By Ken Hissner: In speaking with that well-known and well-respected gymnasium proprietor, supervisor, advisor, coach, cut-man, and former enterprise proprietor from Studying, Pa, Wealthy Ormsbee, we mentioned his metropolis’s two world champions he was concerned with.
That being the WBA Tremendous Middleweight champion Steve “Lightning” Little and the IBF Welterweight champion Kermit “The Killer” Cintron. In Cintron, he solely labored as his cut-man.
Little received the WBA Tremendous Middleweight title in February of 1994 in a serious upset with a 21-13-2 report defeating the champion Michael “Second To” Nunn, who was 42-1 on the time, at Earls Court docket Exhibition Corridor, Kensington, UK. It was the co-Important Occasion to WBC World Tremendous Middleweight champion Nigel “Darkish Destroyer” Benn’s title protection.
Little, 10-2, on the time, had been in with such well-known opponents whose report on the time included in with 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist and future WBA Welterweight champion Mark Breland, 2-0, in April of 1985, dropping a six-round resolution.
The next yr Little, 11-5-1, defeated former WBA Welterweight champion Pipino Cuevas, 31-11, in March of 1986. In August, he defeated former NABF champion David “Machine Gun” Braxton 37-2.
In August of 1987, Little misplaced to Kronk’s Tyrone Trice, 25-1, by resolution.
In his subsequent struggle, he misplaced by one level on all playing cards to David Gutierrez, 16-0-1, who by no means fought once more, retiring after this struggle with a extreme neck harm.
In April of 1988, Little misplaced to future IBF Welterweight champion Robert “Bam Bam” Hines, 21-1-1, for the IBF USBA Tremendous Welterweight title. In December, he misplaced to future world Tremendous Mild Middleweight champion “Horrible” Terry Norris, 18-2.
In Little’s subsequent struggle, he misplaced to Montreal’s future WBC Tremendous Welterweight champion Dave Hilton, 25-0-1, in Atlantic Metropolis. Although dropping two in a row, he obtained a world title struggle dropping to WBO World Tremendous Welterweight champion John David Jackson, 18-0, on the Palace, Auburn Hills, MI.
In Little’s subsequent struggle, he misplaced to Philadelphia’s Tyrone “The Wyandanch Warrior” Frazier, 17-2-3, which was his fourth straight loss. 4 fights later, in a rematch, Little began turning his profession round, defeating Frazier, 19-3-3, in September of 1991.
In Little’s subsequent struggle, he drew with Merqui “El Corombo” Sosa, 19-2 in January of 1992 on the legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia. Two extra wins and Little obtained a world title struggle with Nunn, 42-1, as beforehand talked about in one in every of boxing’s largest upsets! In his first protection, he misplaced to Nevada’s “Fabulous” Frankie Liles, 24-1, in August in Argentina within the co-Important Occasion to the vacant WBA World title struggle that includes Argentina’s Jorge Castro defeating former WBA champion Reggie “Candy” Johnson.
Not preventing once more till March of 1996, some 19 months later, Little, 22-14-2, received the WBC FECARBOX Tremendous Middleweight title defeating Colombia’s Camilo Alarcon, 13-1, in Miami. He would struggle for 2 extra titles dropping for the vacant IBO Cruiser title to former two-division world champion James “Lights Out” Toney, 54-4-2, in Biloxi, MS, and later to IBF USBA Cruiser champion Arthur “King” Williams, 26-4-1, within the Pocono Mountains of PA.
Little’s closing report was 25-17-3 with six stoppages in November of 1998, drawing with Courtney “Pound for Pound” Butler, 19-4-1. On January 30, 2000, Little handed away from Colon Most cancers at age 34.
“Boxer Bobby Heath and I have been at Steve’s bedside within the hospital till when the nurse got here in with members of the family at his dying,” mentioned long-time buddy Wealthy Ormsbee.
Little was skilled by James “Corky” Taylor. His cut-man was Wealthy Ormsbee. His promoter was Don King.
Ormsbee had this to say about Little: “I’ve identified Steve Little since he was 16, and he was the nicest child to work with. He was beginner and would struggle anybody! He didn’t care in regards to the weight distinction. His precise weight was 147, and he would take a struggle at 160.
He would overeat to make the heavier weight. In 1997 he, 25-15-2, beefed as much as 184 ½ to struggle Arthur “King” Williams, 26-4-1, at 189, for the IBF USBA title dropping a choice once I labored as his cut-man. His opponent entered the ring at 201. I instructed him after the struggle that he ought to get in form and struggle in his personal weight class. I’ve all of those reminiscences of Steve.
Cintron, 23-0, received his first title, stopping NABF welterweight and WBO Interim champion Teddy “Two Gun” Reid, 22-5-1, in July of 2004, in Houston, Texas. This earned him a world title struggle dropping to WBO World Welterweight champion Antonio “El Twister de Tijuana” Margarito by stoppage in April of 2005 in Las Vegas.
Two fights later, Cintron, 25-1, in an IBF welterweight eliminator for the No. 2 spot, stopped “King” David Estrada, 18-2, in Palm Seaside, Florida. In his subsequent struggle, he received the vacant IBF World Welterweight title stopping WBO NABO champion and No. 1 ranked Mark “Poison” Suarez, 25-2, in October of 2006, on the Conference Heart in Palm Seaside, Florida.
After two title defenses, together with Argentina’s Walter “El Horrible” Matthysse, 26-1, in Atlantic Metropolis, Cintron had a rematch with the one particular person to ever defeat him, Margarito, 35-5, once more dropping to him by stoppage in April of 2008, dropping his title. Although he wouldn’t struggle for the world title once more for some three years, his remaining profession up till then was in some fascinating fights over the following ten years.
In his subsequent struggle after dropping the title, Cintron defeated former IBF Mild Welterweight champion African Lovemore “The Black Panther” Ndou, 46-10-1. Then he drew with WBC World Tremendous Welterweight Interim champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, 44-1-1.
Then Cintron defeated WBO Inter-Continental champion Alfredo “Perro” Angulo, 15-0, in what was to be a WBC Mild Middleweight title eliminator, although he by no means obtained a world title struggle. Two fights later, he misplaced by cut up technical resolution as a result of 4 rounds being accomplished to former WBO Welterweight champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams, 38-1, when he fell out of the ring and injured his shoulder in Might of 2010 in Carson, California.
Fourteen months later, Cintron returned to the ring, dropping to Carlos “King” Molina, 18-4-2, however the next month defeated Antwone “The Reality” Smith, 20-2-1, in August of 2011.
In November, Cintron obtained his closing title shot, dropping to WBC World Tremendous Middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 38-0-1, in 5 rounds. After that, he would go 6-1-2 earlier than his closing struggle in February of 2018 in opposition to Marquis Taylor, 8-1, when within the third spherical, he was lower from an unintended head butt ending the bout in a no-contest on the Sands On line casino in Bethlehem, PA. Taylor would go on to win the NABF Junior Welter title. Cintron ended his profession with a 39-6-3 with 30 stoppages report.
Cintron was skilled by Marshall Kauffman, Manny Steward, Ronnie Shields, and Joe Pastore. His supervisor was Kauffman. He was promoted by Important Occasions.