Cintron vs. Granados & George vs. Lopez on Friday Night Fights on March 22nd

By Boxing News - 03/08/2013 - Comments

cintron39By Allan Fox: Former IBF welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (33-5-1, 28 KO’s) will be returning to the ring this month after a 16 month layoff to face Adrian Granados (11-2-1, 7 KO’s) in a scheduled 10 round bout at 154 in a fight card that will be televised by ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights at the UIC Pavilion, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Also on the same card, the hard hitting Don George (24-3-1, 21 KO’s) will be moving down from super middleweight to middleweight to face David Alonso Lopez (41-13, 23 KO’s) in a 10 round bout as well.

Cintron, 33, hasn’t fought since he was stopped in the 5th round by WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in November 2011 in a fight that saw Cintron dropped in the 4th and blown out in the 5th in a totally one-sided fight.

Cintron has lost three out of his last four fights, and some boxing fans see him as a shot fighter. What Cintron hopes to accomplish by coming back isn’t really clear because he doesn’t match up with Canelo and WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout. Unless Cintron goes after the WBO champ at 154 Zaurbek Baysangurov or the IBF champ Ishe Smith, he doesn’t have any chance of capturing a belt.

Cintron previously held the IBF welterweight title from 2006 to 2008 when he was stopped by Antonio Marqarito.

Cintron was a lot more effective at 147 than he was at 154, and it’s too bad that he can’t make that weight any longer because that would be his best chance of finding success with his comeback. Cintron has been fighting in the junior middleweight division since beating 2009 when he was given a controversial 12 round draw against Sergio Martinez.

Cintron should have been knocked out in that fight after getting dropped by Martinez, and the referee mistakenly ruled it caused by a head-butt rather than a left hand from Martinez.

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Don George, 28, is moving down to 160 in order to see if he can find success at this weight after having lost two out of his last four fights at super middleweight. George has good power, and perhaps his power will be even better at 160. However, he lacks hand speed and his work rate isn’t always what it should be in order to make up for his lack of speed.

George was beaten by Adonis Stevenson and Edwin Rodriguez in 2012. George won his last fight against James Cook by a 1st round knockout earlier this year in February.

Lopez, 35, is a solid middleweight with a ton of experience. He has good skills, but for some reason he’s spent far too much of his career facing 2nd tier fighters rather than stepping it up against world class opposition.

Lopez was easily beaten by WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout by a 12 round unanimous decision in June of 2011. Lopez fought only once since then, beating Julio Cesar Garcia by a 10 round unanimous decision in May of last year.



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