What is apparent to most is that Mexican superstar Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez 38-0-1 (28 KO?s) of Juanacatl?n, Jalisco, Mexico, even though already the WBC junior middleweight champion at the young age of 21, is still a work in progress, evidently improving at all phases of the sweet science in each subsequent appearance. And when this young prizefighter and national sensation laces up the gloves this weekend at Monumental Plaza in Mexico City in front of his fellow countrymen to face the biggest challenge of his career to date against former world champion Kermit ?The Killer? Cintron 33-4-1 (28 KO?s) of Carolina, Puerto Rico, he will be taking a major step up in a contest that is certain to demonstrate to all skeptics that perhaps ?Canelo? Alvarez, the biggest draw amongst Mexican boxing fans since Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., is no fluke, and is perhaps a deserving and legitimate champion. If there is any reason to doubt Alvarez, the knock on him is that he has up to this point gained and defended his WBC title against less than stellar opposition, winning the title against a much smaller Matthew Hatton, whom ?Canelo? could not discourage from pressing the action over the course of twelve rounds even though Alvarez landed at will, as well as defending that title against relatively unknown European champion Ryan Rhodes, who had never fought outside of his native United Kingdom, or against any recognizable opposition for that matter. In Alvarez? most recent victory and second title defense against Alfonso Gomez, who became popular by way of the TV series ?The Contender,? Gomez would enter the ring having some decent names on his resume, but had only fought that particular opposition when these fighters in question were well past their prime. Being what it is, I think most observers are well aware that this Saturday night the young hungry and determined Alvarez will be out to prove that he is worthy of his stature amongst Mexican fans, as well as that amongst boxing fans the world over. And with ?Canelo? steadily improving while performing in a relative consistent manner, throwing phenomenal combinations and demonstrating the poise and patience of a fighter well beyond his years, the question then becomes, what are we to expect from Kermit Cintron? Undefeated and considered one of the hottest prospects in boxing at the time, Kermit Cintron in two title bouts in 2005 and 2008, would suffer his first, then second defeat as a professional at the hands of the now infamous Antonio Margarito. With both these losses under a cloud of suspicion due to the discovery of Margarito attempting to enter the ring against Shane Mosley in 2009 with plastered hand wraps, there is wide speculation, even though Cintron has never spoke much about it but to say that he has never felt that kind of power before, that Kermit has never fully recovered mentally, and or to an extent physically from these two losses, and that he is not the same fighter he once was. In subsequent bouts, Kermit ever so slightly has seemed to lack the resolve and determination to succeed at the highest level, escaping with a draw against the quicker handed and highly talented Sergio Martinez, who controlled Cintron for most of that bout, to perform much better and get the win over highly touted slugger Alfredo Angulo, although it was reported that Angulo was not well, and or weight drained, which led some to suggest that somehow the win over Angulo wasn?t all that it appeared to be. With only the two suspicious losses to Margarito followed by a controversial draw to Martinez up to this point, Cintron would then bizarrely fly through the ropes in the fourth round in his 2010 outing against former world champion Paul Williams. And considering that Kermit stated after the fall he could continue, he would make no attempt to re-enter the ring, receiving a technical decision loss, to be subsequently carried off on a stretcher even though it appeared he would incur nothing more than slight bump on his head. Taking over a year off after that debacle of a fight, ?The Killer? looked anything but in his return, dropping a ten round unanimous decision in July of this year to journeyman Carlos Molina in a fight where Kermit looked sluggish at best, appearing amateurish and quite winded in his worst performance as a professional. In a follow up bout this past August against relative unknown Antwone Smith, even though Smith was a man who had never faced any fighters with name recognition whatsoever, Antwone was quite competitive in a losing effort, taking Kermit the full distance without a hitch. With that all said, the impression here is that ?Canelo is on the rise, while perhaps Cintron, a man who?s resolve and determination has been called into question as of late, perhaps evidenced by his recent lackluster performances, is a fighter on the decline, and is ripe for the picking. This scenario has led to speculation amongst some that this is precisely the reason the Alvarez camp has chosen to fight Kermit at this particular stage. When I prompted the Puerto Rican fighter regarding this very topic, he replied, ?if that?s why they picked me as an opponent, then that?s a big mistake on their part. I?ve had my ups and downs but it doesn?t mean that I?m a shot fighter. I still feel great, I feel strong, and I feel that I?m one of the best fighters in the world. I know that I?ve prepared myself very well for this fight, and I am going to take advantage by beating ?Canelo? on this night to become a world champion again.?
