Cintron's Hearing Set For July 26; Berto Baited To Fight

By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com was advised by manager Josh Dubin that Kermit Cintron's appeal will be heard by the California State Athletic Commission at their next meeting on July 26. Both Cintron and Dubin will attend the hearing to present their case.

Cintron is attempting to overturn last Saturday's four round technical split decision loss to Paul Williams at the Home Depot Center in Carson. The fight ended in the fourth round when during a clinch Williams tried to do a quick side maneuver to land a hook, which sent both fighters falling backwards. Williams fell on the canvas, while Cintron went through the ropes and landed on a ringside table. The doctor would later stop the fight and pursuant to the California rules, the fight went to the scorecards.

The aftermath of how the fight ended is in question. According to Cintron, he made multiple requests to continue but the doctor made a self determination that he suffered a possible punctured lung and called a halt to the fight. The doctor, Paul Wallace, has recently come out in the press and claims Cintron was asked if he could continue, twice, and twice Cintron replied "no." The doctor further claimed Cintron would later change his mind and made several demands to continue - but the fight had already been stopped.

"There is no way that you can objectively look at that fight and say Paul Williams won three rounds, let alone four rounds. Whatever the story is with that judge who scored it that way [4-0 for Williams], either he is too incompetent to continue judging or there is something up, something was going on there. There is just no way you can score the fight that way. This ringside physician who came out, days after the fight, for the first time by the way, and says 'Kermit Cintron couldn't continue and that why the fight was stopped.' That's not what they said the night of the fight," Dubin said to BoxingScene.com.

"And you can rest assured that if he said that he couldn't continue - don't you think they would have said that at the press conference? Maybe somewhere to someone on the night of the fight? Or maybe the day after the fight? It was only in response to a question asked by an LA Times reporter and now all of a sudden [the doctor said] Cintron said that he couldn't continue. I was over there and Ronnie [Shields] was over there. Dr. Scott Cook was over there, Kermit's personal physician. None of us heard him say that ever. He was asked several times if he could continue after having the wind knocked out him, and his answer, unequivocally, was 'let me continue, I just need to catch my breath.' Over and Over again he's saying that."

"Under the California rules, they allow anyone to help a fighter get back into the ring. They are telling us 'don't go near him, don't touch him.' Against their own rules, they prevented us from lifting him up by his arms. They said we couldn't touch him.  And they wouldn't let him get up, they are holding him down. They tell him that he might have a punctured lung, that he might have a cracked rib."

Cintron's trainer Ronnie Shields, who backs Dubin's version of the events, thought his fighter was the clear winner.

"Throughout the fight, Kermit landed the harder punches and Paul Williams barely touched Kermit Cintron. I think in the fourth round he hit him with one left hand and that's when Kermit retaliated right away with that hard right hand that staggered him. Everyone and their momma saw that he staggered him, and that's when everything happened," Shields said to BoxingScene.com.

Cintron and Dubin would like the California Commission to change last Saturday's loss to a no-contest, but their real desire is a rematch with Williams. There are two problems. Williams and his promoter Dan Goossen see no reason for a rematch. And HBO is not interested in a rematch. Dubin will still attempt to secure a rematch. If the rematch doesn't come, Cintron is ready, willing and able to move down to 147-pounds to challenge undefeated WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto.

"How about Andre Berto growing a pair and actually fights someone who can punch and see how he holds up. He's been running around and hiding from Kermit. He sat down with Kermit and I in Houston, when Paulie fought Juan Diaz the first time [in 2009] and said 'listen, I want to fight you guys next.' Andre Berto needs to grow a pair and fight somebody," Dubin said.