Las Vegas, NV - The fans came for a battle. What they saw was a one sided rout.
Antonio Margarito, 31-4 (22 KOs) opened a cut on Kermit Cintron's, 24-1 (22 KOs) right eye and knocked him down twice in both the fourth and fifth rounds to easily retain the WBO welterweight championship with a 5th round technical knockout at the beautiful outdoor facility at Caesars Palace.
After the second knockdown, Cintron's trainer Marshall Kauffman climbed onto the apron to throw in the towel, leaving referee Kenny Bayless no choice but to stop the fight at 2:12 of the round.
It was the first loss for Cintron, whose reputation was that of a big puncher and early finisher. But it was the more experienced and rugged Margarito who dominated the fight from the third round on and landed all the big right hands.
Margarito has a reputation as a slow starter, but he never allowed Cintron to get into the fight. Cintron offered little resistance and his power was never a serious factor.
"I always said a puncher could be knocked out at any time," Margarito said. "He had not faced anyone even close to the level I fought. I knew that would be the difference in the fight."
With a cut over the right eye from a punch in the third round, blood flowed into Cintron's eye. The blood seemed to affect Cintron, who was hurt by a right hand in the fourth round and then put down by a flurry of punches in his corner.
Margarito put Cintron down again late in the round and two more times in the fifth round before the stoppage.
"I had the perfect plan and I knew it would work," Margarito said. "I was very confident. When I felt that right hand and it was nothing, I knew I would be all right."
Cintron said he didn't listen to his corner's instructions when he should have.
"I was ready. I was prepared for this fight," Cintron said. "I wasn't following instructions and I paid for it. For some reason I wasn't listening to my corner."
Margarito has been largely anonymous in the talent-packed welterweight division despite having the WBO belt. He had said he thought he was the equal of either Oscar De La Hoya, who is moving down to welterweight, or Shane Mosley, who returned to the division Saturday with a victory over David Estrada.
Margarito said he's on a mission to be recognized as one of the sport's premier fighters and that he saw nothing from Mosley that would worry him.
"I'm ready for those guys," Margarito said of De La Hoya and Mosley. "I didn't see anything (from Mosley) to be concerned with. I think either one would be good for me."
Call me 'Sugar'
Shane Mosley was smiling as he made is way to the ring. And for a change he had something to smile about.
Returning to the ring as a welterweight after losing two straight 154-pound fights to much bigger Winky Wright, Mosley was impressive on his way to a unanimous 10-round decision over tough but inexperienced David Estrada.
"I wanted to feel myself out and move around a bit, see what was right," Mosley said. "I haven't fought with eight ounce gloves in a while and I didn't know what to expect."
Mosley won easily on all three ringside scorecards, with one judge giving him nine of the 10 rounds. He hurt Estrada with powerful 'vintage Mosley' left hooks to the body midway through the fight. Despite hurting Estrada, Mosley chose to throw combinations sparingly and never really committed for a knockout.
"I thought I hurt him to the body but he did a great job of covering the body well," Mosley said. "He's a tough fighter and he had a strong will."
The former three-time champion decided to move back to 147 pounds in hope of regaining some of the speed that won him titles at 135 and 147 pounds.
Mosley improves to 40-4 (35 Kos), Estrada drops to 18-2 (9 KOs).
"I'm still not 100 per cent where I want to be but I felt a lot better in this fight," Mosley said.
Heavyweights anyone?
In other action, Calvin Brock survived a seventh round knockdown to win a unanimous decision over Jameel McCline, despite giving away 47 pounds to his bigger opponent. The former Olympian rocked McCline, 31-5-3 (19 KOs) on several occasions, and landed the crisper punches against his six-foot-six, 265-pound opponent. Brock improves to 25-0 (20 KOs).
Klitschko Stops Castillo in Four
Wladimir Klitschko continued on his road back into the title picture in Dortmund, Germany with a fourth round stoppage of previously unbeaten Eliseo Castillo at the Westfalenhallen Complex.
The end came at 2:51 when Castillo was knocked down with a right hand. The Cuban rose to his feet but referee Daniel Van de Wiele chose to stop the contest.
With the win, Klitschko improves to 44-3 (40 KOs). Castillo falls to 18-1-1 (14 KOs).
Bobby Roy
LA Correspondent
Information from other publications and wire services was used in the compilation of this report.
