By Vivek Wallace – week after the collective eyes of the fight world focused on co-P4P king Floyd Mayweather jr. and future hall-of-famer Shane Mosley, the attention now shifts to two men who remain eager to find the same spotlight when Paul Williams (38-1, 27KO’s) takes on Kermit Cintron (32-2, 28KO’s). No longer fighting at the welterweight limit, these two men realize the load to carry in reaching that proverbial spotlight is both literally and figuratively heavier, yet they remain eager to do the necessary lifting. As they prepare for tonight’s showdown, we take a closer look at “Keys to Victory”, “Four (defining elements) to Explore”, and a final prediction.
Paul Williams: (Keys to Victory)
For Paul Williams, the “Keys to Victory” always start and end with his patented work rate, which only one man of 39 was lucky enough to find an answer for. Some may question that one man’s answer, as an immediate rematch took less than 3 minutes to be proven insufficient. For Williams, the key for a win tonight is not only the work rate in general, but the aggression in which he has used that work rate in the post-Quintana era of his career. Many have questioned the durability of Kermit Cintron, as well as his heart, as a failure to stun an opponent with his well documented power has often resulted in a permanent retreat mode for the evening..
A recent victory over Alfredo Angulo and a rather ‘green’ and unseasoned combatant which followed seems to have given Cintron a shot of confidence. Williams will need to come out from the opening gun and strip that new-found confidence, reminding Cintron that he defeated (albeit closely) the man who took his heart twice (Margarito). Last but not least, Williams isn’t known for defense, and similarly to Pacquiao, often allows his offense to serve as such; but he will need to be a bit more cognizant of Cintron’s thunderous power, as one flush shot can change the entire outcome of the fight. A heavy work rate and slightly more defensive awareness will undoubtedly lead Williams to victory.
Kermit Cintron: (Keys to Victory)
For Kermit Cintron, the “Keys to Victory” aren’t quite as simple. Technically, they could prove downright impossible, for the simple fact that many obstacles he will have to overcome have plagued him for his entire career. For Cintron, his biggest obstacle won’t be the 6’2″ Paul Williams. It will be his very own mind, for reasons that are no longer necessary to convey. Cintron will have to realize from the opening bell that he’s in a dogfight, and view this as a do or die bout. He found some success over a very limited Alfredo Angulo, but Paul Williams is not only far more seasoned, but also far more challenging, both on a vertical and horizontal level.
Cintron has far more athleticism than many give him credit for. He will need to use superior footwork to not only slip some of Williams’ looping punches, but subsequently put himself in position to land that patented power. Mentally, Cintron will have to know up front that Williams will land early and often, and realize that him landing those shots won’t dictate the winner of the fight….but how he handles them, will. Contrary to popular belief, Cintron has the tools to not only make this fight interesting, but win decisively. It will all start and end with his level of smarts and heart! If he comes determined to make a statement and fights smart, he can post a huge upset and remove all doubt.
FOUR TO EXPLORE
Heart/Attack – As stated in the “keys to victory”, Cintron’s major point (or should I say potential ‘breaking point’) will all be decided and based on the level of heart he displays. In a quick play on word, tonight’s showdown for Kermit will be quite simple…..He’ll either have the ‘heart’ to attack, or lack the ‘heart’ and be attacked. We’ve seen both from him. Which will it be tonight?
Out of Reach? – For Paul Williams, the term P4P has been a very literal term, as many have noted his efforts in jumping weight class to weight class in search of meaningful competition. So often, his performances have been dominated by his lengthy arms, but despite such a great wingspan, what he truly wants remains a destination he has yet to reach. The only way he can get there is a solid, uncontested, dominating performance. The type of performance that will force fans to put pressure on the P4P kings of the sport to consider him. Sounds great in theory, but does Williams have this type of effort in him? He’ll need to in order to get to that next level. If not, he’ll remain ‘out of reach’.
Half and Half – Despite his great athleticism, one thing that few seem to discuss about Kermit Cintron is the fact that he has often shown a propensity to fatigue greatly midway through many of his fights. Tonight, he’ll be in with a man whose work rate never ends, which resembles the only man to soundly defeat him in the past (Antonio Margarito). Half solid effort, half poor effort, will result in nothing but a complete loss. Unless you’re a cup of coffee, ‘half and half’ serves no purpose. Perhaps the term ‘coffee’ is most operative…..as it’s finally time for Cintron to ‘sip’ this reality and WAKE UP! But will he?
Power/Puncher – Williams/Cintron will be a classic ‘puncher’ versus ‘power puncher’ showdown. History has shown us certain nights where the powerful puncher finds victory, and other nights where the volume puncher gets the job done. The oddity in this showdown is that although one man is known to be the harder puncher, it’s the voluminous puncher who most of us acknowledge as the true ‘punisher’. Can the ‘punisher’ use a strong work rate in the midst of great natural power? Or will the ‘punisher’ find himself punished? Stay tuned.
OFFICIAL PREDICTION/UPSET BAROMETER (RATING 1 – 5)
In the end, when the dust settles and the smoke clears, I think this pending fight will render familiar results. I see Kermit Cintron landing a few thunderous powershots to stun Paul Williams early; but after a slight adjustment period lasting no longer than 3 rounds, I see Williams moving out on the cards and taking control of the fight with a solid work rate, ultimately slowing down what I predict will become a very vulnerable Kermit Cintron, stripping him of well needed confidence. Upset barometer peaks at a marginal 3 of 5, as any puncher as dangerous as Cintron has a chance.
Unfortunately, as much as I’d like to see sparks fly, I simply don’t see Cintron’s stamina, heart, and confidence sticking around long enough to make that possible. As noted in yesterday’s ‘Call Em Out Fridays’, Williams needs this victory to prove his hard work hasn’t been “all for nothin'”, yet Cintron won’t be able to avoid a loss that could make some think his past efforts have been “all for nothin'”.
WILLIAMS BY UNANIMOUS DECISION (UPSET BAROMETER 3 of 5)
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook, and Myspace)