Quick and Dirty: Roy Jones, Jr. UD-12 Felix Trinidad (116-110, 116-110, 117-109, Trinidad down once each in seventh and tenth rounds)

I decided I could skip an undercard which Brent told me turned out to be pretty fun. On said undercard, Alex Bunema upset Roman Karmazin via 10th round TKO; Andrew Golota won a 12-round unanimous decision over Mike Mollo in what Brent described as a "fun but sloppy" fight; and blue chip prospect Devon Alexander won a landslide 12-round decision over Chop Chop Corley.

But on to the main event. Prior to the bout, there was controversy on both sides. Jones tried to use Grant gloves, which are his preferred brand, but the Trinidad camp was steadfast that Jones wear the contractually agreed-upon Everlast gloves. And then, live on HBO pay-per-view, we got to witness Tito Trinidad's cornermen giving him an obscene amount of tape on his hands, something which caused Manny Steward to almost lose it.

But the fight went on. Trinidad was the heavy crowd favorite at Madison Square Garden for the intros, and he came out and won the first three rounds, with Jones clowning around, shimmying, making gestures, dancing, trying to show Trinidad that the smaller man couldn't hurt the former pound-for-pound king.

Well, it turned out Jones was right. Jones never looked hurt in the fight, and though Trinidad fought hard and stayed busy, Roy took over in the fourth round on my scorecard. Through three, I had Tito sweeping, 30-27, but Jones was landing harder, cleaner punches.

And the third round was the last one Trinidad won on my card. Rounds four through 12 were a clean sweep, and Trinidad hit the deck two times. In the seventh, a short right hand caught him flush and sent him to the canvas, and in the tenth, a straight punched knocked him down as he was off-balance.

The HBO team was a little off tonight. With Max Kellerman in Larry Merchant's place (which led to Max rambling on in a poor Merchant imitation after the fight, comparing Jones to the late, "certifiably insane" chess master Bobby Fischer, who died Saturday), Jim Lampley had no one to even occasionally challenge his snarky remarks. I love Lampley, but there are times when he comes off like he thinks his shit doesn't stink. This was one of those nights. He bashed Jones repeatedly, never saying a bad word about Tito that I can recall, all while Jones was clearly owning the ring.

But while I think Lampley was a little overly critical of Jones, I think to say that he's "back" would be too kind a praising. Jones looked old tonight. He won because he was sharper, having fought within the last 32 months, bigger, and stronger, and Trinidad can't do anything about the latter two, no matter how active he is.

Everything about Jones looked old. It was a fight where I got the impression that had Jones not been 39 years old, worn out, slow, and with questionable stamina (he fought hard in bursts, then needed to rest), he would have knocked Trinidad out at any time he felt like it. Even Roy's shimmies and dances and other assorted taunts looked old. Everything looked old.

It was an entertaining fight, but if Roy Jones thinks this makes him ready for Joe Calzaghe, he's insane. Calzaghe would chew him up and spit him out. The same could be said for Jones' chances against most of the top fighters at 175, or guys at 168 that could come up. He doesn't have the legs, the reflexes or the chin to fight a guy who's naturally in the weight class(es).

Jones' arrogance was also back, but that's a story for another time. He was the same Roy of yesteryear in his post-fight interviews, only even that sounded old. Tito was a gracious loser, and you know what, I hope he fights on. At least one more bout, late this year with Oscar de la Hoya.

For the record, I scored it 117-109 for Jones.

Other Notable Saturday Fights:

Ruslan Chagaev dominated in a successful defense of the WBA heavyweight title, beating 40-year old British champion Matt Skelton on scores of 117-110, 117-111, and 117-111. Reports are that Skelton started fast and ran out of gas, clinching most of the way. "This wasn't really fighting. You have to have some distance to fight," said Chagaev. Skelton was deserving of getting one shot, and it's not like Chagaev was going to find a more worthy opponent, really. But that should pretty much cover it for him.

IBF super bantamweight champion Steve Molitor was bloodied but won a wide unanimous decision over Ricardo Castillo, 118-109 on all three cards. The cut came over his left eye in the fourth round. Castillo has now lost three of four, and has probably effectively taken himself out of the title mix. As for Molitor, I'd love to see him mix it up with the winner of Vazquez-Marquez III, the loser of Vazquez-Marquez III, or Ponce de Leon. Even a Caballero-Molitor fight would be interesting, though I loathe Caballero.

That's right.  I'm saying it.  Tito Trinidad will knock out Roy Jones Jr.

Let's start off with the general notion that Jones and Trinidad are two shot fighters facing off for a dime.  While it's true that they are both past their prime, if any one of these two fighters has look `shot' at any point, it's been Jones.  Since his dramatic drop in weight after beating John Ruiz for the heavyweight title, he's done nothing but lose three fights (two by knockout) and beat two no-name opponents, looking nothing like the Pound for Pound King of old.

Sure, while most of this was going on, Trinidad was eating arroz con pollo and tostones down in Puerto Rico, occasionally attending fight cards and listening to the cries of his fans, who kept begging him to come back.  Seeing his island embrace Miguel Cotto as his successor, especially after Cotto's emergence as a superstar over the past year, might have just been the icing on the comeback cake.  Who knows?   What I do know is this:  Three year layoff or not, Trinidad has never looked like a shot fighter.  He has never looked as old as Roy Jones did against Anthony Hanshaw.  Anyone who saw that fight knows that it was a lot closer than the judges' scores might have lead the general public to believe.  

And then there's this:  Trinidad has already come off a two-and-a half-year layoff once before.  In doing so, he destroyed Ricardo Mayorga.  He might have lost his subsequent fight to Winky Wright, but it was not because of ring rust, and it definitely was not because he was shot.  He was outworked by a defensive master, plain and simple, and Wright deserves credit for his win.  But if you must point fingers for Tito's lackluster performance, blame his father, Felix Trinidad Sr, who is undoubtedly one of the most mediocre trainers in the sport.  The way Tito fared in that fight, you'd think that neither he nor his father had ever seen Winky fight.  It was as if they'd trained to face Mayorga yet again.

The only two fighters to ever beat Trinidad are best known for their defensive mastery.  In Hopkins and Wright, you arguably have the two best defenders in the game, even to this day.  Whenever anyone came to bang with Trinidad, they got knocked out (see: Mayorga, Vargas, Joppy, Campas).  Whenever anyone tried a combination of boxing and banging, the pressure ended up being too much, and they either got knocked out in the late rounds or barely survived the final bell (see: Whitaker, Carr, Camacho, Reid). De La Hoya could be considered the lone exception, but like Whitaker and Camacho, he too switched to survival mode for the final third of the bout and, in the process, threw away the fight.

Roy Jones, at this point in his career, is no longer able to box circles around his opponents.  His legs are not what they once were, let alone at 170.  Much is being made of Trinidad fighting at said weight, but I think it gives him an advantage.  While he's been at the fighting weight since the end of December, Jones has been struggling to get there.  As we've all heard by now, he hasn't gotten this low in twelve years.  It will take it's toll.

To this day, I still believe many underestimate Trinidad's punching power, especially his opponents.  Vargas came out believing he was the bigger man and almost got knocked out in the first minute of the fight.  Mayorga stuck out his chin and almost got decapitated.  Joppy--a natural middleweight who's been twelve rounds with Hopkins, Eastman and Taylor--suffered his only knockout loss ever to Trinidad, going down three times before the ref mercifully stopped the fight in the fifth.  

As for the fight itself:  If you don't order it--as Eric Raskin says in his ESPN.com article--let it be for the right reasons.  And, actually, I have another valid reason to add to all of his:  Don King has put together one of the most mediocre undercards in recent memory.  But shame to those who will pass this one up and then order Mayweather-De La Hoya II in September (and there's more than a million of you who will).  Because if you consider Trinidad-Jones to be an unnecessary and completely profit-driven bout, then what is a rematch between Mayweather and De La Hoya but exactly that multiplied by a hundred?  Currently, in this sport, we have a pound-for-pound king who continually refuses to take on the best fighters his own weight class has to offer, something that neither Trinidad nor Jones would have done when they were atop the pound-for-pound rankings themselves.  

Trinidad could have come out of retirement to face Peter Manfredo or Sakio Bika.  He could have fought Jeff Lacy or Ike Quartey.  Hell, he could have fought Ricardo Mayorga again.  The money would have been there.  But he's taking what he perceives to be the biggest fight out there, one that actually means something to him, because it's the one he wanted when he was atop the boxing world.  Back then, I would have picked Roy Jones to beat Trinidad.  But considering the catchweight, and how Jones has looked in his last five fights, I think he's mincemeat.  If he comes to fight, Trinidad will knock him out within five.  If he comes to box, Trinidad's pressure will put him to bed by the tenth.

Of course, this could all just be wishful thinking.  I could just be another blind fan caught up in the Titomania.  Roy Jones might just prove me wrong.  His trainers maintain that he hasn't looked this good in years. But that doesn't worry me.  What worries me is that the one who will prove me wrong could be Trinidad himself.  He may, in fact, be shot.  But seeing as though he's the younger guy, and considering everything I've said in this post, I don't think he will.  Consider this: Calzaghe and Hopkins, combined, are four years older than Trinidad and Jones combined.  Trinidad is essentially the same age as De La Hoya, who fights, what, once every 18 months?  We might as well call every single one his fights a `comeback.'

As for what happens after Saturday: who knows?  I'll say this: neither one of these guys has a legitimate shot against Calzaghe.  If Jones wins, I could see him fighting for a light heavyweight title yet again.  As for Trinidad, I could see him moving back down to 160 and either making a move at Pavlik or trying to secure rematches against Hopkins or De La Hoya.  We'll see.  For now, I'm looking forward to a knockout on Saturday. On a Bad Left Hook (pun intended). In the fifth round.

The closer this gets, the less it feels like there's any real sense of anticipation here. Saturday night's PPV fight between former greats Roy Jones, Jr., and Felix Trinidad has been slammed in the mainstream media this week.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says the two fighters, "have become big-name relics living off their past."

Joe Maxse of The Cleveland Plain Dealer said, "It's too bad this bout wasn't made 10 years ago, but another version of boxing's ancient history will be on display Saturday night."

Norm Frauenheim of The Arizona Republic chimes in with this: "Truth and advertising in boxing are a little bit like Mike Tyson in the White House. The Ali-Frazier suggestion and pay-per-view price aren't shameful. Both are just over the top, so much so that it's silly."

My problem, and the reason I won't be ordering, is simple: This is Don King's idea of a Best v. Best fight. Is it any surprise that King would beg Trinidad to come out of retirement to fight the washed-up Jones in an effort to keep pace with the excellent big-name affairs that took place at the end of 2007 (Mayweather-Hatton, Cotto-Mosley, Calzaghe-Kessler, Pacquiao-Barrera), and the star-studded bouts on the early 2008 docket (Pavlik-Taylor, Marquez-Pacquiao, Hopkins-Calzaghe)?

It is a fight that speaks to Don King's perception of stardom and harkens to the seemingly dying days of the boxing pay-per-view that was flat-out not worth the pricetag.

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.