Carlos Baldomir says he KOs Floyd Mayweather

In anticipation of his Nov. 4 fight with “Pretty Boy� Floyd Mayweather at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada (HBO PPV), Carlos “Tata� Baldomir met the press via telephone conference, and this is what went down.

QUESTION: Do you view Floyd Mayweather as the number one fighter in the world?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Basically, I do think he is the best fighter out there, as far as talent, but I think once we get together I think that I’m going to come out with the victory.

QUESTION: If you beat Floyd Mayweather, who you say is number one in the world, what will that say about Carlos Baldomir?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: [Look at] my last two outings (with Gatti and Judah). I’m a true champion. I believe in myself.

QUESTION: In terms of speed and that sort of thing, [the fight with Mayweather] may be similar to the way it went with the Judah fight. Do you believe that it will be a similar sort of fight… where you have to impose yourself physically on your opponent [like you did] against Zab?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Basically it will come down to me, my willingness to be able to push him throughout the whole fight. And coming forward, throwing punches throughout the whole fight without giving him a chance. But it’s going to be me coming forward the whole time… But I think this fight will probably be even easier because the other guy was a southpaw. This guy is a righty so it will be easier for me.

QUESTION: How was it working out in California gyms for all those years? Did you ever think you might never get a chance at the world title?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: I had a really hard time. The hardest thing was waiting, of course, for the opportunity. I mean after I fought everyone and beat everyone. But I knew it was a matter of time. The hardest thing was waiting. But I knew it would get here, it would come. I would take advantage of it as I did.

QUESTION: Carlos, you mentioned knocking Floyd out. Do you think it’s essential that you knock Floyd out? And if not, how can you win a decision from Floyd given Floyd’s boxing ability?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Basically, because I am strong. I wasn’t able to knock Judah out because he kept holding on the whole time. But this guy, he’s fast, but I will be able to knock him out.

QUESTION: Do you think you can win a decision?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Yes, definitely. I am confident that if it does go the full rounds that I can win a decision. And me, I will know in my head whether I won or lost that fight, but me believing in myself and knowing that I won that fight, it will be enough for me. I don’t necessarily need the people to see that I won the fight as long as I feel I won the fight – in case I don’t knock him out.

QUESTION: Floyd’s boxing ability is what he hangs his hat on. He’s not necessarily a big puncher. Do you think you have the boxing ability to deal with Floyd’s boxing ability?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Yeah, his velocity, his speed [will] not bother me at all… because before he was 130, 135 and 147. His speed is not going to be the same in this weight. Obviously he will notice during the fight that he’s not going to be as fast. So his speed is not bothering me one bit at all.

QUESTION: Can tell us just a little bit about his life growing up in Santa Fe, Argentina?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Well, basically, I have told this many times. You know, it’s from my background where I come from. I come from a very humble family. My background… I mean I had to fight hard and train very hard to get to where I’m at.

QUESTION: Have you been back to Argentina since you won the championship? And have you become a hero over there?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Well, yes. [Since] the last two outings… with Gatti and Judah, I have gone back home and they have truly welcomed me like a true hero and a legend. I’m not thinking of losing, but if I was to give a great fight and yet lose, I’ve already done my legacy.

QUESTION: Floyd has fought 36 times and 36 times he’s come away victorious. I’d like to know what do you bring different to this fight than some of the other guys that Floyd has fought?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Basically, there’s nothing different, like you said. All those 36 fighters, the only thing different is that I am going to bring more heart and more balls.

QUESTION: Carlos, what makes you think that you’re going to beat Mayweather in this fight with him being so fast?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: The big difference here, like I said before, is the change in weight. He’s not going to be as fast as people think that he will be. He will find out during the fight and that’s what it’s going to boil down to me putting the pressure throughout the whole fight and I am going to win the fight.

QUESTION: Are you married? And how many children do you and your wife have, if you are married.

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Yes, I have four kids.

QUESTION: Do they live here with you in Los Angeles

CARLOS BALDOMIR: We live in L.A. and they’re in L.A. right now, but they are living some in Vegas.

QUESTION: Your trainer Amilcar Brusa said that he learned something by training Carlos “Famosoâ€? Hernandez, who scored the first knockdown on Mayweather back when they fought in 2001. Is there anything from that fight that you’re going to try and adapt in your fight now that you’re fighting at welterweight against Mayweather?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Basically I’m just going to do what I am going to do.You guys forget that he’s fighting at a heavier weight now. He’s not going to be as fast as people think. Yes he’s not going to be as fast. It’s my plan. I’m just going to come in to fight.

QUESTION: Is there something that you see in Mayweather’s game that leads you to believe that you can actually knock him out since he is of course still undefeated?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: I mean, it’s very simple: I’m going to come in to fight, throwing punches throughout the whole fight, and I will know when I hurt him. If I do hurt him he will end up going down.

QUESTION: Are you aware of the fact that Floyd is unable to train with his uncle, Roger Mayweather, who is in jail for a few months? And do you believe that will be any advantage because Roger wasn’t going to be able to train him on the night of the fight given the suspension from April?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Basically, it’s either going to be a big excuse and a great excuse for Mayweather when he loses.

QUESTION: Are you enjoying the spotlight more, after being more or less anonymous for so many years?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Well, it’s a big difference and it’s beautiful that now people do come to me all the time, especially after beating the last two opponents, Zab and Gatti. I mean it is great when they come to me the whole time. And I know that this is already a legacy that I’ve built and I’m just trying to make it bigger. It is great and I have a great time when people come to me and congratulate me.

QUESTION: Did you have any boxing idols growing up? Were you a fan of boxing as a kid?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: Basically, yeah, Carlos Monzon was my idol. He wasn’t really my idol, but he’s someone that I looked up to, and I that I said that made me want to become a fighter.

QUESTION: How did you actually start organized boxing? Were you one of these kids that maybe fought on the street as a kid and, you know, found a gym for some discipline?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: I wasn’t a troublemaker out on the street at all. What made me want to become a fighter is that my relatives made friends when Monzon was fighting and we would all gather like 50 or 60 together in a house, 50 people, and we would watch the fight. And that’s what made me sort of want to become a fighter, watching Monzon fight… The thing about it is, when I was watching those Monzon fights I was about five years old. When I was 13 I watched him again and I knew in my mind at that age that I just wanted to be a fighter and I went to a gym.

QUESTION: What do you enjoy most about boxing? I mean obviously it’s a living for him, but what about the game really turns you on?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: First of all I love the sport, especially because my last two outings were great, but I did see a change and the change was obviously fame and more money. And I saw that it wasn’t just a sport, it was a business. I like that, the business side… Because of all the fights that I’d previously had I hadn’t made money. And the last couple of fights I’ve made some very good money compared to before, so now I know that in the future there’s more money.

QUESTION: Were you surprised the night you beat Zab Judah?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: No. Two months before that fight I knew that I was going to be a world champion.

QUESTION: What made you feel that way?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: The reason is that Judah was talking Mayweather when he was fighting me throughout the press conferences. In the fight he kept thinking about Mayweather and not me. And I knew that was going to be his downfall.

QUESTION: Did it bother you that Zab Judah fought what was supposed to be a title fight against Mayweather after he had lost to you? Did it bother you that that undisputed welterweight championship tag didn’t immediately go to you?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: I never really cared for the other title because in my mind always was the WBC [because] they always ranked me throughout my career. Whenever I was ranked the WBC was always there for me. So that’s why I wanted to win that title.

QUESTION: Do you want to be recognized the undisputed welterweight champion?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: That’s great, but as long as I beat Mayweather the titles are sort of on the side, because people will know that I will win the fight. And when they see you win the fight, I mean that’s all they have to see, regardless of any titles.

QUESTION: What about all the trash talking that Floyd Mayweather has done before the fight? Does that bother you?

CARLOS BALDOMIR: No, I respect Mayweather when he is in front of me. In person, he’s been a very nice person.

Tickets for Baldomir/Mayweather are priced at $750, $500, $300, $150 and $75 are on sale at the Mandalay Bay Theatre box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone call the Mandalay Bay box office at 702.632.7580 or Ticketmaster at 702.474.4000. Tickets also are available at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The Baldomir/Mayweather HBO pay-per-view telecast begins at 9 PM. ET/6 PM PT and has a suggested retail price of $49.95.