Carlos Baldomir, who earlier this year upset Zab Judah by unanimous decision in Judah’s hometown of New York, should have become the undisputed welterweight champion right then and there. However, because he couldn’t afford the sanctioning fees, he wasn’t allowed to leave with all three belts; hence the reason Floyd Mayweather and Zab Judah were allowed to fight for a so called “title.”

As always, Gatti showed great heart after hurting his right hand/wrist/elbow in the middle rounds of the fight, but it was Carlos Baldomir who pressed forward and fought a smart fight vs. Gatti. It seemed like Baldomir hurt Gatti with several right hands in the 9th round and then went for it, just trading and landing a huge barrage of punches before Gatti went down for the first time in the fight. Moments later, Baldomir jumped on Gatti once again, and down went Gatti, for good this time. Gatti was beaten, cut and deflated; the harsh reality of retirement staring him in the face.

The crowd was completely silent, the only noise coming from small pockets of Argentinean fans in the audience. So, for 2006 Carlos Baldomir is 2 for 2.  Oddly enough, Don King had a chance to sign him and didn’t. Usually when a guy beats a King fighter, he’s tied up in a contract/options with King, and it amazes me how Baldomir isn’t wrapped up, so I guess he really is 3 for 3 this year.

There are only a few guys who’d have a chance against Baldomir; the rest would get run over the same way Gatti did Saturday night. Ricky Hatton shouldn’t even be in the division, let alone a title holder, so he’s out. Ditto for Miguel Cotto. Shane Mosley, who I think would beat Baldomir by late KO or decision now, has too much hand speed and punches to the body too much not to slow down Baldomir even more, but the fans would love to see it.

In my opinion, Floyd Mayweather would be a bad match up for Baldomir because of his blazing speed, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Floyd could land so many punches on Baldomir that would cause him to hurt his hands. Then all of a  sudden, he would have a serious fight on his hands because Baldomir would walk through everything Floyd landed.

To me, Luis Collazo is smart enough to box and move to outpoint Baldomir, but again, from what I have seen of Baldomir, he is crafty enough to set traps and he can box as well.

Antonio Margarito, who would go in there and try to bomb Baldomir out, may run into something in the process. I have no idea who’d have faster hands and I still have questions about Margarito’s chin, so if Carlos can land that sneaky right hand it would get interesting very quickly.

The other fighter who has been very impressive is Carlos Quintana, whom I believe to be too slick and willing to fight to lose to Baldomir, but it’d be a fun fight to watch.

I’m sure Zab Judah would like another crack at Baldomir and this time I’m sure he would take the training more serious. However,  Baldomir took his punches last time, so how could anyone say he couldn’t do it again? Also, believe it or not, Jose Luis Castillo, who has a very sturdy chin or at least he did as a blown up lightweight, would have a big edge in hand speed and if he were able to take the punches and pressure from the bigger Baldomir,  it’d make for a very interesting fight. Suddenly the welterweight division is loaded with talent and many big dream fights. It’s a very good thing for boxing fans!

As for my early pick for Fighter of the Year... Yes, if Shane Mosley were to fight Floyd Mayweather in November at welterweight and win, he’d have to be considered and would probably get the vote. And if Ronald “Winky” Wright gives  Antonio Margarito a boxing lesson when they fight, he too should be considered, because "Winky" was flat out robbed when he fought Jermain Taylor a few weeks back.  If Manny Pacquiao beats Erik Morales again in the upcoming third fight of their trilogy, he would also be on the list but all those have big “if” next to them.

Carlos Baldomir's appeal, his mystique is what makes boxing truly special. To come from nowhere, going 17-0-2 over his last 19 fights, working his way up  to get in position to fight Zab Judah and then winning that fight in Judah's hometown. Follow that with Baldomir beating the heck out of Arturo Gatti and earning the position in which he stands right now.

Carlos Baldomir is holding all the chips in the welterweight division, looking for Mayweather Jr. or maybe Antonio Margarito. No matter how the chips fall, it’s been a great run for Baldomir, and he deserves all the credit for it.

The Argentinean we have come to know as Carlos 'Tata' Baldomir is not just a champion, he is a class act all the way.