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Making the hearing on July 26 was the commissions way of telling Cintron FU.
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those were not big left hands they were 2 punches that landed which probably surprised you because williams didnt land much the whole fight. the only punch that could be called a bomb was the right hand that kermit landed and any unbiased person who watched the fight will tell you the same.Comment
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What a bad situation for boxing. This guy is weak, dishonest, and a liar. If you compare martinez with cintron, or any other boxer for that matter, frogger does not show class. Even if he whines and cries about his little ordeal, boxing fans won't be on his side. We all seem to be on the same page about his "acting" in the ring. And as long as cintron doesn't own up to his actions, he won't gain the trust and admiration of his fans - if he has any.Comment
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Someone posted the appeal letter online. They are using several boxingscene.com articles in the appeal.
Applicable Standard
Title 4, Chapter 2, Article 8, ß 368 of the California Code of Regulations states:
“A decision rendered at the termination of any boxing contest is final and shall not be changed unless following the rendition of a decision the commission determines that any one of the following occurred:
(c) There was a violation of the laws or rules and regulations governing boxing which affected the result of any contest.
Section 351, entitled “When Boxer Falls Or Is Knocked From Ring During Round,” sets forth:
“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.”
Application of Facts to CSAC Rules
Approximately thirty five seconds after the fourth round began, Mr. Williams and Mr. Cintron became entangled. Mr. Williams fell to the canvas and Mr. Cintron’s momentum propelled him toward the ropes and ultimately he fell out of the ring. Mr. Cintron initially landed on a ringside table (where his back struck a television monitor), and then rolled off the table and landed on the pavement. Chaos ensued; Mr. Cintron was immediately surrounded by a mass of people, including two ringside physicians who came to his aid. Additionally, Dr. Scott Cook (Mr. Cintron’s personal physician from Pennsylvania) and I were at his side within seconds. Shortly thereafter, Ronnie Shields, Mr. Cintron’s trainer, arrived at his side. First, it should be noted that Mr. Cintron clearly had the wind knocked out of him. While the two ringside physicians certainly seemed to have Mr. Cintron’s health and best interests in mind, it had to have been obvious to them that he had just taken a hard fall, and that he needed some time to recover. He was gasping for air, and communicated that he has lost his wind. Mr. Cintron repeatedly and unequivocally said that he needed to catch his breath, and once he did, stated that he wanted to continue fighting. Both ringside physicians told Mr. Cintron that they felt he may have a punctured lung or broken ribs and implored him, in no uncertain terms, that he was to stay down. One physician had his hand on Mr. Cintron at all times, and when Mr. Cintron disagreed with their opinion that he may have a more serious injury and tried to rise to his feet, he was again told to stay down and that the bout had been stopped. At no time did either ringside physician inform Mr. Cintron, Dr. Cook, Mr. Shields, or I that he would be provided, consistent with the CSAC rules, with a reasonable time to recover and return to the ring. Both Mr. Shields, Dr. Cook, and I continually echoed Mr. Cintron’s sentiments – that he was not seriously hurt, needed to catch his breath, and wanted to the bout to continue. Our collective insistence that they slow down and listen to either him or us fell on deaf ears. Finally, Dr. Cook and I asked if we could assist Mr. Cintron in getting back to his feet. We were told by both ringside physicians not to touch him.
The decision by the ringside physicians to stop the bout came literally within two minutes of Mr. Cintron hitting the pavement. Moreover, the decision was made before any real assessment of Mr. Cintron’s condition was made. He was not permitted to sit up, catch his breath, or articulate how he felt once he regained his wind. Section 351 of the California Code states that the “referee shall allow a reasonable time” for the fighter to return to the ring. Under any objective analysis, two minutes after that type of fall cannot be viewed as reasonable. While the CSAC certainly must recognize and value the role of the ringside physicians in protecting the health and welfare of the fighters, that interest must be balanced against a fighter’s right to have the rules enforced. The very fact that ß 351 affords the fighter a reasonable time to re-enter the ring leads to the strong inference that the rules contemplate that falling out of the ring may require a recovery period. In this instance, Mr. Cintron was not allowed any reasonable recovery period, as the decision to cancel the bout came almost immediately after his fall from the ring. I have been made aware that both ringside physicians allege Mr. Cintron indicated, on two occasions, that he was unable to continue.
It is Mr. Cintron’s sincere belief that the doctors either misunderstood him or mistakenly assumed that he could not continue with the bout. First, when they asked him if he could continue, Mr. Cintron was desperately trying to catch his breath. That certainly was not the appropriate time to inquire as to whether he was able to proceed. By way of analogy, if a fighter was hit with a low blow and was out of breath, doubled over in pain, it would certainly not be the appropriate time to ask the fighter whether he wanted to proceed. Instead, the referee would either give the fighter the allotted five minutes of recovery time or wait until he could effectively communicate.
This situation is no different. Both Dr. Cook and I were present when the ringside physicians asked Mr. Cintron if he could continue. He was gasping for air, and never, at any time, indicated that he could not go on with the bout. To the extent that there was confusion, they should have waited a reasonable period of time before inquiring. The very fact that the ringside physicians contend that Mr. Cintron “changed his mind” once his head was taped to the stretcher underscores the very point that recovery time should have been provided. While we dispute that Mr. Cintron ever said that he could not proceed, it was certainly clear after a few minutes passed and he caught his breath that he indeed wanted to continue. On behalf of Kermit Cintron, I urge the CSAC to view a tape of the broadcast to confirm this version of events. Mr. Cintron can be heard saying “this is bull**** . . . I’m fine.”
In sum, at no time did Mr. Cintron say that he could not proceed; on the contrary, he repeatedly stated that he wanted to continue and needed time to catch his breath. Dr. Cook, Mr. Shields, and I heard Mr. Cintron communicate this to the ringside physicians. Again, all three of us emphatically echoed Mr. Cintron’s willingness to resume the bout. Further, we attempted to assist Mr. Cintron and were told to leave him alone. Thus, consistent with section 351 of the California Code, because Mr. Cintron was both denied assistance getting back to the ring and was not given a reasonable amount of time to re-enter, therefore the decision should be changed to a no-contest.
“The CSAC might have robbed Cintron, a Sinking Spring resident, of a career-defining win Saturday night at Carson, Calif.”
(Don Stewart, Reading Eagle, article entitled “Cintron Cries Foul Over Commission’s Blunder. Published 5/11/10).
“Cintron did what no one expected: he answered the pressure and dropped a flush right hand that caught Williams dead in the face and hurt him. . . . The round lasted only a minute and already you could tell this was going to be a war for as long as it lasted . . . For the record, the majority of press row had Cintron winning when the fight ended.” (Gabriel Montoya, article entitled: “Williams Gets a Decision over Cintron in a Strange One,” published 5/10/10)
“********** scored the fight 40-36 Cintron.”
(Greg Leon, www.**********.com, article entitled: “Williams takes decision over Cintron, published 5/8/10)
“ . . . dubious scorecard loss . . . ” (Lyle Fitzsimmons, www.boxingscene.com, article entitled “Cintron’s Saturday Critics Veer From ****** to Offensive,” published 5/11/10)
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, on behalf of Mr. Cintron and his entire team, I respectfully ask that the decision of the May 8, 2010 bout in which Mr. Williams was declared the winner by split decision be changed to award Mr. Cintron the win, or, alternatively, to a technical draw or no-contest. Before the CSAC makes a final ruling on this matter, I would like the opportunity to appear before the Commission to more fully present Mr. Cintron’s position. Mr. Cintron, Dr. Cook, Mr. Shields, Mr. Lou DiBella and I are prepared to travel to California to attend the Commission meeting in July if permitted.
The day after the bout, an article by Jake Donovan appeared on www.boxingscene.com entitled “Over Before it Starts: Williams Wins / Cintron Hurt, Fans Lose.” In the article, Mr. Donovan states, “Even more disappointing – though to be expected these days – was the scoring by the officials appointed by the beleaguered and inept California State Athletic Commission.” While I agree that the scoring was clearly erroneous and disappointing to say the least, I tend to disagree with Mr. Donovan’s assessment of the California State Athletic Commission. I appeared before your Commission several months ago on behalf of Mr. Nate Campbell in connection with his appeal of the decision in his bout against Timothy Bradley. During a break in the hearing, while the Commission deliberated on its decision, I commented to Mr. Campbell in the corridor that regardless of the outcome, the CSAC heard our case fairly and seemed to be genuinely concerned with adhering to its own rules and getting it right. That is all we ask in this instance – that the CSAC evaluate the case and apply its rules. If that is done, we are confident that justice will be done for Mr. Cintron. I look forward to hearing from you regarding a July hearing. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Josh DubinComment
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The only reason Cintron might fight again on HBO is because of Dibella's good relationship with the network.Comment
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