Kermit Cintrón
Cintrón in the corner in a 2007 fight against Jesse Feliciano
Born (1979-10-22) October 22, 1979
Carolina, Puerto Rico
NationalityPuerto Rican
Other names
  • The Killer
  • El Asesino ("The Assassin")
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Reach74 in (188 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights49
Wins39
Wins by KO30
Losses6
Draws3
No contests1

Kermit Cintrón (born October 22, 1979) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer and online boxing writer. He held the IBF welterweight title from 2006 to 2008, and has challenged once for the WBC super welterweight title in 2011.

Early and personal life

Cintrón had a difficult childhood. He witnessed his mother lie in bed for months before she died of cancer. Unable to care for Cintrón and his siblings, Cintrón's father sent him to the United States, with Cintrón's uncle, Benjamin Serrano, a former Middleweight contender who had fought Frank Fletcher. Cintrón's father remained in regular contact with his children but when Cintrón was 13 his father died of a heart attack, leaving him and his siblings orphaned.

As a child, Cintrón took up wrestling and boxing. While attending William Tennent High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania, he became an accomplished high-school wrestler on the same team as actor Mike Vogel. After competing at William Tennent, Cintron wrestled at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, a junior college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

In early 2008, Cintrón was trained by Emanuel Steward, who focused his training in boxing and counterattacks.[1] He decided to finish this partnership, based on the fact that Steward's time was limited due to several other compromises. Despite this, both conserved a close friendship.[1] During this timeframe, Cintrón abandoned Main Events, signing a promotional contract with Lou DiBella. His next trainer was Ronnie Shields, who emphasized on a faster training pace.[1] Shields preferred a more aggressive style, reminiscent of the one presented during the early stage of Cintrón's early career. Brian Caldwell was employed as conditioning coach, in the process modifying his weight routines.[1]

Cintrón is married to María Cintrón and the couple have three children.[2] Two daughters, Denali and Savannah and a son, Clemente.[2]

Boxing career

Welterweight

Cintrón did not start boxing in the amateurs until he was 19. He compiled a record of 24 wins and 5 losses as an amateur.

On October 7, 2000, Cintrón knocked out Jesse Williams in two rounds in Lancaster to begin his professional career.[3] Cintrón thus began an undefeated streak that would last for more than three-and-a-half years.

One of his toughest tests during that streak came against Omar Davila on February 16, 2002.[4] Cintrón took the fight on one week's notice and traveled to his opponent's hometown of San Antonio. Despite being cut on the side of one of his eyes in the first round, Cintrón overcame adversity, coming back to defeat Davila by knockout in round two.

Cintrón was featured on NBC on May 18, 2003, against Puerto Rican veteran Luis Rosario, and he won by knockout 59 seconds into round one.

On July 17, 2004, Cintrón made his HBO Boxing debut, knocking out Teddy Reid in eight rounds.[5]

KO Magazine featured Cintrón in an article, which compared his punching power to that of Félix Trinidad and Thomas Hearns.

Still undefeated and now considered a rising star in the division, Cintrón was scheduled for his first world title bout against WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito on April 23, 2005, as part of the undercard of a Shane Mosley win by unanimous decision against the Guatemalan-American boxer David Estrada. Cintrón was dropped by Margarito four times en route to a fifth-round knockout loss.[6]

In early 2006, Cintrón rebounded with a tenth-round technical knockout of Estrada,[7] thus reestablishing himself as a contender in the welterweight division.

IBF welterweight champion

Cintrón then won his first title belt in a match against Mark Suarez for the IBF crown that had been vacated on June 20, 2006 by Floyd Mayweather Jr.[8]

On July 14, 2007, Cintrón was dominant in his first title defense, knocking down Argentine Walter Matthysse three times on his way to a knockout victory twenty-nine seconds into the second round.[9] Prior to this match, Matthysse had never been knocked down by any opponent, although he had suffered a tenth-round technical knockout in May 2006 at the hands of Paul Williams. (The Cintrón-Matthysse bout was the main undercard of a WBO title bout between challenger Williams and incumbent Margarito)

Cintrón and Williams were scheduled for an IBF/WBO title unification bout on February 2, 2008. But as a result of an injury to Cintrón's right hand sustained during his bout with Jesse Feliciano the fight has been canceled.[10]

Cintrón lost his IBF title to Antonio Margarito by knockout on an April 12 broadcast of HBO's World Championship Boxing in a rematch from Atlantic City, NJ, on the undercard of Miguel Cotto vs. Alfonso Gómez. In the sixth round, Cintrón fell to the canvas after receiving a one-two punch to the head and a body shot and did not get up before the referee concluded the protective count.[11] It was the first time he had lost a professional fight by a knockout (his previous loss to Margarito being scored as a technical knockout).

Cintrón returned to action against Lovemore N'dou, competing in an eliminatory fight sanctioned by the IBF. The fight took place on November 15, 2008, in a card held in Nashville, Tennessee. Early in the fight, Cintrón began on the offensive, while N'dou clinched regularly.[12] This pattern slowed the fight's tempo throughout the contest. In the third round, Cintrón connected a solid punch, N'dou tried to counterattack and exchange but was ineffective, eventually returning to a strategy based on holds.[12] The numerous clinches resulted in head butts, the referee issued numerous warnings to N'dou for these, eventually deducting a point in the ninth. In the tenth round, an accidental headbutt opened a laceration over Cintrón's eyebrow. In the eleventh round, he was able to injure N'dou with a punch, but did not continue pressing the offensive. Subsequently, the judges awarded Cintrón scores of 117-110, 115-112 and 116-111.[12]

Light middleweight

Cintrón's victory over N'dou made him Joshua Clottey's mandatory challenger. The fight was discussed and preliminary agreements scheduled it for February 21, 2009.[13] However, after receiving a more lucrative offer, Cintrón decided to fight Sergio Martínez for the World Boxing Council's interim light middleweight championship.[13] The bout took place on February 14, 2009, and ended in a controversial majority draw. The opening rounds held no meaningful action, with Cintrón holding an early edge due to his aggression and cleaner punching. By the fourth round, Martínez started moving around with his hands down in an effort to draw Cintrón into a mistake, but to no avail, as there continued to be more clinching than punching. Martínez opened a cut over Cintrón's left eye early in the fifth round. Late in the seventh round, a left hand to the head hurt Cintrón, and after backing into the ropes, he went down to his knees before Martínez could attack. Cintrón claimed he was headbutted while the referee Frank Santore continued the count. After Cintrón's protests and a lot of confusion in the ring, Santore allowed the bout to continue, saying Cintrón was up at nine and that he never stopped the fight. Martínez went after Cintrón once the eighth round commenced and taunted him after landing punches to the head. Cintrón responded with sustained action of his own, but it was Martínez ending the round with another left hand to the head. The ninth round was favorable for Martínez, but Cintrón rebounded in the tenth round. Martínez lost a point for a punch to the back of the head in the final round. Scores were 116-110 for Martínez and 113-113 draw.[14]

Cintrón vs. Angulo, Williams

On May 30, 2009 Cintron defeated Alfredo Angulo, who was unbeaten, by unanimous decision. This high-profile win put Cintrón into position to fight Paul Williams, at the time one of boxing's top fighters, pound for pound. This fight took place on May 8, 2010. Although Williams had averaged over a hundred punches per round in his previous outings, Cintrón was able to neutralize his punch output over the first three rounds by effectively jabbing and countering with his right hand. This resulted in a very technical three rounds of boxing and, not surprisingly, voluminous jeers from the spectating crowd. In the fourth round, however, the combatants began to exchange punches, each landing hard power punches on one another. One such exchange caused an entanglement between the fighters, sending Williams to the canvas and Cintrón through the ropes, where he landed on a media table abutting the exterior of the ring. He then fell to the floor and was immediately attended to by ringside doctors. Boxing rules dictate that a fighter, in these circumstances, is afforded a five-minute period with which to recover; however, given that Cintrón was advised by doctors not to move, the fight was called and Cintrón was removed from the arena bound to a stretcher. Since three rounds had been completed, the fight became official and Williams was declared the winner by split decision.

On July 9, 2010, Cintrón lost a unanimous decision to Carlos Molina, who had an 18-4-2 record going into the fight.

On August 12, 2011, Cintrón won a unanimous decision over Antwone Smith.

Cintrón vs. Álvarez

On November 26, 2011, Cintrón was knocked out in five rounds by Canelo Álvarez.

Mixed martial arts career

Public challenge to Sean Sherk

In April 2007, Floyd Mayweather Jr. publicly claimed that any boxer could make the transition into mixed martial arts and win. In response, Ultimate Fighting Championship's president, Dana White, issued him a challenge to fight the promotion's lightweight champion, Sean Sherk. Mayweather later said that he did not wish to compete in the discipline. However, Cintrón stated that he was willing to fight Sherk in his place.[15] "I want the fight," said Cintrón, who was 27-1 with 25 KOs. "I can wrestle. I can box. I can beat those UFC fighters at their own game. Tell Mr. White to make me an offer and I'll take on his guy...."[15]

Lingering interest

Seven years later, Mike Sloan of Sherdog argued that "If Cintron [sic] would have had the opportunity to compete in MMA when he first got into boxing, he would have torn most of the lower weight divisions asunder" and "would have been a top contender in MMA."[16] Sloan argued that his wrestling background and "ferocious banging style" represented "a dynamic combination that would have given MMA contenders all sorts of trouble" had he completed the transition in his prime.[16]

In June 2017, Cintrón once again commented on his interest noting that he " would have loved to get into mixed martial arts. At that time I was rising in the sport of boxing, but I would have crossed to MMA if the opportunity had come. I didn't know anyone in that sport so I never proceeded with it. Never looked into it as I should have, I guess. I think I would have done great."[17] He noted that he "would if UFC called".[17] Later that year, Cintrón expressed interest in accepting Conor McGregor's challenge for boxers to "come into his world" and step into the UFC octagon.[18][19]

Formal transition

In November 2019, Cintrón announced that upon retiring from boxing, he would try his hand at MMA, still feeling confident that his background in amateur wrestling would facilitate the transition.[20] When queried why it took so long, he responded "[o]ne time, the name Sean Sherk came up, and I was all about it! And that kind of died out so I continued with my boxing career. I've tried! I've tried over the years to get connected to Dana White and see if I can get an opportunity but it never came about. Hopefully this happens this time around!"[21] For this, he added 20 pounds to his frame, given the disparity of the welterweight division between sports.[22] Cintrón also retook his wrestling training, working with an NCAA Division-1 wrestler and a former UFC fighter.[22]

Professional boxing record

49 fights 39 wins 6 losses
By knockout 30 4
By decision 9 2
Draws 3
No contests 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
49 NC 39–6–3 (1) Marquis Taylor NC 3 (8), 0:35 Feb 13, 2018 Sands Event Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. NC after Cintrón was cut from an accidental head clash
48 Loss 39–6–3 Tyrone Brunson TKO 5 (10), 1:21 Jun 24, 2017 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. For vacant Pennsylvania super welterweight title
47 Draw 39–5–3 David Grayton TD 5 (10), 2:53 Mar 17, 2017 Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. Majority TD after Cintrón could not continue from an accidental head clash
46 Win 39–5–2 Rosemberg Gomez RTD 3 (8), 3:00 Dec 10, 2016 Sands Event Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
45 Win 38–5–2 Manny Woods TKO 7 (8), 2:28 Sep 9, 2016 Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. Won vacant WBF (Foundation) United States super welterweight title
44 Win 37–5–2 Carlos Garcia UD 8 Jul 2, 2016 Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
43 Win 36–5–2 Eduardo Flores UD 6 May 6, 2016 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
42 Win 35–5–2 Ronald Cruz UD 10 Mar 15, 2014 Sands Event Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
41 Win 34–5–2 Jonathan Batista UD 10 Aug 2, 2013 Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma, U.S.
40 Draw 33–5–2 Adrían Granados SD 10 Mar 22, 2013 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
39 Loss 33–5–1 Canelo Álvarez TKO 5 (12), 2:53 Nov 26, 2011 Plaza de Toros, Mexico City, Mexico For WBC super welterweight title
38 Win 33–4–1 Antwone Smith UD 10 Aug 12, 2011 Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
37 Loss 32–4–1 Carlos Molina UD 10 Jul 9, 2011 Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S.
36 Loss 32–3–1 Paul Williams TD 4 (12), 3:00 May 8, 2010 Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S. Split TD after Cintrón could not continue from falling out of the ring
35 Win 32–2–1 Juliano Ramos RTD 5 (10), 0:10 Oct 24, 2009 Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
34 Win 31–2–1 Alfredo Angulo UD 12 May 30, 2009 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
33 Draw 30–2–1 Sergio Martínez MD 12 Feb 14, 2009 BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida, U.S. For WBC interim super welterweight title
32 Win 30–2 Lovemore N'dou UD 12 Nov 15, 2008 Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
31 Loss 29–2 Antonio Margarito KO 6 (12), 1:57 Apr 12, 2008 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Lost IBF welterweight title
30 Win 29–1 Jesse Feliciano TKO 10 (12), 1:53 Nov 23, 2007 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retained IBF welterweight title
29 Win 28–1 Walter Matthysse KO 2 (12), 0:29 Jul 14, 2007 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained IBF welterweight title
28 Win 27–1 Mark Suárez TKO 5 (12), 2:31 Oct 28, 2006 Convention Center, Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. Won vacant IBF welterweight title
27 Win 26–1 David Estrada TKO 10 (12), 1:13 Apr 19, 2006 Convention Center, Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
26 Win 25–1 Francisco Javier Parra TKO 3 (8), 2:07 Sep 29, 2005 Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, Maryland, U.S.
25 Loss 24–1 Antonio Margarito TKO 5 (12), 2:12 Apr 23, 2005 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. For WBO welterweight title
24 Win 24–0 Teddy Reid TKO 8 (12), 0:56 Jul 17, 2004 Reliant Center, Houston, Texas, U.S. Won WBC–NABF and vacant WBO interim welterweight titles
23 Win 23–0 Elio Ortiz TKO 6 (10), 1:15 May 1, 2004 Bally's, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
22 Win 22–0 Humberto Aranda TKO 5 (10), 1:05 Jan 24, 2004 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
21 Win 21–0 Hicklet Lau TKO 9 (10), 0:45 Dec 12, 2003 Casino Del Sol, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
20 Win 20–0 Jesus Felipe Valverde UD 10 Aug 29, 2003 Sovereign Center, Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
19 Win 19–0 Luis Rosado TKO 1 (8), 2:27 May 17, 2003 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
18 Win 18–0 Frankie Sanchez TKO 6 (10) Feb 14, 2003 Comfort Hall, Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
17 Win 17–0 Ian MacKillop TKO 2 (10), 1:29 Aug 24, 2002 Bally's, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
16 Win 16–0 Otilio Villarreal TKO 2 (8), 2:29 Jul 19, 2002 Riveredge Hotel, Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
15 Win 15–0 Patrick Thorns TKO 4 (10), 1:09 May 10, 2002 County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, U.S.
14 Win 14–0 Alex Perez TKO 2 (8), 2:02 Mar 15, 2002 Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, U.S.
13 Win 13–0 Omar Davila TKO 2 (10), 2:13 Feb 16, 2002 Sunset Station, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Won WBC Youth interim welterweight title
12 Win 12–0 Andre Baker KO 4 Sep 25, 2001 Abraham Lincoln Hotel, Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
11 Win 11–0 Said Ouali TKO 5 (8), 1:50 Aug 18, 2001 Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S.
10 Win 10–0 Leon Pearson PTS 6 May 31, 2001 Zembo Shrine Building, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 Leroy Brown TKO 2 Apr 28, 2001 Pottstown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 Genaro Andujar KO 1 Mar 29, 2001 National Guard Armory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Kareem Whitehurst TKO 1 Mar 15, 2001 Days Inn, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 George Turner TKO 1 Feb 9, 2001 Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 Vernon Meeks TKO 1 Jan 19, 2001 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Willis Silver TKO 1 Jan 12, 2001 The Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Danny Rodriguez TKO 4 (4) Nov 21, 2000 Genetti Manor, Dickson City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Lawrence Brooks KO 1 Oct 19, 2000 Zembo Shrine Building, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Jesse Williams TKO 2 (4) Oct 7, 2000 Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gabriel Montoya (2009-01-27). "Kermit Cintron's got a Brand New Bag (and another title shot)". MaxBoxing.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  2. 1 2 "Cintrón: 'Margarito va a detener a Cotto'" (in Spanish). AOL Latino. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  3. ↑ "Kermit Cintrón". Main Events. Archived from the original on 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  4. ↑ John Gregg (2002-02-16). "Cintrón KO's Davila in Two". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  5. ↑ John Gregg (2004-07-17). "Cintrón Blasts Out Reid In Eight". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  6. ↑ Spencer Cobb Adams (2005-04-23). "Too Much Margarito TKO's Cintrón In Five". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  7. ↑ Luis Escobar (2006-04-19). "Cintrón Rallies TKO's Estrada". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  8. ↑ Luis Escobar (2006-10-28). "Cintrón Captures Vacant IBF Belt TKO's Suarez". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  9. ↑ Luis Escobar (2007-07-14). "Cintrón Blasts Out Matthysse In Two". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  10. ↑ Dan Rafael (2007-11-27). "Welterweight titlist Cintrón has severe ligament damage in right hand". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  11. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: YouTube (2008-04-12). "Cintron Knocked Out". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
  12. 1 2 3 Jake Donovan (2008-11-15). "Cintron Decisions N'Dou, Full Taylor-Lacy U/C Results". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  13. 1 2 Rick Reeno (2009-01-14). "Sergio Martinez vs. Kermit Cintron on February 14 on HBO". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  14. ↑ Thomas Gerbasi (2009-02-15). "Campbell Guts Out Win over Funeka; Martínez Robbed Twice on HBO B.A.D." MaxBoxing.com. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  15. 1 2 Michael Woods (2007-05-10). "Kermit Cintrón Says He'll Fight UFC". The Sweet Science. Archived from the original on 2007-05-13. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  16. 1 2 Mike Sloan (2014-04-20). "10 boxers who could have succeeded in MMA". Sherdog. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
  17. 1 2 "Still-Hungry Kermit Cintron: "I Would do It" if UFC Called". 20 June 2017.
  18. ↑ "McGregor Wants Boxers to Come to UFC". November 2017.
  19. ↑ "Ex-World Champ Boxer with Wrestling Background is Willing to Face McGregor in the Octagon". 13 November 2017.
  20. ↑ "Kermit se da una última oportunidad – the Gondol".
  21. ↑ "Legendary boxer Kermit Cintron on making his MMA debut". 2 October 2019.
  22. 1 2 "Kermit Cintron Eyes Return as Springboard to Dual-Sport Success". 27 August 2019.
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