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 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 .
Los Angeles, CA (April 1, 2010) – The world-famous Palm Restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles was the site for today’s introductory press conference formally announcing the May 8, 2010 “WEIGHT IS OVER” bout between a pair of former world welterweight champions Paul “The Punisher” Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) and 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 with both natural welterweights moving up to 154 pounds 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 Beer 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 manager/trainer George Peterson; Cintron and his representative from DBE, Ron Rizzo (also represent Mendez); Honorio and promoter Dan Goossen.
Following are quotes from today’s media event:
WILLIAMS: “I definitely gotta thank Cintron for giving me a shot. A lot of guys don’t want to give me a shot in the ring. They take a fight and pull out two weeks into it. So I appreciate Cintron for giving me the fight. This will be a great fight for my fans to see and for those not my fans to see. I know Cintron is a hard puncher. I’ve seen a couple of his fights and I know he’s gonna be bringing it that night. I respect his power and a lot of stuff from him. For my fans that come out they are going to be on pins and needles because they know they’re gonna get a knockdown, drag-out fight. And they love that. I love to fight. Either the guy’s gonna get me or I’m gonna get him. May the best man win. We’re gonna bring the heat that night, so come wearing your tank tops!”
CINTRON: “I’ve got nothing bad to say about Paul Williams. I have a lot of respect for him. Paul Williams is a great fighter, a great champion. On May 8th, it’s gonna be a great night for both of us. It’s gonna be two great fighters fighting and let the best man win. It’s gonna be a hard fight for him and a hard fight for myself. I’m sure he’s getting ready for this fight; I’m getting ready for this fight. I’m gonna come in the best shape ever. May 8th is gonna be a hell of a night for Paul Williams and myself.”
PETERSON: “I appreciate Cintron taking this fight because it’s not easy for Paul to get fights. Paul would fight more regularly if we could get opponents and I want to thank Kermit for stepping up. I think I read somewhere that Kermit mentioned that with his power if he hits Paul like (Sergio Martinez) did, he will knock Paul out. There’re not gonna no rocks to crawl under in that ring and I want to know what’s gonna happen when you land that big punch that you’re counting on and Paul Williams is still there. Paul Williams fights three minutes of every round. It will be a good fight and we look to haveall of you out there. It’s gonna be a fight you’ll all enjoy. Kermit is a very good fighter, no doubt about that. And we’re prepared for that fight.”
RIZZO: “This fight finally came together and I know he (Cintron) is excited about that. He had a big win last May on HBO (over undefeated Alfredo Angulo) and plans to have another big win on HBO in May, 2010.”
“Honorio will be fighting Argeniz Mendez, our junior lightweight, who’s a Dominican coming over out of the Top Rank stable. We recently signed him and brought him along. And he’s looking forward to the opportunity, which came together very quickly over the last week. I know we’re excited and looking forward to the opportunity to fight for the USBA Lightweight Title.”
HONORIO: “I’m really looking forward to being in the co-main event underneath Williams and Cintron. I’m excited about dropping back down to my most comfortable weight to take on this tough opponent for the USBA title, and I’m ready to go.”
DAN GOOSSEN: “This is a fight that we have tried on many occasions to make. From our end I’m glad we didn’t do it any earlier because it’s much bigger today. Come May 8th, Paul is taking on the best challenge at 154 pounds today and Kermit is obviously taking on who we believe is the best 147-pounder, the best 154-pounder and the best 160-pounder.”