doing the last thing a man in his position should -- engaging in a thinking man's game. Floyd Mayweather Jr is too fast and skilled for a guy who moves like Unfrozen Caveman Boxer to handle. You don't box guys like Mayweather; you come correct with a balls to the wall attack and hope for the best. By the end of the first round, Baldomir had a bloodied nose and cut above his left eye. And as you can guess, things went from bad to worse. Amazingly, it took four more rounds before he realized his strategy was a one-way ticket back to feather-dusting sales in Argentina. At least, I think it was four rounds... that's how long it took for the "Oh fuck" expression to settle across his face. Were Baldomir up against any other boxer, he could have turned it around. But Mayweather was boxing on a different plane. He threw too many punches from too many angles and left the Argentinian looking sluggish and overwhelmed. His only answer to Mayweather's hit and run, defensive style were these spectacular whiffs, which occurred at a frequency that would make Jeff Francouer blush.
"So far through 7 innings we have a Kenny Rogers style shutout." Someone must've written that joke for Merchant. It takes him 45 seconds to voice the most basic of sentences. I refuse to believe this attempt at an amusing metaphor was produced under his own brain power... he was probably reading Jim Lampley's cards. In any case, it was around this time that Mayweather started coasting. He dipped in here and there for a jab or two, connected on a few straight righthands, and, when we were lucky, a half-hearted attempt at a combination. By the 11th round, the boobirds were in full force, both at the fight and my house. At the conclusion, Mayweather revealed that he hurt his right hand sometime in the 6th round, which limited his ability to throw punches. But the truth is - he wasn't doing much before the 6th anyway, so that's not much of an excuse. This fight was worth about $5 of the $50 pricetag until Larry Merchant got owned.
So in the end, we got our drama. Larry Merchant is an abomination and Floyd Mayweather punched him in the mouth with criticism that I've been dying to deliver for years. That was nearly worth the remaining $45! That said, I'm not wasting $50 to watch another fight that's over before it even begins. Floyd Mayweather Jr is an unbelievable talent but I'm sick of such underwhelming victories. I want a show, god dammit! I want punches! I want exchanges! I want a fucking brawl! And until HBO can produce quality bouts on regular broadcasts, they shouldn't have the nerve to put them on pay-per-view. Two thumbs down, HBO. I only wish I had more hands to give this broadcast four thumbs down.  Posted at November 5, 2006 5:47 AM Permalink • Filed under: Boxing |
Sadly, the contender thought too much of himself and too little of his opponent, convinced that natural strength alone would nullify lightning-quick speed and ability. 
The fight got so boring that in the 7th round, Larry Merchant - whose inane babbling has reached a head - started rolling out the baseball references:
Comments (8): Baldomir vs. Mayweather: Pay-Per-View Ripoff
Tommy
November 5, 2006 12:59 PM
yeah I thought Baldomir was really gonna make a time of it and the FM would hand down a TKO in the 10th or 11th. This shit never even got going.
On the plus side tho, the party you guys had for it was outta control so the night still worked out!
jim
November 5, 2006 5:18 PM
Mayweather is the most talented boxer in boxing but it is starting to feel like he's the only talented boxer in boxing. he said in his press conference that he might only have 1 fight left in him. who's gonna step up when he leaves the sport?
Erik
November 5, 2006 10:09 PM
I missed this one, but it sounds like I didn't miss much. I had seen Baldomir's last fight, but wasn't all that sure about his chances against Mayweather. Sounds like he didn't have any. Larry Merchant is right up there with Joe Theismann in the annoyance hierarchy. Joe nevers stops yapping, Merchant can barely string words together coherently. that bit you quote from Mayweather is priceless. :)
Scott P.
November 5, 2006 11:10 PM
You hit the nail right on the head here. this was totally underwhelming. I'd love to see mayweather take de la hoya but I dont think he can coax him back to the ring.
Luis
November 6, 2006 1:42 AM
Spot on with this. I thought this was gonna be the fight where we saw Mayweather get aggressive. He can blame it on his hand if he wants to but he fights not to get hit. He's the greatest of all time - at defense.
K. Martin
November 6, 2006 2:55 PM
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am... just a caveman. I fell on some ice and was later thawed by some of your scientists. Your world frightens and confuses me! Did Floyd Mayweather beat the shit out of me? Was I completely overmatched and cocky? I don't know. My primitive mind can't grasp these concepts."
Rocco
November 6, 2006 6:18 PM
There is no way Mayweather can call it a career after 1 fight. He's got way too many hangers on and baggage to just walk away. Any other career that he picks up won't rake in the millions he's gettin now. Hope he knows he'll have to downsize the ferrari he drove to the fight to a Kia if he keeps spending $$$ the way he does.
Hadrian Drake
November 8, 2006 12:12 AM
He'll be fighting for another 10 years, I'd bet on it. Every time the next great thing comes along, they're gonna challenge him for big dollars.