Cintron Flies Out Of Ring, Fight Halted After Three, Williams "Wins"

Just when things started heating up, a freak accident halted the main event between junior middleweights  Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron at the Home Depot Center on Saturday night in Carson, CA. At the beginning of the fourth, the fighters got tangled, and Cintron fell out of the ring, onto a table, and then to the floor. EMTs came for Cintron, and the fight was stopped. Three rounds finished so the scorecards were read, somewhat ludicrously. I will always view this abbreviated event as a No Contest, but the judges called it 39-37, 40-36, 36-40, for Williams.

The medical personnel put a neck brace on Cintron, and put him on a stretcher. TSS wishes Cintron, who was conscious, well.

Williams (age 28; 38-1 entering; ex junior middleweight, and two time welterweight champion; 6-1 1/2; from South Carolina) weighed 152 1/2 , while Cintron (age 30; 32-2-1 entering; ex welterweight champ; 5-11; born in Puerto Rico, grew up in PA, lives in Texas to train) was 154 on Friday. The bout was shown on HBO. Before the scrap, Manny Steward, Cintron's former trainer/manager, said Kermit had a real good chance going in. He said if Kermit was emotionally strong going in, Williams could have a hard night.

Jerry Cantu, Fritz Werner and Dr. James Jen-Kin were entrusted with judging the bout.

In the first, the lefty Williams used his height, and kept distance. Kermit touched him with a jab, and a left hook. It was a cautious round.

In the second, Kermit looked to counter, but Paul was cautious, looking for a big opening. Kermit's hands looked the quicker of the two. The crowd didn't like the excess respect the two showed each other.

In the third, we heard Larry Merchant say, "So far, Paul Williams has looked like a wind turbine on a windless day." Pretty classic, I'd say. "Little too much respect from both of them," he added, astutely. Williams maybe heard, and stepped it up.

In the fourth, Cintron buzzed LTP with a right. Then they got tangled, when Williams grabbed Kermit, Williams fell into the ropes, but Kermit fell out of the ring, onto a table, and then the floor. He hit his shoulder and head, and said he wanted to continue.

Williams said he started slow on purpose, and felt bad the fans didn't get their money's worth. Going forward, he said he wants Floyd, or Manny, or if not them, a rematch with Sergio Martinez.

SPEEDBAG Larry Merchant said before the main event that we shouldn't underestimate boxing's ability to get in its own way. He was talking about the prospects for Mayweather-Pacquiao. Larry said that as of now, it looks like Floyd is looking for an alibi, a way out of fighting Manny, by way of his insistence on Olympic PED testing, far and away beyond current boxing protocol.

---Merchant learned Kelly Pavlik is done at 160, that he weighed 11 or 12 pounds over 160 24 hours before his last fight, with Sergio Martinez. He said Tim Bradley's name has come up for Mayweather and Pacquiao. Don't see that happening, risk/reward ratio is askew there.