 Felix "Tito" Trinidad is without a doubt the most
popular and distinguished fighter to come out of Puerto Rico. His
dramatic and distinguished career has been followed closely by
boxing aficionados and fans alike since he captured the IBF
Welterweight championship of the world from the veteran hands of
Maurice Blocker in June of 1993. After becoming world champion Felix
"Tito" Trinidad defended the belt against all comers, amassing a
staggering 15 title defenses against the likes of such renowned
peers as Hector "Macho" Camacho, Luis Ramon "Yori Boy" Campas, Oba
Carr and the legendary Pernell "Seet Pea" Whitaker. Trinidad
thoroughly dominated Whitaker, after knocking him down in round two.
Felix "Tito" Trinidad pressured and picked apart the veteran,
hurting him on a number of occasions throughout the fight on his was
to a unanimous decision win. Interestingly enough, Whitaker was the
first of four former United States Olympians to succumb to the
unrelenting pressure, power and heart of Cupey Alto's prodigal son.
Following his huge win over Whitaker, Felix
"Tito" Trinidad would reach his defining moment in the sport on
Sept. 18, 1999, when he finally got the man he had sought after for
years, WBC welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya. The “Fight of the
Millennium.“ which was purchased by a record setting 1.2 million
people on Pay Per View, the biggest ever to watch a non-heavyweight
event, was to prove if Felix "Tito" Trinidad was to indeed one of
the pound for pound best. Victory would not come easy for "Tito" who
came in expecting a Toe to Toe fight, but got a De la Hoya who
carefully and soundly boxed the first half of the fight, managing to
keep Trinidad off balance and uncomfortable. However "Tito's heart
and his unrelenting desire to win allowed him to take control of the
second half from a badly winded De la Hoya who ran for most of the
ever important championship rounds. De la Hoya was continuously
booed by his largely partisan crowd who cheered on "Tito" until the
closing bell.
Felix "Tito" Trinidad's perseverance and courage
ultimately rewarded him with a majority decision and the bragging
rights of having handed the "Golden Boy" his first loss as a
professional. De La Hoya also became the second former Olympian to
fall to the idol of Puerto Rico.
The ultimate showdown for middleweight supremacy
with long time champion Bernard Hopkins was set for September 15th,
2001, but as fate would have it it would be the toughest time Tito
would live both in and out of the ring. For starters Hopkins began a
campaign of terror, which encompassed three Puerto Rican flag
throwing incidents, slanderous comments about the Puerto Rican
people and a near riot. However behind the scenes Felix "Tito"
Trinidad was facing personal problems that took his attention away
from the upcoming bout. However the situations Tito had endured were
nothing compared to what was to come as he found himself in the
middle of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Trinidad chose to
remain in New York and do his best to assist the people of the city
instead of heading back to Puerto Rico. Tito lent his moral and
physical support to the crews at Ground Zero along with promoter Don
King. With the fight incredibly and quickly rescheduled for
September 29th Felix "Tito" Trinidad did his best to stay prepared
for the eagerly awaited showdown.
The day of reckoning arrived on September 29,
2001 and an uncharacteristically dull Trinidad was dominated from
bell to bell by "The Executioner" who boxed like never before in his
career to break Felix "Tito" Trinidad down round by round. The end
of Tito's undefeated record came to an end in the 12th round,
following a crushing right and a push that sent Trinidad sprawling
to the canvas. Tito valiantly summoned his remaining energy and got
back to his feet, but it was evident that he could not continue.
Father and Trainer Don Felix Trinidad put an end to the hostilities
by throwing in the towel thereby giving Hopkins a TKO win.
Felix "Tito" Trinidad set his mind on a Hopkins
rematch, and gave promoter Don King the green light to negotiate the
terms. However Hopkins seemingly went back on his promise to give
Trinidad a rematch, forcing him to look at other opponents, namely
Oscar De la Hoya. Promoter Bob Arum and the Golden Boy yet again
turned down to fight based on their view that the terms of a
proposed rematch were not to their liking. This left Team Trinidad
in limbo and after exhausting all viable avenues and opponents,
father and son announced their joint retirement in July of 2002.
|
