By Sean McDaniel: Former IBF welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KO’s) wants to fight World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KO’s) next. Cintron and Berto both have the same promoter, so you would think the fight would be easy to put together. However, Cintron thinks that Berto is purposely being kept away from him and is being matched instead against light welterweights at 140 pounds to keep him winning.

In an interview by Greg Leon at Boxingtalk.com, Cintron said “I’d knock him [Berto] out in three rounds or less. Who has he fought?”

Cintron would be a real tough opponent if Cintron didn’t have some misfortune occur. In his last fight against Paul Williams in May, Cintron either leaped or tripped in the 4th round and ended up hurting himself during the fall. Cintron was taken out of the arena on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. In fights against Antonio Margarito, Cintron fell apart and was stopped both times. And last year, Cintron fought to a 12 round majority draw against Sergio Martinez in a fight where Cintron appeared to have been knocked out by a straight left to the head.

Cintron was able to successfully argue to the referee that he was knocked down by a head butt, even though replays showed in slow motion that it was a short left hand that had knocked Cintron out, not not a head butt. He was then able to continue fighting and with the help of a point deduction taken away from Martinez for holding in the 12th, without a previous warning given, the fight was ruled a draw.

Berto has looked good recently in beating guys like Freddy Hernandez and Carlos Quintana, but we still don’t know how Berto would do against someone with the kind of power that Cintron possesses. That would be a good fight if they could put them together. It would be a break from seeing Berto against light welterweights or little known welterweights.