THE RIPPLE EFFECT

by Nat Gottlieb

Beyond the personal doors which will open and close for the winner and loser of the Carlos Baldomir-Floyd Mayweather fight Saturday night, there is also the possibility of a significant altering of the boxing landscape as we know it today.

The most profound change would come if the undefeated Mayweather (36-0) should lose. Right now Mayweather is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and as such is one of perhaps only four genuine superstars in boxing, the others being Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Paquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, with Jermain Taylor on the cusp and either Joe Calzaghe or Mikkel Kessler in the wings.

With De La Hoya saying he will retire after his last fight on May 5, should Mayweather lose, much of what passes for luster in boxing today would be diminished. If you factor in the very real possibility that Pacquiao could lose his fight with Erik Morales on Nov. 18, and Barrera saying he will retire after 2007, a sport with its glamour division (heavyweight) already regarded as lacking could be hurting for star power.

There is no professional sport which prospers without stars. So everybody associated with the sport of boxing, from fighters to managers, promoters and corner men, has a vested interest in seeing Mayweather continue to win, whether they like it or not. Even those who root against Mayweather, when pressed would admit having an unbeatable boxer of Mayweather's special quality is good for the sport.

As anybody who wins the lottery and gets to fight De La Hoya will tell you, the cash register ding dings loudest when a superstar is involved in a fight.

Certainly Mayweather could lose, then come back and win a bunch of big fights and at some point restore his lost luster. But for now, if Mayweather loses the zero at the end of his record, it will knock him down a notch and boxing will unavoidably suffer.

On the flip side, if Baldomir wins, he could become boxing's Seabiscuit, a people's fighter and a very strong and marketable attraction. Down goes Judah, Gatti, then Mayweather. Lock for "Fighter of the Year." Baldy could grace the covers of magazines, which love improbable stars.

So while boxing would take a hit if Mayweather loses, Baldomir's incredible story would help take up the slack.

If Mayweather wins, Floyd will continue on his way to some great fights which should excite fans everywhere. Besides the much-talked about De La Hoya-Mayweather match-up, there are two other drop-dead glamorous fights for Floyd. One would be with a rejuvenated Shane Mosley, who after his last victory over Fernando Vargas announced he was returning to the welterweight division.

A second possibility, an even bigger fight, would be if Mayweather ventured back to 140 pounds to take on an unbeaten Ricky Hatton. That would have enormous appeal, both in this country and Europe, a two-continent TV blockbuster. Whether Mayweather wants to drop back to 140 remains to be seen, but it is unlikely that Hatton would return to welterweight after he struggled with the largely unheralded Luis Collazo, certainly not to take on the best fighter in the world at a weight he doesn't feel as strong at.

There are other hot fights for Mayweather, too. Should unbeaten Miguel Cotto, who is moving up to welterweight, defeat the 23-0 Carlos Quintana in a December title fight, that would be an attractive, reunification bout. And of course there is the self-proclaimed "most feared fighter in the world," Antonio Margarito, who has made it a personal litany to accuse Mayweather of avoiding him. That would be a grudge match with juice.

Two other possibilities exist. Paul Williams, the freakishly big young welterweight who is 31-0, could jump into the Mayweather picture if he defeats of one of the key players in the division first. Hyped as the next superstar in boxing, it takes little imagination to see how a meeting of the Reigning King and the Prince of Possibility would make for fan-friendly viewing.

There is also another way for Mayweather to go, up. He could choose to add onto his legacy's portfolio by moving up to junior middleweight and fighting title holder Corey Spinks. A victory over Spinks would give Mayweather his fourth or fifth division championship, depending on whether you credit Floyd with winning Zab Judah's welterweight title, a controversial issue.

All the above fights for Mayweather would be available for Baldomir, who while he does not have Floyd's status or name recognition, would keep accumulating stature with each victory.

A loss for Baldomir, meanwhile, would be more damaging than one for Mayweather, because he is 35, has had 58 fights and would find it difficult, but not impossible, to regain star status. The Argentinean can certainly make good money taking on some of the same opponents out there for Mayweather, but a match-up with say Mosley after a defeat to Floyd just wouldn't generate the same excitement.

All in all, this shapes us as one fight where it is valid to say, "The whole world is watching," at least the boxing one will be.