Jason Cintron made his Philly debut a successful one by pounding out a one-sided unanimous decision over Tyric Robinson in the main event at the Blue Horizon Friday night. From as early as the first round, the outcome of the jr. welterweight bout never seemed in doubt. The only question was would Robinson survive the 8-round distance. Well he did survive and showed plenty of heart as the fight wore on. But that first round must have felt like an eternity for Tyric. Cintron landed sharp shots that stunned Robinson more than once. In the second round, a shocking uppercut hurt Robinson again and confirmed that it was going to be a long night for him.

Robinson fought hard and landed some shots of his own, but he just could not match the firepower of Cintron, nor could he keep him at bay. Even when Robinson managed to back Cintron to the ropes, the brother of welterweight contender Kermit Cintron always answered back with powerful blows that immediately halted Robinson's fleeting momentum.

Round after round played out the same way. Robinson was there to fight, but he was out-gunned. He seemed to make a little progress in round five. But the best I could score it was even. Southpaw Cintron resumed his winning ways in the sixth and rolled on to the end of the fight, piling up points the whole way. The official cards gave Cintron his ninth pro win by scores of 80-73 and 80-72 twice. Cintron goes to 9-0 with 2 KOs, while Robinson drops to 9-3-1 with 3 KOs.

In the co-feature, Anthony "Boom Boom" Ferrante thrilled his busloads of adoring fans with a six round split decision victory over Simon "One Punch" Carr. The cruiserweight tiff was not action packed but it was filled with emotional tension and some good physical action thrown in for good measure.

Carr entered the ring first, decked out in full pro-Obama regalia that included a red, white & blue color scheme, a flashing Uncle Sam hat, and a rubber Barack mask. He was met with a chorus of boos from what must have been Ferrante's fans. John McCain doesn't have that much support in Philadelphia. 

Carr pressed the action in round one and looked good doing it. He appeared to be in excellent condition, belying an earlier rumor that he was twenty pounds overweight. Ferrante, normally a light heavyweight, moved up for this fight and his 183 pounds did look good on him. Carr, at 181 and a half, looked to be in the best shape of his career. So Carr took the first round and swaggered back to his corner.

In round two, Ferrante loosened up and started to pop Carr with some good shots. After that, you could see Simon fade a little, but was an emotional fade rather than a physical one. With his 4-2-1 (3 KO) record, and more than two years since his last victory, this bout against an opponent with just three fights had to feel like a "must win".

But Carr only seems to win fights by knockout. In his four wins, three of them came by first round KO, back when his nickname proved valid and fit him well. His lone decision win, a four-rounder in 2006 at the Armory, was rather questionable. So there he was last night, in a position that must have affected his confidence. When the fight went beyond the first round, Simon Carr had to be wondering what was going to happen.  He fought on, and fought well - perhaps the best I've ever seen him (I'm not crazy about one-round knockouts). But after a while Carr seemed to fight on, slightly deflated. On the other hand, Ferrante's confidence grew over time. By round two, after surviving a hard low blow, Ferrante got angry and fought back with determination.

It was a close fight. I scored it three rounds to three. Two of the three judges scored it for Ferrante, while one favored Carr. Simon needed the win and wanted it just as bad. When the official decision was announced his grimace said it all. 

When you see Simon Carr at ringside for someone else's fight, you see a man who carries himself like champion. He always looks good and if you didn't know who he was, you'd have to assume he was a world-class fighter. He's proud and intelligent and knows about marketing. So he knows what a mediocre record does to the mystique of a boxer. Eventually, when the wins and losses equal out - or worse - a fighter gets labeled as an opponent. People look at such fighters differently and as a result those fighters start to feel invisible. Such a reputation surely won't sit well with Carr.

Given his rocky road and inspirational story of redemption as a man, Simon Carr deserves better.  Certainly he must have believed it would turn out better.  But boxing is a harsh game that sifts out all those who are even one-notch below top-notch.  Success has to be earned. 

Now that his bruised record reads 4-3-1, Simon Carr is in a tough spot.  He's right on the edge. Does he continue his career in hopes of salvaging it?  Or does he cut his losses before his ring losses define him in a way that endangers that beautiful swagger?  It may not be as tough a decision as it seems.  That is because one thing is certain, Simon Carr does many things better and with more commitment than boxing.  But his recent rededication to his ring career makes this moment particularly poignant.  This was the fight that should have put his career back on track, and he almost did it. 

The night got underway with a three-round welterweight exhibition between Ronald Cruz and Lou Rodriguez. Both were scheduled to make their professional debut Friday, but there respective opponents dropped out. 

Next up, Ishmir Ra quickly stopped William Armstead with three knockdowns in the first round. The official time was 2:28.  It was the first win for Ra who evened his record to 1-1. Armstead dropped to 2-8. It was the sixth time the welterweight was stopped.

Philly featherweight Coy Evans (in black trunks above), now 3-0-1, beat Elias Castillo by unanimous decision over four rounds. For Castillo it was his sixth straight loss without a win.

Finally before the two main bouts, Cruiserweight Garrett Wilson of South Philly (in black trunks above) defeated Reshawn Scott of North Philly when he was awarded a majority four-round decision.

Approximately 600 fans watched the show which was promoted by Greg Robinson's Power Productions in association with Sports Extreme and Cintron Beverages.