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Roy Jones Jr. versus Felix Trinidad.
A decade ago, I would have pawned my soul to the
nearest pawnshop in exchange for a ringside ticket. Back then, Jones
and Trinidad were easily two of the finest practitioners of the
sweet science. Seeing them match skills in the ring would be like
watching Raphael and Picasso compare strokes.
Reality bites, however. The dream showdown is
coming into fruition only this Sunday—a time when Jones (who
turned 39 last January 16) and Trinidad (35 last January 10) are
past their primes. The rumor mill has it that majority of those who
bought tickets to watch the fight live at Madison Square Garden are
card-carrying members of Greenpeace. You know, it’s a rare chance
for the environmental group to prove that there is money in
recycling.
Jones became an instant celebrity when he was
robbed of a gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He turned pro in
May 1989 and went on to win titles in the middleweight, super
middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. In March 2003, he
stepped up in weight and defeated John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight
tiara.
At his peak, Jones was a package of speed and
power. The guy had so many skills he could donate half of them to
charity and still beat up his foe. But for all his God-given talent,
Jones never liked the violence associated with the sport. Down the
road, he went on cruise control—settling for the quick cash
against inept foes instead of pursuing bigger challenges.
In June 1996, Jones demeaned himself and the
sport by playing professional basketball in the afternoon and
defending his light heavyweight title in the evening against a
mediocre opponent (Eric Lucas). If Jones was not fighting a school
teacher (Otis Grant), he was bamboozling a cop moonlighting as a
boxer (Richard Frazier).
In the end, Jones’ magnificent skills
degenerated. In May 2004, he was walloped in two rounds by Antonio
Tarver. Four months later, he was embalmed alive in a ninth round
knockout loss to Glen Johnson.
Trinidad was not as talented as Jones, but the
Puerto Rican had so much firepower during his heyday he could light
up a far-flung barrio. Utilizing a nonstop action style coupled by
an explosive left hook, Trinidad emerged as one of the most exciting
fighters in the 1990s. He won his first world title—the IBF
welterweight championship—in June 1993 and defended it 14 times
before adding the WBC version with a decision win over Oscar De La
Hoya in September 1999.
Trinidad’s 40-bout unbeaten streak came to a
disappointing end in September 2001 duel when he was whipped in 12
rounds by Bernard Hopkins.
Trinidad has not been the same fighter since. He
retired in July 2002, some two months after stopping Hassine Cherifi
in four rounds. Trinidad returned in October 2004 with a stoppage
win over Ricardo Mayorga but was taught a neat boxing lesson in his
next bout by Ronald “Winky” Wright. Trinidad retired again in
May 2005.
Other than the big money at stake, Trinidad
(42-2, 35 knockouts) and Jones (51-4-2, 38 knockouts) stand to gain
nothing. Not a few have even expressed concern over the true
physical condition of the protagonists.
The sight of Jones crashing to the canvas and
his body shuddering in the Johnson fight has experts believing that
the former champion should seriously consider retirement.
On the other hand, it had been reported before
that Trinidad retired in 2002 after he started complaining of
persistent headaches after the Hopkins fight and was knocked out
unconscious in a sparring session. Trinidad had denied the reports,
but you can bet doubts continue to linger. Trinidad has not fought
since the decision loss to Wright.
Jones is promising to take out Trinidad in four
rounds.
Trinidad claims the prediction will not happen
as he will silence Jones in two.
From where this writer sits, the fight game will
be better off if the fighters return to their retirement homes in a
snap of a finger.
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For comments, the writer can be reached at
atty_eduardo@yahoo.com.
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