Exclusive Boxing Interview: Kermit Cintron

This Saturday, July 14, Kermit Cintron will make the first defense of his IBF Welterweight Title against Walter Matthysse as part of HBO’s welterweight triple header. Cintron, 27-1 (25), and Matthysse, 26-1 (25), will open the evening from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ followed by Arturo Gatti, 40-8 (31), facing Contender season one star Alfonso Gomez, 16-3-2 (7), in the main event.

Click for larger image © Jim Everett Saddo Boxing

The third fight of the broadcast will then shift to the west coast where Antonio Margarito, 34-4 (24), defends his WBO Welterweight Title against rising star Paul Williams, 32-0 (24), in the main event at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA .

For Kermit Cintron, this will be his first appearance in the squared ring since winning the vacant IBF title against Mark Suarez, 25-3 (13), by sixth round TKO last October. A potential fight with Shane Mosley was in negotiations for early 2007, but never materialized and difficulties with his promoter Bobby Bostick kept him out of the ring until now, after a return to his former promoter, Main Events.

In 2004, Cintron was an undefeated rising star that knocked out all but one opponent he had faced. After defeating Teddy Reid by eighth round stoppage in July 2004, he went on to face Antonio Margarito for his WBO Welterweight Title, headlining ESPN’s first boxing Pay-Per-View event in April 2005.

The combination of a short four week training camp, pressure of his first title fight and Pay-Per-View event, as well as receiving his first bad cut in the third round against Margarito, proved to be too much for Cintron. He would be dropped twice in the fourth and twice in the fifth round before his corner threw in the towel.

For many fighters, such a psychological loss would be too much to come back from but Cintron made changes to his team that has helped him move past his loss and make him a strong force in the welterweight division. He looked to Emmanuel Steward to help him in the rebuilding process which has resulted in three TKO victories, the IBF Welterweight Title and a new revived confidence that many questioned he could ever regain.

SaddoBoxing was pleased to have the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Cintron to discuss his return to the ring.

SaddoBoxing: What have you been doing since winning the IBF Welterweight Title against Mark Suarez last year?

Kermit Cintron: “I took some time off. I have been in litigations with Bobby Bostick, so I had some time off to hang out with my family. I have a new born child and would just hang out with the family, that’s all I have been doing.”

SB: Congratulations, when was your baby born?

KC: “It was August 9th, so I got to spend a lot of time with her and my older daughter as well, she just turned five, but now it’s back to business.”

SB: The lay off was specifically due to problems with your promoter Bobby Bostick?

KC: “Yes, he was actually trying to get me a fight with Shane Mosley and that got screwed up and that’s what helped me decide to make the move back to Main Events.”

SB: What transpired? Did you let your contract run out or were you able to get out of your contract in another way?

KC: “Bostick didn’t keep his promises. He breached the contracts and hey, I move on.”

SB: You were with Main Events before Bostick and now back again; were there any hard feelings in between?

KC: “No not at all, after they explained to me the situations why they released me at first, I understood, but I’m back with Main Events and looking towards the future.”

SB: Does the business side of the sport become frustrating?

KC: “It is frustrating, but you always have to think positive and know at the end that it will work out itself.”

SB: How long have you been in camp?

KC: “I started training with Jermain Taylor before this fight was announced and I just finished up camp in Austria with Wladimir Klitschko and Emmanuel Steward.”

SB: What do you know about your opponent Walter Matthysse?

KC: “I know he comes to fight and every punch he throws he tries to take your head off and knock you out. He has a decent record.”

SB: The welterweight division currently has a lot of opportunities; Cotto, Margarito and Mayweather currently hold the other belts, is there anyone you would like to go after, maybe Margarito with having your only loss from him?

KC: “That’s the first person I would love to fight, but he has his schedule and plans and I have my plans, so whoever they put in from of me I just fight and move on.”

SB: Do you think you are a different fighter now then the fighter you were when you faced Margarito?

KC: “I believe so; I think that loss actually did me some good. A lot of people thought I wouldn’t come back. I came back, I won the world title and here I am.”

SB: What do you think would be different this time if you faced Margarito?

KC: “I would have more time to train. I only had four weeks of training. Fighting for a world title, you don’t get four weeks of training and then try to win a world title. It doesn’t work that way.”

SB: You called out fighters from the UFC in response to them calling out Mayweather, is that something you want to actually pursue?

KC: “That is something I would like to do, I saw that Mayweather turned the challenge down, so I figure this is my chance. I always wanted to try it, so here’s my chance so I just put the word out there.”

SB: Did you get any response from the UFC?

KC: “If anybody got a response it was probably Main Events.”

SB: You have a background in wrestling, would you feel comfortable if the fight went to the ground?

KC: “I believe so, it’s different you’re not working for points you’re here to stop the fighter or do something to win the fight. It’s not by pin, it’s not winning by points on the ground, so it is a totally different sport.”

SB: Is there anyone in particular you would like to face out there?

KC: “I want to challenge the champion out there. Why not put the champion in boxing against the champion in the UFC, put them together, I think that will attract a lot of people.”

SB: You have a lot of opportunity with boxing and maybe UFC as well; what would be your ultimate goal for your career?

KC: “Continuing to win and just to have the bigger fights.”

SB: I wish you the best in your career.

KC: “Thank you, thanks a lot.”