By Don Stewart, Reading Eagle
It's still unclear whom Floyd Mayweather Jr. will face next, but an area fighter has received a serious endorsement.
"Kermit Cintron is a great choice," said former superstar and current promoter Oscar De La Hoya, whose company, Golden Boy Promotions, will handle Mayweather's March 13 fight.
De La Hoya's comments were made Thursday to Puerto Rican boxing writer Carlos Rosario.
Paulie Malignaggi and Nate Campbell are also believed to be top candidates, and De La Hoya stressed that the choice won't be his.
"It's Mayweather's team who will have to decide," De La Hoya said. "But the possibility (of Cintron as the opponent) is very great.
"Mayweather Jr. wants to fight one of the best welterweights in the world, and Cintron is considered as one of them. He's a natural welterweight, and now that he's learned to box more, he looks like a tough opponent for Mayweather Jr."
Cintron, a Wyomissing resident, is rated No. 3 at junior middleweight by Ring Magazine. He has stated repeatedly that he would drop back down to welterweight, where he won a belt in 2006, in order to land a lucrative fight.
The 5-11 Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs) is the largest opponent among those reportedly being considered by Mayweather. Malignaggi and Campbell are both junior welterweights.
Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) has come under fire in recent years for facing smaller opponents. In September he ended a 21-month retirement by beating lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez.
Cintron's team jumped on De La Hoya's comments late Thursday night by issuing a press release lobbying for the fight.
"There is no bigger fan of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s talent than myself," Cintron said in a statement. "But the whole world wants to see Floyd fight a big, strong welterweight, and that's where I step in.
"Everyone knows I can punch, and Alfredo Angulo will tell you I can box, too. If Floyd wants to prove he's a legit welterweight, I'm the guy he needs to fight."
Cintron, 30, revitalized his career by outpointing the previously unbeaten Angulo in May.
"Oscar and Richard (Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy) know me very well, and they know I'm easy to deal with," said Lou DiBella, Cintron's promoter. "We can have a deal made in a hour if this is the direction Floyd wants to take."
Mayweather began looking for a new March 13 opponent after his proposed super bout with Manny Pacquiao fell apart last week. Pacquiao instead will fight Joshua Clottey on a competing pay-per-view card March 13 in Dallas.
•Notes: Reading's Jason Cintron (11-1), the younger brother of Kermit, will meet Maurice Chambers (7-9-1) in the main event Feb. 27 at the Allentown Rodeway Inn.
On the undercard, Reading heavyweight Travis Kauffman (18-1) will make his return against Bernard Brown (6-5-2); Reading welterweight Keenan Collins (12-5-2) will face Jorge Delgado (4-8); and Hawaii's Van Oscar Penovaroff (4-0-1) will take on Elliud Torres (2-1-2).
Reading's Julio Cesar Mathews (9-0) is also slated for the undercard.
The show will include five amateur bouts pitting Reading fighters against Allentown boxers.
Meanwhile, tickets for the May 29 boxing show at the Sovereign Center went on sale Friday. Kauffman will fight in the main event, possibly against former amateur rival Nicolai Firtha (17-7-1).
Contact Don Stewart: fighthack@gmail.com
Source: readingeagle.com
Possibility of Mayweather Jr facing another so-so fighter is 'very great'. Why not Paul Williams? Why not Sergio Martinez? Why not Shane Mosley? Why not Margarito? Why not Cotto?
ReplyDeleteWho is Cintron? This is the guy who lost twice to Margarito. The guy who was gifted a MD win over Martinez. (Martinez clearly won that fight.) The guy who ran all twelve rounds from new comer Angulo. This is the guy who was troubled by Ndou who was twice beaten by Malignaggi, beaten by Cotto and drew with hyped Matthew Hatton. If this is the guy whom Mayweather wants to fight, then it just proves that he is a great undefeated ducker.