Paul Williams-Kermit Cintron Could be Headed for D.C.

Washington, D.C.-- Last Wednesday's press conference at The Lincoln Theatre was intended to promote the May 1 welterweight (147 pounds) clash between unbeaten Floyd Mayweather and WBA super champion, Shane Mosley slated for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

But before the principles were introduced, one of the officials on stage pointed to Paul Williams, who was sitting in the crowd, and asked him to stand up.

And when the former two-time welterweight and one-time junior middleweight (154 pounds) did stand up, the more than 1,500 boxing fanatics who had packed the venue beyond its capacity were boisterous and roundly supportive in appreciation of his status and achievement.

A rangy fighter, with too-fisted power and a seemingly, endless energy reserve, Williams is known for unleashing an unheard of number of punches during his action-packed bouts.

"I've been coming to D.C. for like 12 years, and they've shown me a lot of love down here in D.C., that's why I sort of ran back here," said the 28-year-old Williams (38-1, 27 knockouts), a slender, nearly 6-foot-2, fighter who trains at the Barcroft Recreation Center in nearby Arlington, Va., frequents shows in Maryland, and supports local fighters in and around the Washington, D.C. area.

"Everybody says, 'I know you're originally from Carolina, but you're really a D.C. boy,'" said Williams. "So I'm rolling with the home team."


A deal that would match Williams, of Augusta, Ga., against 30-year-old, Puerto Rican-born former IBF welterweight titlist, Kermit Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs), of Houston, Tex., on May 8 at 154 pounds is close to being finalized, according to Cintron's promoter, Lou DiBella.

For a while, the lone holdup appeared to be a site at which to hold it, but thanks, in large part, to Williams' popularity in the Washington area -- as evidenced by the reception at Lincoln Theatre -- the District of Columbia has become a viable site, said Williams' promoter, Dan Goossen.

"We have developed a good relationship with the people at the Verizon Center, and at the D.C. Convention Center. And we're aware of their desire to see Paul Williams in action out there," said Goossen, who declared the match up "not 100 percent, but nearly done."

"The good thing about Paul Williams is that he's very popular everywhere that he goes," said Goossen. "Paul Williams has got fans on the West Coast as well as fans on the East Coast."

Nicknamed "The Punisher," Williams is riding a five-bout winning streak that includes three knockouts since being dethroned as WBO welterweight champ via unanimous decision against Puerto Rican southpaw, Carlos Quintana (27-2, 21 KOs), in February of 2008.

Williams regained the crown from Quintana with a first-round knockout in their return bout in June 2008, his first of three consecutive stoppages in round one.

Williams is coming off December's 12-round, non-title, middleweight (160 pounds) majority decision over slick-boxing, Argentinian southpaw Sergio Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KOs).

Prior to facing Martinez, Williams dominated a one-sided, unanimous decision over former world champion, Winky Wright, in April.

Cintron is 3-0-1 with one knockout since losing his IBF title by sixth-round knockout in April 2008 to Antonio Margarito, whom Williams dethroned by decision to become WBO king in July 2007.

Cintron, who lost by knockout to Margarito for the second time, is coming off October's junior middleweight stoppage of Juliano Ramos (15-3, 12 KOs), whom Cintron dropped in the fourth round before Ramos failed to come out for the fifth.

Cintron has fought three times as a junior middleweight, having earned May's 12-round, unanimous decision over Alfredo Angulo in a WBC title eliminator matchup, and battled Martinez to a disputed draw in February 2009.




Against Martinez, Williams participated in his toughest bout to date -- a tooth-and-nail, blood-and-guts, knock-down, dragout, non-title middleweight clash of southpaws.

During the bout, both Williams and Martinez were down in the first round. After the bout, Williams required hospitalization to receive surgery to repair cuts over both eyes.

"Paul got cracked, and he got up off of the mat, and he went to work," said his trainer and manager, George Peterson. "It took him a while before he settled down, but once he settled down, he was ready to walk."

Unlike Peterson, who was nervous during some stretches of the fight with Martinez, Williams said the fighter in him simply took over.

"When we fought, I had looked into the crowd, and I got caught, and I didn't see the punch and I went down. So I was like, 'We've got to get it, now.' But it was a good thing for the fans, because they got to see a good, drag out fight," said Williams.

"Mr. Peterson, he was kind of mad at me, because he was telling me to go to the body and all of that, but I was so pumped up because I had got dropped. And I was in the mind frame like, 'Okay, this a war, this is a fight, this is what everybody comes out to see,'" said Williams.

"Two guys, going back and forth. And I was in my rhythm, so I was like, 'I'm just going to go get it the way that I can get it.' I could have done a lot better, with head movement and stuff like that, but I just wanted to fight," said Williams. "I wanted to make him fight, tire him out in the later rounds. I knew that if I could have gone to the body and maybe stopped him, but I was looking for a head shot. I wanted to spank him."

Williams said he wouldn't mind returning to Atlantic City, but he also favors Washington, D.C. "I'm hoping that it's D.C. or Atlantic City. But with me, it doesn't matter. And it doesn't matter who I fight. Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather, Kermit Cintron," said Williams.

"I would fight Sergio Martinez, again. I would love to fight Kelly Pavlik. I would love to fight them guys. They're the biggest guys out there now, and everybody says they're the best guys, and I want to prove myself," said Williams.

"I don't want to be in here 45 years old trying to still fight guys, I want to get them in my prime, and to show everybody what I can do. All those guys I know, when I get into the ring with them, they know that its' going to be a straight up fight, you know what I'm saying?" said Williams.

"They're going to get me, or I'm going to get them, but you had better believe that the fans are going to get their money's worth," said Williams. "And I'm going to be in there gunning it, as I always do. It's not going to be no boring fight with me. You will get your money's worth."