Sportsmeat

I’ll admit it. Its because of reality TV.

Two years ago, Sly Stallone came out with “The Contender.” It got some hype, but nobody watched it. Except me. I ate it up. I fell for the slow mo shots of fighters clobbering each other. I fell for the dramatic musical buildup right before someone landed a big punch. I fell for Sugar Ray and his dreamy eyes. The whole detached retina thing makes them dreamier. But I digress...

I was struck by how much I enjoyed watching those matches. So through the wonder of Tivo, I recorded HBO's Boxing After Dark matches. You can imagine my surprise and disappointment when I learned that these matches didn’t have dramatic soundtracks. Reality TV isn’t real? Then why is it called “Reality?” I digress a second time...

The more I watched it, the more I enjoyed boxing. Its almost a primal thing – the boxer is all alone. No substitutions. No timeouts. The significant chance of this happening. Or this.* Or this. Its almost primal. Just two guys together, shirtless, getting sweaty... God Damn This Digressing!
In truth the sport is incredibly interesting because of its contrasts. On the one hand, it rewards strength, toughness and guts. On the other, it rewards strategy, accuracy and guile. Further, all of the greatest matches are based on contrasts – the heavy underdog vs. the untouchable champ, the brawler vs. the boxer, the southpaw vs. orthodox, the hungry vs. the tasty. Not only do the contrasts make for good pre-fight drama, but they also often carry over into the fight which is usually ruled by momentum and made more interesting by the swings in that momentum. It is inspiring to see a boxer get knocked silly, get back to his feet, and rally to win a match. It is second only to the boot-n-rally.

These contrasts are also what make this Saturday’s Welterweight fight between Floyd Mayweather and Carlos Baldomir so intriguing. On the one hand, you have the 29 year old “Pretty Boy Floyd,” who relishes his unofficial title as the best pound for pound fighter alive. He’s a member of a family considered to be boxing royalty, 36-0, and has largely been unchallenged. His style is to dance around the ring, relying on his hand speed to step inside and deliver a flurry of punches. He lives in Vegas, is always impeccably dressed, loves his Ferraris and Bentleys, and has just enough ego to let you know that he knows that you can’t beat him.

Then there’s the 35 year old Baldomir. He grew up dirt poor on the streets of Argentina, using boxing to feed his family. Long an undistinguished journeyman, he’s lost 9 fights in his career. But he kept getting better, and hasn’t lost in almost 8 years. A year ago at this time, even the biggest boxing fan knew little of Baldomir. Then, in January, he finally stepped into the limelight. A heavy underdog to Zab Judah, he beat the Brooklyn native in Madison Square Garden. Critics who considered that Baldomir to be a fluke quieted down when he destroyed Arturro Gatti in his hometown of Atlantic City. Even after his successes, though, he still drives a Nissan Frontier and doesn’t even know what an iPod is. Baldomir’s style is straightforward and plodding. He goes right after fighters, pushing the action with little fear of getting hurt (just look at that noggin – you can see why he’s known for absorbing punishment). Out of the ring, he’s generally low key, preferring to have his family around while training.

Baldomir is a heavy underdog to Mayweather, but there is just enough doubt that this fight should be watched. First off, Baldomir is naturally a much bigger fighter, reportedly getting up to about 180 lbs between fights (at the welterweight limit of 147 lbs). Mayweather has fought just twice at 147, having spent much of the beginning of his career in the low 130s. Also, if there is a physical flaw with Mayweather, its that he’s prone to “tender hands,” meaning that it hurts for him to land punches as the fight drags on. Perhaps Baldomir will cleverly injure Mayweather’s hands with his head? Mayweather could also fight a subpar fight due to the absence of his uncle Roger, who has trained him to this point (and was suspended for getting losing his sh*t when Zab Judah peppered Floyd’s undercarriage with low blows). Finally, Mayweather’s rep has taken something of a hit in recent times, having been criticized for possibly dodging both Antonio Margerito and Rickey Hatton, generally considered to be the two best welterweights that won’t be in the ring on Saturday night.

Frankly, this could be a Mayweather blowout. Many simply expect him to outclass Baldomir. But there’s no denying that Baldomir is tough. He won’t go down easily. And if he gets a few rounds under his belt, all the pressure will be on Floyd. Bottom line? If you have more than a passing interest in boxing, call up some buddies and by the PPV. It should be good.

Also as a sidenote, on the undercard of the fight is Paul Williams, a guy who will soon be joining Mayweather, Hatton, Baldomir and Margarito as an elite Welterweight. He is tall and skinny, with a freakish reach, and so far he has destroyed everyone he has faced. If you do get the PPV, make sure to catch his fight.




*Note to self: Never, ever, ever, EVER do a Google Image Search for "hematoma."