Letter from Kermit Cintron to Boxing Fans World Wide Regarding His May 8th Contest with Paul Williams
Dear Boxing Fans,
I want to clear the air about what actually happened in my May 8th fight with Paul Williams. There are a lot of rumors floating around and I want to set the record straight.
About thirty seconds into round four, Paul Williams lost his balance and started falling to the canvas. Our bodies got tangled and while Paul just hit the canvas, my momentum carried me through the ropes and out of the ring. His falling is what caused me to be off-balance and all I could do was brace myself for impact.
As I fell from the ring, I think I landed on a TV monitor. That collision actually knocked the wind out of me. When I fell from there onto the floor people immediately swarmed around me. I was not exactly sure what had just happened. My only concern was trying to catch my breath.
I didn’t really know who all the people were around me. I was looking for my corner and my personal doctor, but they were not allowed near me. The ringside doctor kept his hand pressing down on me telling me to stay still and on the ground. He was concerned that I might have cracked my ribs or punctured my lung. I guess the fall looked worse than it was. I was sucking wind due to the impact of the fall and the doctor told me not to move. I simply listened to him and remained still. I told the doctor that I was ready to fight and that I just needed to catch my breath. I never said I didn’t want to continue.
California law states “A contestant who has been wrestled, pushed, or has fallen through the ropes during a contest may be helped back by anyone and the referee shall allow a reasonable time for the return.” These rules were not followed. I was not allowed any help from my corner and I was not given time to return to the ring. I was simply told to stay still and then told that the fight had been stopped. I told the doctor several times that I was fine and that I could continue the fight.
As I was being taken away from the ring against my wishes, I heard it announced that Paul Williams had won a split decision. I didn’t understand then, and I still don’t, how anyone could have watched that fight and thought that Paul Williams won.
I trained for 8 weeks to get ready for that fight and I was controlling it in every way. I was on my way to a career defining victory. The fight was going exactly as I had planned. Everything was going my way. I am the one who actually buckled Paul Williams with a right hand. He did not hurt me at all. Moments later, because of a freak accident, he was awarded a win and I got the loss. I know I did not ‘lose’ that fight. There is no way. I controlled every round. Paul said he was open to a rematch and I think that’s the only fair way to settle the score.
I know everyone was looking forward to a great fight between two of the premiere 154-lb fighters in the world. I’m sorry it was cut short but there was nothing I could do about it. For 3+ rounds I set the tone of the fight. The action was starting to pick up when our freak accident occurred. I’m hoping you will want to see us do it all again. Paul Williams is now telling anyone who will listen that he can make 147 lbs. and would like to fight there. I can make that weight as well. Let’s start what we finished. We started it at 154 and I’m fine finishing it there or at 147. Paul said he was open to a rematch. I hope he’s a man of his word.
I’m ready to get it on.
Kermit Cintron
The curious case of Kermit and Paul
By Bart Barry
Here’s what we know. Saturday two welterweight titlists made a non-title match at junior-middleweight on HBO’s “World Championship Boxing.” In the middle of the fourth round of a fight neither was winning conclusively, the mens’ limbs tangled. One ended on the canvas. The other ended outside the ring, where a doctor said he was unfit to continue. His opponent won by technical decision.
Here’s what we can consider. A normally fine fight venue was two-thirds empty. Two normally fine fighters made three insipid rounds. The much taller fighter caused the tangle by dropping his head to waist level. The fighter outside the ring got there by leaping. A man was carted off in a neck brace while waving his arms. And, oh yes, the result.
It went: Paul Williams TD-4 Kermit Cintron. An unusual line, that. Williams won by scores of 39-37 and 40-36 on two judges’ cards and lost 36-40 on a third. I had it 39-37 for Williams. Any combination of numbers that did not have one guy winning all four rounds was acceptable. Calling a 3 1/2-round fight complete may not be.
Writing of unacceptable, though, how about the size of that crowd in Carson, Calif.? The tennis stadium at Home Depot Center is an excellent venue for a prizefight – when it’s full. But it was nothing like full Saturday. Why not?
Ethnic interests, maybe. Williams is a black Southerner. Cintron is a Puerto Rican raised in the Northeast. Carson crowds prefer Mexican prizefighters. Combining the three didn’t work at all. And the fight’s promotion was overshadowed by “Who R U Picking?” hoopla.
Set ethnicities aside. Williams enjoys significant physical advantages over opponents, but he doesn’t make dull fights. Cintron has a famously fragile psyche, but he also has a higher career knockout ratio than Mike Tyson. There was ample reason to expect an entertaining match from two prime craftsmen.
And yet Southern Californians knew better. They stayed away, and the rest of us found out why. After a month of threatening one another, Williams and Cintron met in a place of sanctioned violence and showed no such impulse for nine minutes.
When two fighters publicly state the worst of intentions for one another, they are, in many cases, quite sincere. But they rarely tear out their corners and bludgeon one another. Why not? Fear. Not a fear of pain; a fear of humiliation. Much as one might desire to render the other senseless, he desires more intensely to foil the other man’s fantasy. This is how we get tense and tentative opening stanzas even between action fighters who feel mutual animosity.
Things picked up in round 4, though. Williams increased his pace. Cintron clocked him with a counter right hand. A fight began. But unfortunately for Williams, lately that means the start of some bad habits.
Williams enjoys an extraordinary edge in height and reach with opponents. Yet he eliminates that advantage by dropping his chin to theirs and ducking punches. Men who would need to leap and turn-over shots or toss ugly overhand rights instead find Williams’ chin level with their power hands. It’s a gift to opponents who mightn’t otherwise have a chance of hitting him.
It was a gift Williams bestowed on Cintron several times and an opening he offered in round 4. Williams dropped low and fired a long left cross from his southpaw stance. It landed. Cintron, though, rolled with it and loaded a right-cross counter. Williams, whose head was actually below the plain of Cintron’s punch, ducked still lower, parried Cintron’s cross with his left shoulder and put himself in a headlock with Cintron’s right arm.
Williams continued forward, trying to punch. He also twisted leftward and down. His long legs went out from under him. Williams fell to the canvas on the seat of his trunks.
Cintron began forcefully in the opposite direction. His feet were not tangled. Perhaps he feared Williams’ long body would land on his ankle because he came to the ropes and exploded through them, pushing off his left foot. Cintron did not fall out the ring; he hit its perimeter like a safety lowering his right shoulder into a wide receiver. He somersaulted onto the scorer’s table, legs splayed. He appeared to come to rest. He raised his glove to his right temple. Then he somehow fell on the tennis court below and finished directly before the event’s promoters, Lou DiBella and Dan Goosen.
A ringside doctor rushed to Cintron. You imagine reflexivity took over from there in a precaution-rich way like this: “Are you all right?” “I hurt my back.” “It could be serious, so don’t move.” “I won’t move.” “You can’t move?” “What?” “Get a gurney!”
That brought the oddest spectacle of all. After only slightly moving his arms and legs while paramedics made their ways to ringside, Cintron got furious when they wheeled him from the ring. Once he was buckled in, Cintron began to resist, waving his arms. After the judges’ decision was read, he punched the ambulance door.
It was a poor night for boxing.
The California State Athletic Commission has a rule that states if three rounds are completed and a fighter cannot continue for some reason other than a punch, a decision must be divined from the judges’ tallies. That rule should be revisited.
Saturday’s ruling, though, should not. A bad law was enforced. Blame the legislative branch, not the executive.
Does that mean anything to either fighter? Not really. Cintron has a third loss on his record. Williams has a 39th win. No title was at stake. Nothing monumental was gained or forfeited. A rematch would be an appropriate remedy.
But that will require an outcry from fans. Based on Saturday’s attendance and the fight’s opening rounds, such out-crying fans had better bring megaphones and an amplifier.
Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry
Williams Gets Bizarre Technical Decision
By Mario Ortega (Ringside)
After the most unusual of endings, Paul Williams was declared the technical decision victor over Kermit Cintron after an injury before the end of four rounds at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
Williams (39-1, 27 KOs) of Augusta, Georgia now has a win over Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KOs) of Houston, Texas on his record, but even he is not happy with how it got there. Both fighters got their licks in to end a round one that started out slow, as both looked to have some nervous energy. Action began to heat up in round two. Cintron, 154, caught Williams, 152 ½, with two good right hands in an exchange early in the round. Later in the round, Cintron caught Williams over swinging again with another solid counter.
Round three offered little action, as Williams refused to play into Cintron’s apparent plan of playing the counter puncher. Things changed in round four, as Cintron landed a clean right that woke up Williams and the crowd. Williams quickly responded with a head-snapping shot. For a brief moment, it looked as though the fight may turn from a boxing match to a slugfest. Shortly after a heated exchange, Williams lost his footing and grabbed onto Cintron a bit as he fell to the canvas. As Williams went down, the momentum toppled Cintron through the ropes.
In moments it was clear that Cintron was injured, but it was unclear how bad the injury might be. According to sources on the side of the ring that he fell, Cintron told the ringside physician Paul Wallace that he was able to fight on, but it was the decision of the doctor to not allow him to continue.
Most ringside in press row assume the fight would be declared a no contest. However, in the state of California, the start of the fourth round makes the fight official and thus the scores were read. One judge had the fight a shutout for Cintron, 40-36. The other two scored the fight for Williams, 40-36 and 39-37 respectively.
Not only did most ringside assume that fight would be a no contest before the decision was announced, so did Cintron’s promoter. “That rule is ridiculous, it was three rounds,” said DiBella. “That is not a fight. How do you call a fight after three rounds?” Cintron’s trainer Ronnie Shields told the press that he had objected to using the California rules instead of the generally used ABC rules prior to the fight.
“I don’t know what to say,” said Williams after the fight. “It’s a strange way to get a win and I’ll try to get a better one next time.” Just as there was before the fight started, there should be many options for both fighters, including the obvious one – a rematch. Cintron entered the ring as the WBO #2/IBF #3/WBC #3 ranked light middleweight, and his promoter seems to want the rematch. Williams, WBC #3 middleweight and the WBO #1/IBF #5 154-pounder, could go the rematch route, but there are other fights out there for him as well.
Styles make fights, and sometimes styles make dull fights. In what looked to be an attractive super featherweight scrap on paper and turned out to be a lackluster bout, Argenis Mendez claimed the vacant USBA Super Featherweight title with a majority decision over Martin Honorio.
Mendez (16-1, 9 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic proved to be an elusive target for the forward-moving Martin Honorio (28-4-1, 14 KOs) of Bell, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. Honorio, 130, took the fight to Mendez, 130, in the opening round and appeared to be ahead after two rounds.
Mendez, the WBA #10 ranked super featherweight, scored well with hard body shots in round three and the fight began to turn. As the fight went on, Mendez stood his ground less and less, picking his shots and moving out of range. Honorio, WBO #3 ranked lightweight and IBF #6 ranked 130-pounder, did not display the same boxing skills that let him to a win over John Molina Jr. last year. Too often, Honorio found himself chasing Mendez instead of effectively cutting off the ring.
While he did not exact any sort of dominance in the bout, Mendez did enough to get the nod on two of the judges’ scorecards 116-112. The third official scorer had it even, 114-114. With the win, Mendez may have earned a better ranking, but it is unlikely he gained many fans ringside.
Former amateur standout Walter Sarnoi (6-0, 2 KOs) of Monterey Park, California boxed his way to a four-round majority decision win over Adrian Aleman (6-7-3, 4 KOs) of Cathedral City, California. Sarnoi, 123, was the naturally bigger man, but decided to box and move rather than put his size advantage to use. Aleman, 123, went rounds as usual, but was unable to get much done in the fight. One judge found two rounds to give to Aleman, to make the even score of 38-38. The other two judges scored the fight 40-36, 39-37.
Stan Martyniouk (9-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California rebounded from a flash knockdown in the first round to pull out a six-round split decision over Brian Ramirez (5-3, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, California. Ramirez, 133, charged out of his corner to open the fight, backing Martyniouk, 133, to the ropes. As the round progressed, Martyniouk settled into a boxing rhythm. Just before the bell to end the round, Ramirez caught Martyniouk with a left uppercut to score the knockdown.
Martyniouk, who did not appear to be hurt from the knockdown, began round two with a sense of urgency, as he pressed the fight. As the fight progressed, the rounds were competitive, but it was Martyniouk that was able to maintain his punching power, while Ramirez slowed. Martyniouk took the fight after a decisive sixth round which the Sacramento resident swept on all three judges’ cards. Two judges scored the bout 57-56 for Martyniouk, with the lone dissenting judge scoring it 57-56 the other way.
Michael Ruiz Jr. (2-0, 1 KO) of Fresno, California blew away Jose Pacheco (2-13-6) of Cudahy, California in the second round of a scheduled four. Ruiz, 118, downed Pacheco, 122, with a straight right hand early in the second. Pacheco rose to his feet, but was clearly not the same. Moments later, a brutal right hook dropped Pacheco hard, prompting referee David Denkin to immediately call a halt to the bout without need for a count. Official time of the stoppage was 1:37 of the second.
Unbeaten Jeremiah Wiggins (8-0-1, 3 KOs) of Newport News, Virginia scored a unanimous decision win over game free-swinger Juan Carlos Diaz (0-3) of Ciudad Neza, Estada de Mexico, Mexico. Wiggins, 152 ½, showed his superior boxing skills in the first, but found himself slugging it out in some heated exchanges by the second round. Diaz, 153 ½, stood in and took some hard shots, but landed some of his own. The underpowered Diaz was simply out of his league with the more skilled Wiggins. In the end, two judges scored the bout 59-55 and the third 60-54 all for Wiggins.
After less than two one-sided rounds, Mike Dallas Jr. (14-0-1, 5 KOs) of Bakersfield, California was declared victorious over journeyman Daniel Gonzalez (9-28-2, 3 KOs) of Billings, Montana. Dallas, 149 ½, was just too much of everything, speed and power, for Gonzalez, 151. With no reason for the mismatch to continue, referee David Denkin saw fit to call halt to the bout at 2:03 of the second round before Gonzalez could absorb any more punishment.
Before the card, Goossen Tutor Promotions announced the signing of WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Beibut Shumenov.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
Williams, Cintron Ready for Battle
By Mario Ortega Jr.
Top ten pound-for-pounder Paul Williams takes on perennial contender Kermit Cintron in a non-title twelve-round light middleweight fight tonight at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The fight will be broadcast live by HBO alongside the replay of the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley fight from last week. Fighters weighed in Friday afternoon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Los Angeles – International Airport.
Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) of Augusta, Georgia is the heavy betting favorite Saturday according to most online sportsbooks, but the odds that the fight will be exciting would have to be listed just as strong. Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs) of Houston, Texas by way of Carolina, Puerto Rico may have displayed new found boxing skills in his decision win over Alfredo Angulo last year, but he knows he will need to revert back to the slugger of old in order to have a chance against a supreme boxer-puncher like Williams.
The event has been dubbed “Over the Weight,” because both Williams and Cintron have long campaigned as welterweights, and Williams especially has expressed his desire to get a big money fight at 147-pounds. Williams currently holds the WBC #3 middleweight ranking, and the WBO #1/IBF #5 rankings at 154-pounds. Considering Cintron is currently the WBO #2/IBF #3/WBC #3 ranked light middleweight, one would think this fight would have some interim title or alphabet eliminator sanctioning attached to it, but alas it is just a twelve-round scrub between two top fighters with no promises of championships to the winner.
Both Cintron and Williams know that winning eliminators or even titles are not always what they are cracked up to be. Cintron’s win over Angulo was a sanctioned WBC Light Middleweight eliminator, but he did not get a title shot since Sergio Martinez has been tied up with middleweight fights. Meanwhile, Angulo claimed the Interim WBO 154-title over Harry Joe Yorgey. Williams has held titles at welterweight and light middleweight, but his handlers have never been overrun with offers from top notch fighters.
In any event, the winner of Saturday’s fight should be in line for the big money fight they have desired. For Cintron, the upset would be by far the biggest win of his career and catapult himself into the upper echelon of the sport. For Williams, he must win impressively in order to have any bargaining power as he chases the money men of the welterweight division. Williams scaled 152 ½-pounds, while Cintron came in at the division limit of 154.
The off-television undercard is headed by an attractive and meaningful twelve-rounder. Resurgent contender Martin Honorio (28-4-1, 14 KOs) of Bell, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico will take on 2004 Dominican Olympian Argenis Mendez (15-1, 9 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic for the vacant USBA Super Featherweight title.
Honorio, the WBO #3 ranked lightweight and IBF #6 ranked 130-pounder, leaped back onto the national stage with an upset decision win over previously unbeaten prospect John Molina Jr. last November. Mendez, the WBA #10 ranked super featherweight, has revitalized his career since suffering his only defeat in October 2008, posting three consecutive victories. The winner would likely be in line for a world title or world title elimination bout. Honorio and Mendez both scaled 130-pounds.
In a six-round lightweight bout, Stan Martyniouk (8-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California will meet Brian Ramirez (5-2, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, California. Martyniouk, who came in at 133-pounds, has not seen ring action since posting a four-round decision over Anthony Martinez in November. Ramirez, who weighed in at 133 as well, suffered his second defeat last time out after a point deduction cost him a draw.
Unbeaten light middleweight Jeremiah Wiggins (7-0-1, 3 KOs) of Newport News, Virginia will make his West Coast debut against Juan Carlos Diaz (0-2) of Ciudad Neza, Estada de Mexico, Mexico in a six-rounder. Wiggins, who scaled 152 ½, was a chiseled and imposing figure at the scales Friday. Diaz, who sports a far more slender build, weighed in at 153 ½-pounds. Diaz’ two defeats were by knockout to undefeated foes. Wiggins last fought on the Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez undercard in December, scoring a unanimous decision over Manuel Guzman in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Well regarded bantamweight prospect Michael Ruiz Jr. (1-0) of Fresno, California will take on game trial horse Jose Pacheco (2-12-6) of Cudahy, California in a four-round bout. Ruiz, who weighed in at 118-pounds, turned pro last month with a comprehensive decision victory after a distinguished amateur run. Pacheco, who weighed in at 122-pounds on his initial try, fought on the same card last month and dropped a four-round decision. Pacheco was given more time to lose an additional pound.
Former amateur standout Walter Sarnoi (5-0, 2 KOs) of Monterey Park, California will tangle with the naturally smaller Adrian Aleman (6-6-3, 4 KOs) of Cathedral City, California in a four-round super bantamweight fight. Sarnoi, who scaled 123-pounds Friday afternoon, was a member of the U.S. National Team as an amateur before turning professional in 2008. Aleman scaled 123-pounds at the weigh-in, but has fought as a flyweight earlier in his career. Should Aleman, who has never been stopped, be able to handle Sarnoi’s power, he could provide a test for the young pro.
Light welterweight prospect Mike Dallas Jr. (13-0-1, 4 KOs) of Bakersfield, California was a late re-addition to the card and will now open the evening in a four-rounder against well traveled journeyman Daniel Gonzalez (9-27-2, 3 KOs) of Billings, Montana. Given the short notice these fighters will be fighting nearly as junior middleweights today. Gonzalez, weighing in at 151-pounds, is coming in off of twelve straight defeats, but with only two of those coming by way of the knockout. Dallas, who had been penciled in for a step-up fight against Josesito Lopez, scaled 149 ½-pounds Friday.
A last minute scratch from the card was an interesting ten-round heavyweight rematch between Jason Gavern (19-7-3, 8 KOs) of Kissimmee, Florida and Manuel Quezada (29-5, 18 KOs) of Wasco, California. Gavern scored a minor upset over the world ranked Quezada last month, claiming the regional WBC CABOFE Heavyweight title with the decision victory. According to Gavern, who was present at the weigh-in, Quezada pulled out just an hour prior.
Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
Light middleweights, 12 Rounds
Williams 152 ½
Cintron 154
USBA Super Featherweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Honorio 130
Mendez 130
Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Martyniouk 133
Ramirez 133
Light middleweights, 6 Rounds
Wiggins 152 ½
Diaz 153 ½
Super bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Ruiz Jr. 118
Pacheco 122*
Super bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Sarnoi 123
Aleman 123
Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Dallas Jr. 149 ½
Gonzalez 151
*attempting to lose one pound at press time
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
ADDITIONAL QUOTES FROM THE MOST FEARED FIGHTER IN THE WORLD TODAY, PAUL “THE PUNISHER” WILLIAMS
QUOTES
“This fight with me and (Kermit) Cintron will be a real classic fight.
I respect Cintron as a man, but when we get in that ring on Saturday night I’m gonna try my best to hurt him ‘cause I know he’s gonna try and hurt me.
I’m gonna hit him with everything I got and he’s gonna have to fight me with everything he’s got because I’m gonna be on him. ”
“It’s real close to the fight. I don’t want to talk to no one. I just want to do my thing and get ready for Saturday night.
It’s gonna be a war and I’m preparing myself for a war.
In my mind I’m gonna have no sympathy for him in the ring. After the fight is over, okay, I hope he’ll be all right.
I wish him all the luck but, come Saturday night when it’s time to get in that ring I’m gonna try and break his ribs, his jaw and I’m gonna try and kill him to death. That’s how I really feel.
All the time I spent in training camp away from my family and my friends, it’s in my mind I’m gonna go get him, hands down. And I’m not gonna say no more.
If you want some action, come on out to the Home Depot Center on Saturday night!”
For more on Goossen Tutor Promotions go to www.goossentutor.com.
Click here to watch and hear what the media experts have to say:
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Paul Williams: Still Auditioning for a Superfight
By Mario Ortega Jr.
Last Saturday, two fighters presumed to be among the top three welterweights in the world squared off before millions of viewers on pay-per-view. Of course, Floyd Mayweather Jr. completely outboxed an older version of former pound-for-pound kingpin Shane Mosley in a fight that left many at home wanting. This Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, Paul Williams will again be auditioning for an opportunity against one of the top two welterweights as he takes on Kermit Cintron. Their fight will be televised live by HBO and be paired coincidentally with the rebroadcast of the Mayweather-Mosley fight.
Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) of Augusta, Georgia will not be fighting at the 147-pound welterweight limit Saturday, but instead in the junior middleweight division. But if you ask Williams if he can still make 147, it won’t be the first time he has heard the query. “I’ve been asked the same questions so many times about fighting in different weight classes that my answers are almost like turning on a recorder and pressing play, but only with my mouth moving,” said Williams Wednesday at a press conference. “But, make no mistake; I don’t mind getting the attention and all the questions. I am confident and comfortable fighting in different weight classes and I will continue to do so for as long as I can and it is feasible.”
Williams has not made 147-pounds since avenging his sole defeat in June of 2008, a first-round stoppage over Carlos Quintana to reclaim the WBO title. In his four fights since, Williams has bested Verno Phillips to claim an interim 154-pound title and fought at middleweight in the three others. The idea of fighting in different weight classes in order to chase the big fights came from the Williams brain trust.
“Originally we came to the understanding that at the welterweight division, which is his natural division, it was becoming harder and harder to find takers for him out there, mainly because of the size discrepancy,” said Williams’ promoter Dan Goossen, referring to himself, Williams advisor Al Haymon and trainer George Peterson.
“But it is not Paul’s fault that he is 6’2” with a longer reach than the Klitschkos. We all came to the solution that the best way to keep his career progressing was by fighting in different weight divisions. But what has never left us was to crack that superstardom. And the way to do it is to make the superfight. The fight we would like to make, with a win Saturday night, is the [Manny] Pacquiao, is the Mayweather [fight]. The [other] top welterweights have gone by the wayside, the Cottos and the Margaritos. So there are three welterweights out there in my opinion that are the top guys today and they should all be mentioned in the same breath, and that is Pacquiao, Mayweather and Williams.”
Maybe it is because the boxing pundits did not understand their plan, but rarely do you hear Paul Williams name pop up as a potential opponent for either Mayweather or Pacquiao. Case in point, at the end of last Saturday’s pay-per-view broadcast. When HBO commentator Jim Lampley asked the rest of the broadcast team who they would like to see in with Mayweather, should the blockbuster with Pacquiao not come to fruition, neither could come up with a definitive reply. Especially considering the fact that Williams would be appearing on their network just seven days later, one would think Williams would be the name that came to their mind. However, this oversight is nothing new in the world Paul Williams lives.
“Every time a fight is mentioned, nobody even mentions my name,” says Williams frustratingly. “They know I am a threat, but most of them don’t want to put me in that category with them guys. So they mention me like real easy and don’t say too much. I’ll let Mr. Peterson, Al and Dan deal with it.”
If those who overlook Williams as a threat to the welterweight elite due so because they doubt his ability to still make 147-pounds, Williams’ trainer George Peterson has their answer. “[The critics] make decisions for people, when they should let the fighters make their own decision,” says Peterson. “Paul is saying, ‘Give me a 147-pounder, and let me show you I can make the 147-pound [weight limit]. And if you are that much in doubt, watch me eat breakfast before the weigh-in.’”
While Goossen mentions both Pacquiao and Mayweather as the fighters that he targets for Williams, it seems farfetched to think that the “Pacman’s” promoter Bob Arum would let his moneymaker in the same building as the 6’2” man known as the “Punisher.” Reportedly Pacquiao’s handlers rejected a fight with 5’11 junior middleweight Yuri Foreman based mainly on his height.
If Pacquiao is out of the question, Mayweather would seem the logical target for Team Williams, which makes Saturday’s fight of the utmost importance. With the Williams-Cintron bout being aired alongside the replay of last Saturday’s fight, everyone will be drawing their comparisons between the two. Many fighters in Williams’ position would feel the pressure of competing against a high-caliber fighter such as Kermit Cintron, knowing many watching will be measuring his performance against Mayweather’s. Williams however is not most fighters. “My main thing is to keep winning and the doors will open up.”
Photo by Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
QUOTES FROM THE “WEIGHT IS OVER” FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE
PAUL WILLIAMS VS. KERMIT CINTRON READY FOR BATTLE ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT HOME DEPOT CENTER IN CARSON, CA
Los Angeles, CA (May 5, 2010) – Trendy LA eatery Sisley Italian Kitchen in Sherman Oaks was the site for today’s final press conference in advance of Saturday’s highly anticipated the “WEIGHT IS OVER” battle between former 3-time World Champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) and former Welterweight World Champion Kermit “The Killer” Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs).
The scheduled 12-round battle – presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment — will be contested at 154 pounds, a division higher then Williams natural 147-pound weight, in what promises to be an action-packed main event for fans in attendance at the outdoor Home Depot Center in Carson, California and an HBO “World Championship Boxing” television audience. Corona will serve as the event’s sponsor.
In addition to the main event, promoter Dan Goossen introduced reigning WBO NABO Lightweight Champion Martin “El Brochas” Honorio (28-4-1, 14 KOs), who will drop back down to 130 pounds to take on 2004 Dominican Republic Olympian Argenis Mendez (15-1, 9 KOs) for the vacant USBA Junior Lightweight Title.
Seated on the dais were Williams and his trainer George Peterson; Cintron and his promoter Lou DiBella, HBO executive Kery Davis and Goossen. Also called up to say a few words about their title fight were Mendez and Honorio.
Following are quotes from today’s media event:
PAUL WILLIAMS
“I’ve been asked the same questions so many times about fighting in different weight classes, if I feel I am getting slighted, that sort of stuff, that my answers are almost like turning on a recorder and listening to it play, but only with my mouth moving.
“But, make no mistake; I don’t mind getting the attention and all the questions. I am confident and comfortable fighting in different weight classes and I will continue to do so for as long as I can and it is feasible.
“Whatever the weight is, my mindset is — and always has been — to fight to the end. I think that is my greatest advantage. I’m satisfied with the way things are going,
“Right now, Cintron is my main focus. The guy right in front of me is always my main focus. I don’t think about any other possible fights. If I’m asked, I’ll talk about it, but otherwise my sole concentration is my next fight.
“But, you know, my thing is I’ll fight anybody if the money is right.
“Saturday is going to be a real fight between two hungry guys doing their best to get their hand raised at the end. It’s not personal, but he’ll be out throwing punches and trying to hurt me, and I’ll be trying to hurt him. If he catches me with his best shot, I’ll still be standing. When I catch him with my best shot, look out. It may be a different (scenario).
“I hated training camp, getting up at 4 a.m. and working as hard as I did. But that means it was a great camp and I am in tremendous condition. I’m looking forward to making the most of my opportunity on Saturday and making Cintron pay for all the hours and hours I put in during camp.’’
KERMIT CINTRON
“This fight has been in the works since 2006 when he was WBO champion and I was IBF champion. We were supposed to fight a unification fight back then. There’ve been talks three or four times since, but the time wasn’t right.
“Now, for me, the timing is perfect and I am very confident. You can call Williams a “feared” fighter, or whatever, but he’s just another fighter for me
“This will be an interesting fight because we’ve both overcome some obstacles to get here. Style-wise, it could be the Fight of the Year.
“I had a perfect training camp with no complaints. I am 100 percent physically and mentally and feel that — at the age of 30 — I am in my prime.
“Williams has two inches in height on me but I’ve sparred with taller guys in the gym and don’t expect it to be a problem.
“If I do my thing and be myself, use my skills and stick to the game plan, I’ll win it on Saturday.’’
MARTIN HONORIO
“I’ve won a lot of belts and feel confident that I will get another one on Saturday. But this is a very important fight for another reason, too. I need to win to get a shot at the world title.
“I don’t know very much about Mendez other than what I’ve seen on his record and that he was an Olympian. But I am definitely not going to overlook him.
“The key for me in every fight is training camp and I had a great one and worked very hard. I am in tremendous shape.
“Of course, it’s always better to win impressively and make a statement, but the most important thing is winning the fight. I am looking forward to a very good fight.’’
ARGENIS MENDEZ
“I have prepared very well. I feel really good. This fight should be a war and I’ll do whatever it takes to win.
“I feel fighting in the 2004 Olympics for the Dominican Republic has been a great advantage for me. Fighting internationally as an amateur has helped me as a pro in many ways. I feel comfortable in a boxing ring no matter where it is.
“I feel I am still learning but definitely improving, too. I’m definitely capable of winning this fight and that is what I am going to do.’’
DAN GOOSSEN
“One of the great things about a Paul Williams fight is they always have that ability to become a ‘Fight of the Year’.
“Here we had Alfredo Angulo who was being groomed to be one of the top 154-pounders and who beats Kermit Cintron. Obviously, we saw the fight with (Sergio) Martinez, so whenever we talk about the future, it’s okay but it doesn’t mean we’re looking past the present, which is Saturday night. We know we’ve got a tough fight, but this is all part and parcel of going out there and saying ‘this is what we’re doing. This is why we’re doing it, and this is what’s going to happen when it’s done. But obviously, Kermit Cintron is going to do everything he can to change that.
“We know what we’re gonna get Saturday night and that’s our money’s worth when Paul Williams steps into that ring to go out there and show that he’s the best fighter pound for pound in the world today.
“The Honorio-Mendez fight is a 12-round fight for the USBA Junior Lightweight Championship and like Lou (DiBella) said, the winner of this is certainly going to position himself for a World Championship fight. But, this is what the sport needs, especially on the undercard fights.
LOU DiBELLA
“It’s a pleasure to promote Kerm. I’ve always thought he was a terrific talent. When I got an opportunity to see the people that sort of abandoned him after the fight with Margarito, I knew that he was still a young man and a young fighter with a tremendous future.
“One of the things about Kermit that I love which is the same thing I love about the guy over here (Williams), who I’ve been on the other side of the ring from a lot of times but I’m a big fan of: Paul Williams is a warrior; Kermit’s a warrior. They are two consummate athletes. These are both guys that could have success in almost any sport they would have selected. And they’re both warriors. They get in there; they fight. Not only do they fight, they fight who you ask them to fight.
“I think you’re going to see a war on Saturday night, partially because neither one of these guys knows another way. They’re gonna get in there; they’re gonna throw it down and try and hurt one another. They’re gonna have fun in there and throw caution to the wind because they are two great champions.
“I think I’m gonna once again walk away with the champion.”
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PAUL WILLIAMS & KERMIT CINTRON Media Conference Call Highlights
Two-Time Welterweight and Super Welterweight World Champion Paul Williams (38-1, 27 KOs)
Former Welterweight World Champion Kermit Cintron (32-2-1-, 28 KOs)
Promoter Dan Goossen
Promoter Lou DiBella (Cintron)
Williams’ trainer/manager George Peterson
The most feared fighter in the world, and three-time World Champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams will face former Welterweight World Champion and knockout artist Kermit “The Killer” Cintron on Saturday, May 8 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. The two fighters will meet above Williams natural 147 pounds and subsequently being dubbed “The Weight is Over,” in a bout televised by HBO at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) and presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with Di Bella Entertainment. The two fighters and their promoters participated in a conference call to discuss the upcoming 12-round fight and the significance it means to the welterweight division.
PAUL WILLIAMS
“(Kermit’s) a big puncher and can box too. I’ve shown that I’m a big puncher and I’m a boxer too.”
What’s it like to fight in different weight classes?
“To me it’s kind of fun. People can’t really categorize me. It’s hard because you can’t get anybody to fight you. It takes discipline because once you finally pick a weight you’ve got to get up or down in weight. I kind of like it.
“It (switching weight classes) isn’t killing us so far. Everything’s good. So if it’s not broke don’t fix it.
“I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I don’t care what people think about me as a fighter. I just have to go out and do my thing.”
“I just have to go out and execute my game plan and my strategy. Because you could be looking for one thing then get another thing.”
What did you think of Saturday’s Mayweather-Mosley fight?
“You know the first two rounds Mosely had him. But after that Mosley stopped fighting. He just started fighting a survival fight. If Mosley could have just kept up that pressure he could have had him. But after that he just stopped. But then Mayweather did what Mayweather does best. Mosley stopped fighting so he started fighting and that was the story.”
KERMIT CINTRON
What is it going to take for other top fighters to decide to fight you?
“I think it’s going to take the media and the networks. You all have the pens and the microphones. When you see guys fight and you’re talking about fights they should take you never mention my name. I think the media and the networks will have to start pushing those guys to fight the biggest and best fights and to fight someone who’s going to put up a fight.
What is your most comfortable weight?
“All of them are comfortable for me. The weight doesn’t matter to me. I’m more comfortable with getting a fight and then working on what we’ve got to work on.
“Paul Williams and I are not here for the money. We’re trying to fight the best and be the best. I believe Paul Williams is the best and he believes I’m the best and that’s why we’re fighting. A lot of fighters are avoiding us but my attitude is to fight the best. To be the best you have to fight the best. That’s why I’m here: To fight the best and win. And be closer to the bigger fights.”
Would you submit to Mayweather’s drug-testing demands?
“To me it doesn’t matter. Take the test or don’t take the test. It doesn’t matter.”
It’s been a year since you beat Angulo? What do you think of all the attention Angulo gets?
“It is what it is. I’m not going to cry about it. I know I beat his ass and I just move forward in my career. I’m just looking forward to May 8 and putting on a good show.”
GEORGE PETERSON (Williams’ manager)
“I think it’s going to be a fight and not a sparring match. Citron and Paul both talk about being victorious and they should be thinking in those terms. But we think on Saturday night that we will be victorious. For those who come out on Saturday night, we feel like they’re really going to enjoy the fight.
“If it was me or Paul and there were signs that someone was on drugs I would say, give them some more drugs. We just want to fight. Regardless of anything. You can give them all the drugs they want. We just want to fight, that’s it. Paul Williams is a warrior’s fighter. If he loses he says, ‘hey, I lost.’ If he wins it’s, ‘hey, I won.’ I just believe in all that other stuff. I’m old-school. This is a new generation of boxing but I don’t believe in that. I believe if you’re a fighter let’s fight. Forget all of that other stuff.”
“Because the media has a microphone in front of them – you know a Jim Lampley or a Max Kellerman or an Emanuel Steward – they make decisions for other people when they should let the fighters make their own decisions. This is what is shooting Paul in the head and in the foot, they are making those decisions. Paul is saying give me a 147-pounder and let me show you that I can make 147 pounds. And if you are still that much in doubt then watch us eat breakfast before the weigh-in. That’s what we do. Not to let the media handle that.”
DAN GOOSSEN (Williams’ Promoter)
“With the welterweight division (Paul’s natural weight division) it’s getting harder and harder to find takers out there mainly because of the size discrepancy. But it’s not Paul’s fault that he’s 6-foot-2 and has a longer reach than the Klitschkos. But what has never left us is that we’re looking to crack that super stardom and the way to do that is to make the super fight. It’s been no secret that’s Paul’s best weight is 147 and Paul and George Peterson will discuss if he can still make 147. The fights that we would like to make with a win Saturday night is the Pacquaios, is the Mayweathers. You throw any of the top welters out there and they’ve gone by the wayside now. The Cottos, the Margaritos. I mean, Paul got rid of Margarito when no one wanted to. Cotto was dispatched by Margartio. So there are three welterweights that are out there today and they should all be mentioned in the same breath and that’s Pacquiao, Mayweather and Williams.
“When everything is said and done Paul is a 147-pounder. To be the best and to be the greatest and to be No. 1 I don’t believe anyone can really say that until they get in the ring with Paul Williams. It may not be today or it may not be tomorrow but eventually Paul Williams will get his opportunity to show what we’ve been saying for the past two or three years. It will all come to fruition.”
LOU DiBELLA (Cintron’s Promoter)
“Kermit’s not only the biggest puncher Paul has been in there with, but he’s also a guy capable of boxing beautifully and boxing to victory which he did in what I thought was a very one-sided win over Alfredo Angulo. I think you’re going to see fireworks on Saturday night on both sides. I do expect a barnburner. Truly, anyone can win this fight and that’s what boxing is all about. It’s about guys trying to entertain. Both these guys take and throw big blows. Both these guys know how to box and both these guys are warriors.”
WILLIAMS AND CINTRON WEIGH IN ON THIS WEEKEND’S MOSLEY VS. MAYWEATHER BOUT
PAUL “THE PUNISHER” WILLIAMS,
THE MOST FEARED WELTERWEIGHT IN THE WORLD, AGREES WITH HIS MAY 8 CHALLENGER KERMIT CINTRON,
MOSLEY WILL DEFEAT MAYWEATHER
Los Angeles, CA (April 29, 2010) – If ‘THE WEIGHT IS OVER” headliners Paul “The Punisher” Williams and Kermit “The Killer” Cintron are as accomplished at making predictions as they are with their fists, then “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather’s perfect record (40-0, 25 KOs) will be a thing of the past come this Saturday night in Las Vegas.
“The two proclaimed best welterweights in the world fighting Saturday night aren’t the best welterweights in the world — Paul Williams is the best,” declared the ever self-assured Williams (38-1, 27 KOs), who has challenged both of them on multiple occasions.
“They feared fighting me even when I was a two-time World Welterweight Champion. I’m saying it now loud and clear: ‘After I beat Kermit Cintron on May 8 at the Home Depot Center, I demand the winner get into the ring with me. If not, they better not say they’re the best at welterweight!’
“As for the fight Saturday,” Williams, regarded as “The Most Feared Fighter in the World,” concluded: “Shane Mosley will stop Mayweather.”
As for the hard-hitting Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs), while he may not concur with Williams’ views on how their May 8 battle on “HBO’s World Championship Boxing” will go, he joins “The Punisher” in calling for a Mosley victory. Cintron foresees a close fight with Mosley (currently 46-5, 39 KOs) earning a hard-fought majority decision.
“Shane Mosley has all the tools to beat Mayweather,” Cintron observed. “Mayweather is a great fighter, but I believe he is underestimating Mosley, especially because of his age (38). Mosley’s age does not reflect the great fighter he is.”
# # #
The May 8th “THE WEIGHT IS OVER” (Williams again fighting over his natural 147 pound weight) is a scheduled 12-round battle – presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with DiBella Entertainment – in what promises to be an action-packed main event for fans in attendance at the outdoor Home Depot Center in Carson, California and an HBO “World Championship Boxing” television audience. Corona will serve as the event’s sponsor.
In addition to the main event, promoter Dan Goossen introduced reigning WBO NABO Lightweight Champion Martin “El Brochas” Honorio (28-4-1, 14 KOs), who will drop back down to 130 pounds to take on 2004 Dominican Republic Olympian Argenis Mendez (15-1, 9 KOs) for the USBA Junior Lightweight Title.
Tickets for the May 8 fights are available for as low as $25, with VIP floor seats priced at $200. Other tickets in the 8,000-seat outdoor stadium are available at $50 and $100 and are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.Ticketmaster.com as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
- GTP -
For more on Goossen Tutor Promotions go to www.goossentutor.com.
“WEIGHT IS OVER” PAUL WILLIAMS VS. KERMIT CINTRON STILL NO WELTERWEIGHT TAKERS, “THE PUNISHER” BATTLES “THE KILLER” AT SUPER WELTERWEIGHT MAY 8 AT HOME DEPOT CENTER ON HBO
Los Angeles, CA (April 1, 2010) – There is very little that boxing greats Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley agree on these days, with one notable exception: that Paul Williams is too big, too strong, too tough, too fast, too dedicated and too damn good to step into the ring against anytime soon.
So how does the “Most Feared Fighter in the World” deal with proving that he is indeed the best at 147 pounds while the aforementioned trio would prefer him not to prove it in the ring against them?
He fights over his weight of 147 pounds in a scheduled 12-round battle against the ever-dangerous Kermit Cintron in a May 8, 2010 HBO “World Championship Boxing” headliner dubbed as the “Weight is Over.”
Presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions — in association with DiBella Entertainment – the Williams-Cintron bout and an exciting undercard will emanate from the extraordinary outdoor Home Depot Center in Carson, California where Williams enjoyed his first World Welterweight Championship victory.
“This is the third time we have tried to put this fight together with Cintron,” Williams (38-1, 27 KOs), an Aiken, South Carolina native now living in Augusta, Georgia, revealed. “He says he wants to fight, so let’s see if he comes to fight. I know I’m ready to fight.”
Coming off a hard-fought slugfest resulting in a majority-decision win on HBO against Super Welterweight World Champion Sergio Martinez back in December, Williams – who stopped undefeated Walter Matthysse and decisioned Antonio Margarito for the WBO Welterweight Title in his two previous efforts at the Home Depot Center — is stepping right back in with another risky high-profile bout against knockout artist Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs), known in boxing circles as “The Killer.”
Williams’ longtime manager and trainer George Peterson predicts: “I think it’s going to be a good fight. We will wind up being victorious. I’m sure Cintron’s side will say the same thing. There’s nothing special that we have to prepare for with this young man. They claim he has a lot of power, and the night of the fight he will have opportunities to demonstrate that power. But we’ll be ready and once he finds out that his power is not the key, he is in trouble. There are no rocks in that ring for him to hide under.”
For his part, Cintron — who stopped hot and undefeated prospect Alfredo Angulo and most recently, Juliano Ramos in his last two times out — denies any fear of “The Punisher” and says he is looking forward to doing what the World Champions in the welterweight division are avoiding: adding Paul Williams to his list of triumphs.
“I’m extremely excited about finally being able to fight Paul Williams,” Cintron, a native of Puerto Rico currently training in Houston, Texas, exclaimed. “We’ve tried to make this fight in the past, but for one reason or another, it never came to fruition. Paul Williams is going to get the best Kermit Cintron the World has ever seen. I’m at my peak in terms of my confidence and where I am as a fighter. There is only one option for me on May 8th, and that is victory!”
Williams avenged his only loss in 39 bouts against Carlos Quintana by knocking him out in the first round of their WBO Welterweight Title rematch back in June 2008. The only two blemishes on Cintron’s 35-fight record are two knockouts at the hands of Antonio Margarito – with a draw against Martinez — both of who were beaten by Williams.
“This is a terrific matchup between two of the elite 154 pounders in the world,” offered Cintron’s promoter Lou DiBella. “Kermit proved against Alfredo Angulo that he’s at the top of his game. Paul Williams better be at the top of his game if he’s going to avoid his second loss. This match of styles cannot result in a bad fight.”
“Paul Williams’ size similarities against welterweight opponents mirror those of the Klitschko’s and their opponents in the heavyweight division,” his promoter, Dan Goossen, observed of the above average 6-2 size welterweight. “Paul doesn’t need to chase the Pacquiaos, Mayweathers, Mosleys or any other welterweights because he has become a star without them by taking the path of fighting in different weight classes against the best in those divisions but still anxious to prove his superiority in the welterweight division again.
“Cintron poses a risk to any fighter based on his KO power,” Goossen continued. “He, like everyone who has seen him in action, knows that every Paul Williams fight is an all-out, exciting, offensive show and Paul will look to stop the hard-charging Cintron on May 8. That’s why boxing fans love “The Punisher” and why the “Weight is Over.”
Tickets for the May 8 fight are available for as low as $25, with VIP floor seats priced at $200. Other tickets in the 8,000-seat outdoor stadium are available at $50 and $100 and will be on sale this Saturday, April 3 at 10:00 a.m. at all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.Ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com/> as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
About The Home Depot Center
The Home Depot Center is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. The $150 million, privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG Facilities on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. The Home Depot Center features an 8,000-seat tennis and boxing stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, rugby and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 10,000-seat facility for track & field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome for track cycling. The Home Depot Center is home to two Major League Soccer teams, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center, the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and Athletes’ Performance, an international training center for elite and professional athletes. For more information, please visit www.homedepotcenter.com <http://www.homedepotcenter.com/>.
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