Let the Gladiators Battle: Margarito vs. Cintron at Caesar’s Palace

By Jocelyn Saurini for Pregame.com

Somewhere in the back rooms of Caesar’s Palace, ESPN and Caesar’s executives sat down to make a pay-per-view boxing card. At the table, somebody must have asked, “What fight can we set that will have a reasonable chance at ousting Pac-Morales as the best fight in the last twelve months?” They must have asked it, because they took their shot (and no doubt leveraged their connections) to get the much anticipated and always the “next fight the two of them will take” Margarito-Cintron fight. And on a card that already promises three other great, entertaining fights, Margarito-Cintron is sure to be worthy of the gladiator tradition that Caesar’s embodies. And I mean the real gladiators, not the pretty ones who serve you drinks in the mermaid bar.

Some boxing matches are about finesse, or strategy, or heart and soul. This boxing match, however, is going to be about power and strength. Both Antonio Margarito (30-4, 21 KOs), the current Welterweight WBO champ, and Kermit Cintron (24-0, 22 KOs) are known to be literal punching machines. Are you likely to see clever angles and speedy defensive moves? Surely not. But you are likely to see hard punches that resound through the stadium and into your living room. You’re likely to wince yourself in sympathy pain a few times when you see one of the two of them take a hit from the other. And that? That’s an exciting way to watch a fight.

Margarito: Experience and Edge

The twenty-seven year old Tijuana born fighter is the reigning WBO champion and therefore clearly has an edge in experience, both in actual bouts fought and in intensity of those bouts. A tough-nosed fighter who’s grateful for his world ranking after having spent years fighting his way up in the small venue club circuit, he’s got a history of not going down no matter how bad the fatigue or injury – he’s frequently suffered large cuts for his troubles in previous matches. He’s willing to sacrifice his own phsycial well being in order to land punches, and he clearly believes that as long as he does that his power will bring him out on top. This may or may not work against an equally powerful Cintron. Margarito will want to come in head-first, throwing hard at Cintron. The danger here is that Cintron is a power puncher as well and could easily take Margarito out with the right hit while the champion comes in on him.

Margarito knows Cintron can punch, but he’s ready for the challenge. Said Margarito in his pre-fight press conference, “We are ready to win. Knockout or decision, we will win. Also, I think that a lot is being made about his power. He does have a punch I guess, but I have faced big punchers in the past and know that I can take a punch. We are getting well prepared to neutralize his power.

Cintron: Ready to Prove He’s the Real Thing

Kermit’ Cintron grew up in the tough area of Reading, PA is true to his heritage. Like Margarito, he’s used to fighting through pain. He’s fought with the flu, with both of his hands injured and with a neck sprain in what was, at that time, his biggest fight ever against Teddy Reid. Though unless Margarito inflicts some damage early on, that won’t be a concern for this fight. Cintron, but all appearances, is in the best shape he’s been in before a fight. And he’s rested. Cintron will have not fought in almost nine months by the time he faces Margarito. And while some might worry that will make him slow and stale, Cintron disagrees, stating in his pre-fight press conference, “Actually, the layoff (9 months) has made me hungrier to step in the ring and train harder. You know, I want to fight. I think it did a good thing for me you know. I’m hungry and wanna fight.”

What’s more impressive about Cintron than his determination, though, is his boxing skill. Often categorized as a “power fighter,” Cintron’s boxing skills are actually much better than Margarito’s in terms of pure form and skill level. This could be the difference in the fight – especially given that Margarito looked less than engaged in the action against Daniel Santos and Sebastian Lujan. But Cintron knows he’s in for a fight. Said Cintron in a recent press conference, “ To me, (Margarito) is number one in the welterweight division. What does that tell you? He is a great fighter with great heart.”

The Rumor Mill

The rumor is that Margarito has spent much of his pre-fight prep working on his defense in an effort to negate Cintron’s power punch. As we all know, this could be a good or bad thing. It will be the day of the fight before we figure out if it ultimately was a good decisions to try to move Margarito away from being a head-on fighter.

The Long and Short of It

Chances are, this fight will be no surprise in that it will be two power punchers doing what they do best – walking in and punching. But you never know, Cintron’s pure boxing ability or Margarito’s hypothetically improved defense could make this into a surprising bout. One thing is for sure…you will turn your head away from your tv in sympathy pain at least once while watching the bout. And that’s enough to get me up and moving on Saturday night.

By Jocelyn Saurini for Pregame.com - jocelyn@pregame.com