25.08 – With a packed house watching the action, World Boxing Organization (WBO) No. 8 welterweight Kermit “The Killer” Cintron quickly disposed of his opponent, Ian MacKillop in the second round today on SHOWTIME. MacKillop was knocked down three times, causing referee Randy Newman to stop the fight at 1:29 of the second round. Unbeaten lightweight Juan Diaz, continued to display his dominance in the ring with a 10-round unanimous decision (100-88, 100-89, 99-89) over lightweight contender, Peter “Mambo Kid” Nieves in the co-featured bout on “ShoBox: The New Generation.”
Cintron (17-0, 116 KOs), of Columbia, Pa., by way of Puerto Rico, displayed his brilliance in the ring today by dominating his opponent from the opening bell during his fourth “ShoBox” appearance. In his series debut on Aug. 18, 2001, Cintron scored a come-from-behind fifth-round knockout over Said Ouali in Uncasville, Conn. Six months later in his second “ShoBox” bout, Cintron captured the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth world welterweight title with a second-round TKO over Omar Davila on Feb. 16, 2002, in San Antonio, Texas. The 22-year-old won his first nine matches by knockout, prior to earning a six-round decision over Leon Pearson on May 31, 2001, in Harrisburg, Pa. In his last bout, Cintron knocked out his 11th opponent before the start of the third round with a second-round TKO victory over Otilio Villarreal on July 19, 2002.
MacKillop (14-2, 8 KOs), of Fredrickton, Canada, by way of Hollywood, Calif., could not find his rhythm today against the powerful Cintron. MacKillop is now 4-1 in his last five bouts. The hard-hitting welterweight turned pro at age 22 in June 2000 and won his first 10 bouts, including six by knockout. After suffering a loss to close out his sophomore campaign in November 2001, MacKillop had opened 2002 with four consecutive victories. The 24-year-old, who has fought six times in Las Vegas, tallied his second straight knockout in his last bout by flooring Jonathan Nelson on July 21, 2002, in Friant, Calif.
Diaz (17-0, 7 KOs), of Houston, Texas, remains undefeated after dominating all 10 rounds and dropping Nieves once in the fourth, to register a unanimous decision over his opponent, 100-88, 100-89 and 99-89. Diaz became the youngest boxer (17-years-old) to fight on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING when he made his network debut on Jan. 13, 2001, and won a six-round decision over Brad Jensen. In his second SHOWTIME appearance on Sept. 1, 2001, Diaz survived a brutal second-round knockdown at the hands of Ubaldo Hernandez, as well as a badly cut right eye to win his initial eight-round start by the scores 78-72 twice and 74-76. The native Texan turned pro at age 16 on June 23, 2000. Too young to box professionally in the United States, Diaz fought his initial three bouts in Mexico. The crowd-pleasing lightweight, who won his first five contests inside of the distance, registered a 10-round unanimous decision over Michael Davis in his last fight on July 5, 2002, from Laredo, Texas.
Nieves (15-5-1, 8 KOs), of San Juan, Puerto Rico, by way of New York, N.Y., battled hard, but in the end was destroyed by the speed and power of his opponent. This fight marked his SHOWTIME and “ShoBox” debut. He turned pro at 19 in 1989, and won his first eight bouts. In his 12th contest, Nieves tallied a 10-round decision over Luis Rodriguez on March 27, 1992, to capture the New York state 130-pound championship. After suffering his fourth career loss and second of 1993, Nieves took a leave of absence from boxing until 2001. Undeterred from the nearly eight-year layoff, Nieves returned to the ring on June 21, 2001, and scored a fifth-round TKO over Julio Martinez in Allentown, Pa. Unbeaten in four bouts since making a comeback (3-0-1, 2 KOs), Nieves earned a unanimous four-round decision over Jose La Porte on May 18, 2002, in Uncasville, Conn.
“ShoBox: The New Generation” features up-and-coming prospects determined to make a mark and eventually fight for a chance at a world title. The best of the new generation of hungry, young boxers will have an opportunity to showcase their talent and heart as they battle each other in competitive fights in front of a national television audience. “ShoBox: The New Generation” is pure, basic boxing, reminiscent of the golden days of the sport.
SHOWTIME televises “ShoBox: The New Generation” at 5 p.m. ET/PT on Saturdays approximately every other week. The telecast will repeat the next day, Sunday, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and the following Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME TOO.
Nick Charles will call the action from ringside, with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producers of the telecast are Jay Larkin and Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing.
