Cintron Willing To Face McGregor In The Cage

By Derek Gionta: The recent buzz behind the Floyd Mayweather Jr-Conor McGregor boxing event has created interest among a number of combat sports athletes to crossover and challenge one another in their respective sport.

Mainly we have boxers calling out McGregor to a fight in the squared circle. The numbers generated by Floyd and Conor are enough reason for anyone to create a buzz of their own.

Rarely do you see boxers make the transition to the octagon against a high level combatant. Ray Mercer and James Toney can both speak on the subject, offering pros and cons to the risky move.

One boxer wants to step inside the octagon and face McGregor, a challenge the popular Irishman made public after his 10th round TKO defeat at the hands of Mayweather.

Kermit Cintron, a Reading, PA native, recently expressed a strong interest in facing Conor McGregor in the Cage, obliging the challenge to the boxing community.

Cintron, a former IBF welterweight champion with a current record of 39-6-3, 30 KOs, started competing as a wrestler before entering the world of boxing. This isn’t his first attempt at challenging an MMA fighter to a fight in the cage.

"Dana White offered Mayweather to fight Sean Sherk when he was a world champion," stated Cintron.

Mayweather declined the cage fight proposal.

"I jumped in assuming and challenged Sean Sherk as I was a world champion at the time. Nothing came about it but I wanted to challenge," said Cintron.

As for McGregor’s recent call out of pro boxers to the cage, Cintron had this to say: "McGregor is now looking for a boxer to challenge him in his own sport, his own turf. I personally don’t know any boxer that would step into the octagon and challenge an MMA fighter. With a background in wrestling, which I was pretty damn good at, and my boxing background, I believe I would challenge McGregor."

With continued training in other aspects of fighting, Cintron feels he and his team can make the jump and take this challenge head on.

Long time trainer and manager of Cintron Marshall Kauffman feels Kermit can beat McGregor at his own game.

"Kermit would destroy McGregor within 5 rounds and I think they know this," said Kauffman.

"This would be a great fight for boxing and MMA fans."

McGregor certainly has a number of options at this point and the proposals must be flowing rapidly by the day.

A few writers that have covered Cintron over the years in boxing are well aware that a move to MMA wouldn’t be a major thing for him due to the wrestling background and would look less like a fish out of water than most boxers.

"He wants to defend his title against a boxer? I will step in and challenge him," stated Cintron.

"Give me the opportunity and I will shock the world."