Kermit Cintron

Infobox Boxer


name=Kermit Cintrón
realname=Kermit Cintrón
nickname=The Killer
weight=Welterweight
height=5 ft. 11 in. (180 cm.)
nationality=PUR
birth_date=Birth date and age|1979|10|22|mf=y
birth_place=Carolina, Puerto Rico
death_date|=
death_place|=
style=Orthodox
total=31
wins=29
losses=2|draws=0
no contests=0
KO=27|

Kermit Cintrón (born October 22, 1979) is a Puerto Rican boxer who is from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Cintrón is trained and managed by Emanuel Steward. Main Events is his promoter.

Early life

Cintrón had a tough childhood. He witnessed as his mother lay 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 The Animal Fletcher" among others. Cintrón's father, however, kept regular contact with his kids. But when Cintrón was 13, another tragic blow shook him: His father died of a heart attack, leaving him and his siblings orphaned on both sides.

Cintrón found wrestling and boxing to be an outlet from his personal troubles, so he started spending more and more of his time practicing those sports. While attending William Tennent High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania, he became an accomplished high-school wrestler on the same team as actor Mike Vogel, but an injury to his knee prevented him from going on. Because of that, he turned into boxing full time.

Cintrón wrestled in high school and was offered full wrestling scholarships to Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Boxing career

Cintrón did not start boxing in the amateurs until he was 19. He compiled a record of 24 wins and 3 losses as an amateur.

On the night of October 7, 2000, Cintrón knocked out Jesse Williams in two rounds in Lancaster to begin his professional career. [cite web| url=http://www.mainevents.com/bio/bio-cintron.htm| title=Kermit Cintrón| publisher=Main Events| accessdate=2007-09-14] 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. [cite web| author=John Gregg| url=http://www.boxingtimes.com/analyses/2002/020216cintron_davila.html| title=Cintrón KO's Davila in Two| publisher=The Boxing Times| date=2002-02-16| accessdate=2007-09-14] 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. [cite web| author=John Gregg| url=http://www.boxingtimes.com/analyses/2004/040717cintron_reid.html| title= Cintrón Blasts Out Reid In Eight| publisher=The Boxing Times| date=2004-07-17| accessdate=2007-09-14]

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. [cite web| author=Spencer Cobb Adams| url=http://www.boxingtimes.com/analyses/2005/050423margarito_cintron.html| title=Too Much Margarito TKO's Cintrón In Five| publisher=The Boxing Times| date=2005-04-23| accessdate=2007-09-14]

In early 2006, Cintrón rebounded with a tenth-round technical knockout of Estrada, [cite web| author=Luis Escobar| url=http://www.boxingtimes.com/analyses/2006/060419cintron_estrada.html| title=Cintrón Rallies TKO's Estrada| publisher=The Boxing Times| date=2006-04-19| accessdate=2007-09-14] thus reestablishing himself as a contender in the welterweight division.

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. [cite web| author=Luis Escobar| url=http://www.boxingtimes.com/analyses/2006/061028cintron_suarez.html| title=Cintrón Captures Vacant IBF Belt TKO's Suarez| publisher=The Boxing Times| date=2006-10-28| accessdate=2007-09-14]

When Floyd Mayweather said that any boxer could make the transition into the UFC and win, UFC president Dana White issued him a challenge to fight UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. Mayweather later apologized and said he did not wish to fight in mixed martial arts. However, Cintrón said he'd be willing to fight Sherk after that.cite web| author=Michael Woods| url=http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/5090/kermit-cintron-says-fight-ufc/|title=Kermit Cintrón Says He'll Fight UFC| publisher=The Sweet Science| date=2007-05-10| accessdate=2007-09-14] "I want the fight," said Cintrón, who is 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...."

On July 14, 2007, Cintrón was dominant in his first title defense, knocking down little-known Argentine Walter Matthysse three times on his way to a knockout victory twenty-nine seconds into the second round. [cite web| author=Luis Escobar| url=http://www.boxingtimes.com/analyses/2007/070714cintron_matthysse.html| title=Cintrón Blasts Out Matthysse In Two| publisher=The Boxing Times| date=2007-07-14| accessdate=2007-09-14] 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. [cite web| author=Dan Rafael| url=http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3134040| title=Welterweight titlist Cintrón has severe ligament damage in right hand| publisher=ESPN| date=2007-11-27| accessdate=2007-11-27]

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 Altantic City, NJ, on the undercard of Miguel Cotto vs. Alfonso Gomez. Cintrón was knocked down by a body shot in the sixth round and did not respond before the referee concluded the protective count.

Professional championships

References

External links

*

ee also

*List of famous Puerto Ricans
*List of current world boxing champions
*List of welterweight boxing champions
*List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions