Printable View
I think he has the record... lolololol....
Oscar, Reid and Whitaker all went down to Trinidad. The only one to beat Trinidad was Roy Jones. What does that say?
Well, in fairness, Trinidad should be 2 and 2, or maybe even 2-1-1 (draw to Whitaker, but Trinidad won it I felt)...
How does that crack you for a guy who had a very unpronounced amatuer career?
I thought he won the Whitaker fight clearly and although Pernell fought valiantly against a younger, bigger opponent he was far from his best. To get wins over 3 gold medalists is impressive on paper but there are better victories on his record that establish his quality.
That's a great achievement. I think Ali beat 4 out of 4 Olympic gold medalists?
Every time it gets mentioned I need to go back and score Tito-De La Hoya all over again ;D. Tito is greatly missed! Holyfield won over 3 gold medalists also. We won't get into Lewis rematch ;D. But while Mercer and Foreman were respectable, Henry Tillman really never measured up.
1. Roy was a silver medalist who was robbed of gold.
2. Oscar won that fight and it wasn't even really close.
3. Pea was a shell of his prime best, and a tiny welterweight when they fought.
4. David Reid was a solid win for Tito, as was Vargas (who was also an Olympian).
Tito did have a very impressive run, however, up to his fight vs Hop. Tito's wins vs Yori Boy Campas, Vargas, Reid, Blocker, and Joppy were extremely impressive. Watch his early fights and you will see true greatness. Before he fell in love with his punch/stamina, he was a masterful boxer with serious power in both hands.
I like Tito but Oscar dominated that fight.
But to be fair to Tito, Roy was way too big for him, he didn't have a chance in that fight. He was too small to hurt Roy.
The Oba Carr win was also excellent.Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeeod
(...handwraps)
Definitely. He handled Carr much more easily than either Oscar or Ike Quartey. I thought Tito looked impressive vs Anthony Stephens as well. The loss to Bernard hurt Tito's legacy because that is what people focus on (plus his loss to Winky), but the guy was a legit great fighter in his prime.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlphaThe Oba Carr win was also excellent.Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeeod
I was a Carr and Campus fan and wanted them to beat Tito, also Vargas but became a Tito fan after he beat my favourite fighters.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlphaThe Oba Carr win was also excellent.Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeeod
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeeodDefinitely. He handled Carr much more easily than either Oscar or Ike Quartey. I thought Tito looked impressive vs Anthony Stephens as well. The loss to Bernard hurt Tito's legacy because that is what people focus on (plus his loss to Winky), but the guy was a legit great fighter in his prime.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlphaThe Oba Carr win was also excellent.Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeeod
Although the loss to Hopkins was hugely disappointing, I don't think it hurt his legacy at all. It was one of three losses on Trinidad's record, all to HOF'ers. Hopkins will go down in history as one of the greatest MW champions ever, and he was always a MW. Trinidad was coming up from WW and JMW. No shame in losing to an established champion at that weight. To your point of how he handled Carr easier than either DLH or Quartey, I would add that his showing against Hopkins, although a loss, was also a better showing than DLH against Hopkins... which was an ill-advised mismatch.
I'd also add that Trinidad's showing against Joppy was incredibly impressive, given that it was his first fight at MW against another legitimate, and noticeably bigger champion in Joppy.
To be fair to Tito I don't think he belonged at 160lbs. Obviously he was best at 147, and 154 should have been his max.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
He was tall but I don't think he had the frame to be a middleweight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vidgilTo be fair to Tito I don't think he belonged at 160lbs. Obviously he was best at 147, and 154 should have been his max.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
He was tall but I don't think he had the frame to be a middleweight.
You're right about the frame. 160 was definitely not his best weight. Yet he beat Joppy and easily would've dispatched Keith Holmes, who Bernard drew as an opponent in the elimination bout leading up to the Trinidad showdown. Looking at some of the MW names in the division at that time, I think Felix would've fared fairly well. Obviously he wasn't going to go beyond 160, and there was no way in hell he would ever beat RJJ. But I think Trinidad could've hung at 160 and done ok for himself. Not so with DLH, who tried to add MW to his resume and failed miserably. Of course, DLH came from further down in the weight divisions also.
I think Tito could have held his own at MW but IMO would never be a great MW, like he was a great WW. It was also a relatively weak time for MWs at that point if I remember correctly. I would have liked to see him fight Howard Eastman, who had a great chin and could really crack himself.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
Quote:
Originally Posted by vidgilI think Tito could have held his own at MW but IMO would never be a great MW, like he was a great WW. It was also a relatively weak time for MWs at that point if I remember correctly. I would have liked to see him fight Howard Eastman, who had a great chin and could really crack himself.Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
No... not a great 160 for sure. I don't think Tito was ever going to be one of these guys who can move through 4 or more weight divisions, a la Pacquiao. Myself, I've always appreciated those who carve out a legacy of excellence in one or two weight divisions, and own them. That make 15 or more title defenses. You've got the Monzon's of the world.... the Hopkins'.... even now the Golovkin's. Come to think of it, I just mentioned three middleweights. ;D But you get my point.