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Jones-Trinidad runs the anticipation gauntlet

Some are genuinely enthused. Some are dismissive. And some, like me, are more curious than anything.

It's rare to see a major fight like the January 19th HBO pay-per-view bout between Roy Jones, Jr., and Felix Trinidad get such varying hype from those in and around the sport of boxing. Yahoo's Kevin Iole wonders where this Roy Jones was 10 years ago, a Roy Jones who says he's willing to go here, there, or anywhere to fight Calzaghe, Tarver, Johnson, Klitschko, Tyson, Holyfield, or anyone else whose name has come up. Do you get the feeling sportswriters ran out of names to drop at him?

The AP's Tim Dahlberg wonders why Roy is fighting at all, citing his age, notable deterioration of in-ring abilities, and the risk any boxer takes in getting in the ring at all, let alone a nearly 39-year old man whose reflexes have slowed considerably and who hasn't won a notable bout in almost half a decade.

At Boxing Scene, Brent Matteo Alderson is excited to see these two finally face off, even if they are well past their primes. He thinks that deterioration in both Jones and Trinidad makes it an even bout, and a potentially exciting clash of popular stars.

Phil Santos of Eastside Boxing sees it as a one-sided bout that Jones will undoubtedly win, either via TKO or routine unanimous decision.

ESPN's Dan Rafael has several times noted that he's looking forward to the fight for the atmosphere, energy, and sheer fun of seeing the two icons clash.

Me? I don't really know. I do know that I won't pay $49.95 for a bout between two guys who haven't won anything of worth since 2004, when Tito ended his first retirement by coming back to crush Ricardo Mayorga.

It's 2008. This fight was first discussed in 2001, and everyone was high on it. It was not set in stone, but we've been over it a million times: Were Trinidad to defeat Bernard Hopkins (the man who essentially sent him into that first retirement), a catchweight bout between the Puerto Rican superstar and the sport's pound-for-pound ruler was almost definitely going to happen. HBO wanted it, the fans wanted it, and the fighters wanted it.

It was no secret why Jones wanted it then. Like many of his fights (and I am a Jones fan), it was, on paper, another showdown where he wasn't really going to be tested. Jones' stubbornness and occasionally unmeetable demands stopped lots of fights from happening, but when he knew he'd win, he'd take it. Trinidad is a welterweight, really. He beefed up to dominate at 154, and scorched William Joppy at 160 before a true middleweight sent him packing. Another one did it when Winky Wright embarrassed Trinidad in 2005.

Jones would have been a heavy favorite as the naturally bigger man to beat Trinidad. To most, he remains so today.

But I am inclined to agree with Brent Matteo Alderson and Rafael -- the fight could be very good. We saw it in November with faded Mayorga and Vargas. Fighters past their primes, against one another, cancel out the things that could make one another less exciting or less entertaining to watch. Jones and Trinidad are definitely two fighters who aren't what they used to be. Both were once kings of the ring, and are now just legends delaying their Hall of Fame inductions by continuing on.

I hope for something that everyone enjoys, at least those in attendance at Madison Square Garden or watching on pay-per-view. If all they can really deliver, in the big picture, is an enjoyable fight, then so be it. Here's looking for two guys that go for broke, hoping to get one more big fight, if nothing else.

I could see Jones overwhelming a rusty Trinidad in short order, even with his reflexes, speed and power not what they used to be. I could see Trinidad flooring the fragile-jawed old Jones in short order, too.

But I am still almost certain, as I was when the fight was signed, that Tito has only a puncher's chance -- and that at 170 pounds, his punch won't be the one that made him famous. At middleweight, his power was still good, though hardly exceptional. He had concrete hands at 147 and even 154, but the power doesn't seem like it'll translate to 170 pounds, at least not in my view.

I think Jones will beat him without much trouble, the same as it would have been six years ago, only different.

Instead of a showdown between arguably the two best fighters in the game, it's a money-fueled exhibition between two old fighters that used to have it all.

A lot has changed since 2001-02. Can these two capture time in a bottle? Or will this wind up to be a lackluster mess that satisifies no one but the night's winner and Don King's wallet?

I'm not sure, but the risk of the latter is too much for me to order. Sorry, Roy. Sorry, Tito.

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Comments

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Luckily for me...
I do not have to buy this pay per view. The military will tape delay it and I'll be watching it on Sunday at about 0500. Isn't life grand? I'm in Turkey, in case you were wondering. If I weren't, I don't think I'd buy the PPV. Ummm....who's on the undercard? That might change my thinking.

by E ROC on Jan 12, 2008 11:33 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

Tito-Roy
E ROC, the undercard sucks royally.  The co-feature is a fight between Mike Mollo and Andrew Golota (which could actually be an interesting fight, but still, doesn't really matter in the scheme of things).  

I'll be buying this card and throwing a party.  SC, if you feel like making the drive up to Madison, you're more than welcome.  Trinidad and JC Chavez are my two all-time favorite fighters, and the reasons I became a big boxing fan in the first place.  

In terms of this match-up:  to me, it's a pick-em fight.  I think Jones should be a slight favorite, but it definitely shouldn't be  4-to-1.  For one thing, I don't think Jones still has the legs he once had, and he won't be able to box circles around Tito, like some are predicting.  He took a lot of punches in his last fight against Anthony Hanshaw (of all people), and he simply didn't seem to have the stamina he once had.  That said, I don't know how hard he's trained for this one.  

Everyone seems to be talking about how Tito is fighting well above his natural fighting weight.  That may be true, but Roy is fighting below his, and I think that could end up being more of a disadvantage.  It's already been reported that he's having trouble making weight (whereas Tito has been at 170 since December).

Even at 170, Trinidad has a puncher's chance.  And if Jones has shown us something in the last three years, is that his chin isn't what everyone thought it was.  Say what you will, Tito steamrolled right through 154--taking on the best two fighters the division had to offer in Vargas and Reid, neither of whom were simply the same after losing to Tito--and then went up to 160 and almost knocked William Joppy out in the first round.   It took him five rounds to do it, though.  Five rounds, and Joppy is indeed a natural middleweight.  I'm not saying Joppy is God's gift to boxing, but the fact is, no one else has ever knocked him out:  not Hopkins, not Jermain Taylor.  

So we'll see what they bring to the table.  

by Kevin Gonzalez on Jan 12, 2008 12:24 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

PPV
I'm just glad I have a Tito-loving friend like Kevin to pay for the card. This is a fight I want to see, but, like Scott and E ROC, wouldn't pay for.

I have no idea who will win, because who really knows what kind of fighters will show up at this point. But at 4-to-1, I'm definitely laying down some green on Tito.

by Matt Miller on Jan 13, 2008 1:31 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

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