By Scoop Malinowski

Fast-rising Kermit Cintron is one of the most exciting TV fighters of today. All of his network TV fights have been very impressive, particularly his last victory against Teddy Reid on HBO.

Cintron is one of those fighters who seems to be improving with each fight. He has tremendous power, excellent size and strength, and especially impressive is his tenacity to answer back with punches when hit. Also he seems to be able to take a good shot, as the hard-punching Reid tried everything but just could not disconcert Cintron.

Also impressive about Cintron is his demeanor. There is just something about his quiet, serious confidence and the look in his eye that tells me he is going places in boxing, if he keeps on his current course.

In this interview, Cintron discusses his passion for boxing, his late start in the ring and the experience of sparring 16 rounds with Bernard Hopkins:

Boxinginsider.com: Man, you looked very good in that exciting fight with Reid. You looked so confident before it started which was impressive because it was such a pressure fight. When did you know you could win?

Kermit Cintron: “I felt good from the beginning. Halfway throught the seventh round, my second wind kicked in. I felt it. I felt it was gonna be over with then.”

Boxinginsider.com: Reid is a very dangerous and tricky fighter. He seemed to pretend he was slow and hurt at times like trying to trick you. He really fought his heart out.

Kermit Cintron: “Oh yeah, he’s a true champion. He came to win. And he came to take my head off. So I give it to him, he’s a true champion.”

Boxinginsider.com: When did you see defeat in his eyes?

Kermit Cintron: “Right when I dropped him the first time in the 8th round.”

Boxinginsider.com: How did you get so good in just five years (Cintron started boxing in 1999)? Because I don’t know any other fighters offhand who got that good that fast in just five years…

Kermit Cintron: “Just being in the gym every day, all year round, non-stop.”

Boxinginsider.com: You live it?

Kermit Cintron: “That’s it. That’s all I do. Live boxing. I eat it, sleep it [smiles]. That’s all I do.”

Boxinginsider.com: What started your love for boxing?

Kermit Cintron: “I always loved boxing since I was a little kid. My uncle himself used to be a professional boxer. And seeing him in the gym and working out…always I wanted to get into it. At the age of 19 I finally got a chance to. And I stuck with it.”

Boxinginsider.com: Why did you wait so long?

Kermit Cintron: “I just never had the chance. When I was a little kid, I was always in other sports.”

Boxinginsider.com: Training and sparring with Bernard Hopkins…how was that experience for you?

Kermit Cintron: “He’s one of the pound-for-pound champions out there. And just going in with him - doing 16 rounds with him sparring - I learned a lot from him. Learned how to - when not to punch, when to punch…his craftiness, his speed, his reflexes. I was suprised. For the age of 39, he’s a true champion. Afterwards, his trainers would tell me what I did wrong and things I do right.”

Boxinginsider.com:How did Hopkins treat you?

Kermit Cintron: “He treated me great. I mean, he’s a great guy. A lot of people think he might be ignorant, but he’s not, he’s really a great guy.”

Boxinginsider.com: Angelo Dundee told me he’s just great with younger, less experienced fighters. He doesn’t try to take advantage or to prove how great he is by hurting sparring partners…

Kermit Cintron: “Well, he already proved himself in the ring. He just goes in there and works with you. He knows he’s there to get ready for a fight.”

Boxinginsider.com: Did he do anything or say anything that really boosted your confidence?

Kermit Cintron: “He just said that I ‘Got it.’ I mean, that was it, that I got it, I have the heart, I’m hungry. So, I mean, that’s all, I got it.”

Boxinginsider.com: When did he realize that you got it?

Kermit Cintron: “I would have to say the last day of sparring, his trainers and him said, ‘You got it, just keep with it.”

Final comments: I did this interview with Cintron at the weigh-in for Arturo Gatti and Leonard Dorin. The next night, as the first preliminary four-rounder between Dat Nguyen and Tony Espinoza was starting, there was Kermit Cintron already in his front row ringside seat, ready to take in the action. Obviously, his love for boxing is extraordinary because I don’t know of any other fighters who arrive so early - there were only about 50 or so fans in the building then - to watch the first prelim. Even the large majority of the media were not in their seats.

But there was Kermit Cintron, front row, eyes glued to the action in the ring.