Felix Trinidad Boxer News
Felix Trinidad
A phrase I read more frequently when boxing pundits discuss the career of Oscar de la Hoya is that'he has never defeated a great champ in his prime.' it's a arguable statement to direct at a 6 division champion who is also the most financially successful non-heavyweight of modern times, having been involved many of the best fights of the last 20 years. I always find such statements at least a little dubious, not the least as it is sometimes the job of a reporter to stir the pot by making a controversial statement. However , the writers who make this claim are as acquainted with the main points of de la Hoya's career as I am so I'll not take the path of reviewing de la Hoya's past opponents. Instead, I will examine the career of one of de la Hoya's former rivals : Felix'Tito' Trinidad. Nobody denigrates'Tito' by saying he never faced and defeated a great fighter in his prime, so let's take some instruction from his career.
The beginning
Felix Trinidad captured his first welterweight world title in 1993, by knocking out Maurice Blocker in 2 rounds. He was only twenty years old.
Trinidad was signed with Don King, who has a practice of only concentrating on fighters like Trinidad when he is not dominating his bread and butter, the heavyweight division. Trinidad even toyed with moving up to 154 himself in those days, fighting an eliminator for the WBC belt held by Terry Norris in 1997.
In February 1999, Trinidad fought Pernell Whittaker, winning a lopsided call victory against the slick defensive master. However , by that time, Whittaker was extremely far past his game. His close loss to de le Hoya had been almost two years before, and it had been more than a year since his tune-up fight with Andrei Pastraev.
The Mega-Fight : Oscar de la Hoya
The big September 1999 confrontation with Oscar de la Hoya remains arguable to this day, with many commentators who are definitely not de la Hoya partisans saying that'the Golden Boy' was robbedAs for de la Hoya'running,' it was'Tito' who came out of the fight with a busted up face and blood-stained trunks. Other writers simply say the fight was close and hard to score, which is fine, but then it hardly makes for a defining statement in Trinidad's career. At best, he got away with a particularly close, disputed win over a great fighter in his prime.
triumphant as a Junior Middleweight
He moved up to 154lbs, and took away the WBA title from former Olympian David Reid. After Trinidad, he never got his career back on course and stood down in obscurity.
Middleweight Waterloo
Don King then set up the unification series for the middleweight title, including Felix Trinidad. In May 2001, he challenged two-time WBA middleweight champ William Joppy in his first fight at 160lbs, knocking out Joppy at Madison Square Garden in 5 rounds. That set the scene for the confrontation with long-reigning IBF middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. Out boxed and roughed up,'Tito' lost by 12 th round knockout.
The result was Trinidad's 2nd defeat, an embarrassing call loss.
Felix Trinidad has enjoyed a famous career, and merits his reputation and legion of Puerto Rican fans. Nobody argues that when the day comes,'Tito' will deserve his place in the hall of fame. it is beyond question that the only great fighter in his prime that Trinidad ever scored a win over was Oscar de la Hoya, and that win remains controversial and contested to this very day.
So what does this mean for Oscar de la Hoya, and all the critics who say Oscar'never beat a great fighter in his prime?' Simply this : the more you achieve, the more the critics try to tear you down.
For more information on the greates living boxer Felix Trinidad check out felixtrinidad.com or
Felix Trinidad Boxing
Felix Tito Trinidad Fansite
A phrase I read more frequently when boxing pundits discuss the career of Oscar de la Hoya is that'he has never defeated a great champ in his prime.' it's a arguable statement to direct at a 6 division champion who is also the most financially successful non-heavyweight of modern times, having been involved many of the best fights of the last 20 years. I always find such statements at least a little dubious, not the least as it is sometimes the job of a reporter to stir the pot by making a controversial statement. However , the writers who make this claim are as acquainted with the main points of de la Hoya's career as I am so I'll not take the path of reviewing de la Hoya's past opponents. Instead, I will examine the career of one of de la Hoya's former rivals : Felix'Tito' Trinidad. Nobody denigrates'Tito' by saying he never faced and defeated a great fighter in his prime, so let's take some instruction from his career.
The beginning
Felix Trinidad captured his first welterweight world title in 1993, by knocking out Maurice Blocker in 2 rounds. He was only twenty years old.
Trinidad was signed with Don King, who has a practice of only concentrating on fighters like Trinidad when he is not dominating his bread and butter, the heavyweight division. Trinidad even toyed with moving up to 154 himself in those days, fighting an eliminator for the WBC belt held by Terry Norris in 1997.
In February 1999, Trinidad fought Pernell Whittaker, winning a lopsided call victory against the slick defensive master. However , by that time, Whittaker was extremely far past his game. His close loss to de le Hoya had been almost two years before, and it had been more than a year since his tune-up fight with Andrei Pastraev.
The Mega-Fight : Oscar de la Hoya
The big September 1999 confrontation with Oscar de la Hoya remains arguable to this day, with many commentators who are definitely not de la Hoya partisans saying that'the Golden Boy' was robbedAs for de la Hoya'running,' it was'Tito' who came out of the fight with a busted up face and blood-stained trunks. Other writers simply say the fight was close and hard to score, which is fine, but then it hardly makes for a defining statement in Trinidad's career. At best, he got away with a particularly close, disputed win over a great fighter in his prime.
triumphant as a Junior Middleweight
He moved up to 154lbs, and took away the WBA title from former Olympian David Reid. After Trinidad, he never got his career back on course and stood down in obscurity.
Middleweight Waterloo
Don King then set up the unification series for the middleweight title, including Felix Trinidad. In May 2001, he challenged two-time WBA middleweight champ William Joppy in his first fight at 160lbs, knocking out Joppy at Madison Square Garden in 5 rounds. That set the scene for the confrontation with long-reigning IBF middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. Out boxed and roughed up,'Tito' lost by 12 th round knockout.
The result was Trinidad's 2nd defeat, an embarrassing call loss.
Felix Trinidad has enjoyed a famous career, and merits his reputation and legion of Puerto Rican fans. Nobody argues that when the day comes,'Tito' will deserve his place in the hall of fame. it is beyond question that the only great fighter in his prime that Trinidad ever scored a win over was Oscar de la Hoya, and that win remains controversial and contested to this very day.
So what does this mean for Oscar de la Hoya, and all the critics who say Oscar'never beat a great fighter in his prime?' Simply this : the more you achieve, the more the critics try to tear you down.
For more information on the greates living boxer Felix Trinidad check out felixtrinidad.com or
Felix Trinidad Boxing
Felix Tito Trinidad Fansite
