David Grayton Settles For Draw Versus Kermit Cintron

Sometimes, you just have to knock out an opponent in his hometown in order to get a fair shake.

It's possible that David Grayton could have accomplished that feat versus Kermit Cintron in their abbreviated clash Friday evening in Reading, Pennsylvania. What absolutely wasn't going to happen as far as the judges were concerned, was the D.C.-bred southpaw winning a decision as he was forced to settle for a majority draw in their PBC on Bounce-televised co-feature.

The welterweight contest - which was the chief support to a heavyweight clash between Travis Kauffman and Amir Mansour - was ruled a majority draw, with judge Tony Lundy turning in by far the worst scorecard of 2017 with Cintron ahead 49-46, despite getting knocked down in a clear-cut 10-8 round for Grayton in the 5th - and final - round of the bout. His homer-riddled joke of a card was overruled by matching tallies of 47-47, which meant that Grayton was out of the fight until dropping Cintron midway through round five - a fact that didn't at all tell the story of the contest.

It was clear from the outset that Cintron - who fought four times upon a ring return in 2016 following a four-plus year break - is long removed from the version that once held a welterweight title. His movements are far more deliberate these days and the lights out power he once possessed now comes in the form of slow arm punches that no longer pose a threat to credible opposition.

Grayton caught wind of this early and grew increasingly stronger with each passing round. The visiting boxer was well in control, enough to where a rally by Cintron in round four was by far his best moment of the fight.

Moment, as in singular.

The judges somehow saw another bout take place - either that or they were just looking for a way to keep those ringside checks coming from Pennsylvania promoters. Even with Grayton dominating Cintron in a 5th round that included a knockdown, he could still only get a 10-9 tally on the card of Lundy, who should be forced to explain his scorecard in full detail to a commission staff during a disciplinary hearing to determine whether or not he should be allowed to ever again officiate a boxing match,

Grayton was warned earlier in the round for an accidental foul in which he struck a dipping Cintron behind the head. The bout ended shortly after the knockdown, when Cintron was caught with a headbutt and immediately complained of double vision.

Perhaps it was the case, but it sadly conjured memories of the manner in which his infamous May '10 clash with Paul Williams came to a halt, when he leaped from the ring after tangling feet with his tall southpaw foe and fell onto the floor where he complained he couldn't get up or continue. His body language here strongly suggested that of a boxer who was done for the night, a ruling confirmed by the ringside physician whom instructed referee Gary Rosato to stop the contest.

Cintron's record now stands at 39-5-3 (30KOs), although it's clear that he shouldn't be fighting in 2017. The future looks bright for Grayton, a second-generation boxer who is now 15-1-1 (11KOs).

Also on the show, Chordale Booker remained unbeaten with a six-round unanimous decision win over Moshea Aleem. Scores were 59-55 (twice) and 58-56 for Booker, the Brooklyn-based super welterweight who now improves to 6-0 (3KOs). Aleem - whose older brother Immanuel is a current super welterweight prospect - falls to 4-1-1 (2KOs) as he is now winless in his last two starts.