Carlos Baldomir, Heart and Chutzpah

If he was a drinking man, I’d say it was just the booze talking.

If he was known for his smart mouth, I’d say the lip was expected.

If he was trying to play head games, I’d say he was just setting the table.

But Carlos Baldomir isn’t known as a boozer, and he doesn’t seem to be full of sass. And he has to know you don’t play head games with “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr.

So maybe the whole thing was just taken out of context, you know, words twisted and turned, nuances ignored, entire sentences left out.

He didn’t mean it.

Honest.

Or maybe it’s simply that Baldomir has been reading too many of his own press clippings.

He says he’s still planning on knocking Mayweather out when the two fight for Baldomir’s WBC welterweight title Nov. 4 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (HBO pay-per-view).

Baldomir made the bold knockout prediction several weeks ago, or shortly after the Mayweather fight was put together.

At the time, I figured it was just a show of bravado on Baldomir‘s part, a way of setting the mood, a preemptive strike aimed at Mayweather.

Sure, Carlos, sure. You’re going to knock him out. Right.

I didn’t think he really meant it.

But then he said it again this week, and now I’m beginning to think the guy actually means it. He really thinks he can do it. He‘s serious. And maybe a little crazy. And a little craziness might help.

Baldomir says Mayweather will be an easier fight then the Zab Judah fight earlier this year, the one Baldomir won by decision back in January. The one that first brought Baldomir’s name to our attention. The one that eventually led to Baldomir’s ninth-round TKO over Arturo Gatti in July.

“[Judah] was a southpaw,” Baldomir was quoted as saying. “This guy (Mayweather) is a righty, so it will be easier for me…I wasn’t able to knock Judah out because he kept holding on the whole time. This guy is fast, but I will be able to knock him out.”

Wait a second, Carlos. This guy won’t be holding onto you, he’ll be taking pot shots at your head.

And this guy, even at welterweight, is still quicker than most bantamweights.

“You guys forget that he’s fighting at a heavier weight now,” Baldomir went on. “He’s not going to be as fast as people think.”

I’d hate to live on the difference.

You forget, Carlos, that you’ve scored only 13 knockouts in your career (43-9-6). Those aren’t exactly “hide the kids and lock the door” kind of numbers. No one is confusing you with Carlos Monzon.

And even a slowed down, heavy, clumsy Mayweather (36-0, 24 KOs) is still going to be faster than a speeding bullet, slicker than a banana peel.

If Gatti’s hand speed was a five or a six on a scale of one to 10 with 10 being the fastest, Mayweather is a 14.

Asked what he would bring to the fight that the other 36 fighters who have lost to Mayweather didn’t bring, Baldomir said “the only thing different that I am going to bring is more heart and more [chutzpah].”

Careful.

That’s just enough to get you hurt in this league.