"We are really pushing to get that fight with Miguel Cotto. I think that a fight with Miguel Cotto on the day of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York would be a huge fight. I'm hoping to get the fight; right now, we're hoping to get the fightÂ…I hope next year is the year where a lot of fighters are going to step up to the plate. I had a great year in 2009 and I know 2010 is going to be a great year for me. I'm looking forward to fighting world champions and the best fighters out there," stated former welterweight champion Kermit Cintron as he talked about his future plans and shared his thoughts on a possible fight with Miguel Cotto. Check out what else he had to say about Shane Mosley, Andre Berto, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and more.
PC: Congratulations on your last victory over Ramos. I know he wasn't the caliber of opponent you were looking to fight, but you had to be happy with your performance and even moreso that it was in Puerto Rico.
KC: I was definitely happy, first of all, with being able to fight in Puerto Rico in front of my crew and I was also happy to come out there with a knockout. It was a great experience and a great feeling and I'm just happy with the outcome. A lot of people showed up for me. I'm not sure how many, but it was north of 3,000 and overall, the outcome was great and the people of Puerto Rico really supported me.
PC: I know you guys are trying to land the Miguel Cotto fight. How big of an event do you think that could be?
KC: We are really pushing to get that fight with Miguel Cotto. I think that a fight with Miguel Cotto on the day of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York would be a huge fight. I'm hoping to get the fight; right now, we're hoping to get the fight.
PC: What did you think of Cotto's performance against Manny Pacquiao?
KC: I thought his performance was good. Pacquiao is a hard guy to fight. The guy is always moving in and out and he moves all around and sometimes you gotta chase him. You could see Cotto trying to catch him coming in sometimes, but Pacquiao was too quick for Cotto in my opinion. But Cotto fought a hell of a fight and again, he fought a guy that was #1 in the world pound-for-pound and you gotta give him credit for going 12 rounds, although he got stopped. He didn't want to quit and you gotta give him props for that.
PC: It's the holiday season and you don't have a fight lined up. Are you just hanging out with the family or are you staying in the gym fine-tuning things and maintaining?
KC: Right now, I'm just working on my strength and conditioning. I'm not doing any boxing. I'm mainly just enjoying my time off.
PC: Who do you like in next months fight between Shane Mosley and Andre Berto?
KC: They are both great fighters Berto is just younger and faster. He's probably equal to Shane Mosley, but Shane Mosley just has more experience. He's a veteran and he knows every trick in the boxing game. It's a tough one to pick, but I'm going to go with Shane Mosley just based on experience.
PC: And the potential huge fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao, if it still comes off, who do you like in that one and why?
KC: That's definitely a fight that needs to happen. It's a huge fight with a lot of money involved and I'm glad Mayweather appears ready to step up to the plate and challenge the best pound-for-pound champion out there and vice versa because Mayweather's a hell of a fighter and he's pound-for-pound as well. To me, they are both on top of the pound-for-pound list and in their primes. In my opinion, Mayweather is just a little sharper with his skills, but again, Pacquiao is a great fighter as well. It's going to be a real interesting fight, but I'm going to go with Mayweather on that fight.
PC: You and Sergio Martinez finished in a draw. He recently gave Paul Williams a very tough fight. Did you see anything different in Sergio in that fight as opposed to when you fought him and is that a rematch you will gun for?
KC: I just think that MartinezÂ…the difference between Paul Williams and myself is, of course, we have opposite stances. He's a southpaw and I'm orthodox and I think I have more power than Paul Williams. I think Martinez gave me more respect because of my power, but it was actually a hell of a fight as well. It's definitely a candidate for fight of the year and it was a really close fight. I had Paul Williams up 2 rounds. I had it 115-113. I believe one of the judges had it right and one of the judges was way off. But it's just a matter of what the judges are looking for. Are they looking for the busiest fighter or the fighter that's coming forward? I just think that they should worry about who is landing the punches and not who is applying the pressure.
PC: Thanks for your time. I think the Cotto fight makes a lot of sense. Good luck. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
KC: I hope next year is the year where a lot of fighters are going to step up to the plate. I had a great year in 2009 and I know 2010 is going to be a great year for me. I'm looking forward to fighting world champions and the best fighters out there. and I want to wish fighters, fans and everybody a Happy New Year!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]