It\’s Tito\’s Time.
Felix “Tito” Trinidad is a boxer, fighter and first class individual, when it comes to loving his sport unconditionally. At the time it was announced, Trinidad’s retirement seemed shocking and as time evolved, it felt official. Once in a while, we would hear things like “Tito is coming back,” the Don King public appearances, laced with wit and hidden promotion of Tito’s return. Either through missing the sport or a need to make a statement, Tito, made his return to the ring on October 2, 2004 to a very dangerous and hard puncher: Ricardo Mayorga. Indeed, this match was a test of power and determination for Trinidad. Mayorga is not the definition of a textbook boxer, but he certainly defines a tough chin and powerful punching. The end result? Trinidad earning a spectacular eighth round TKO win and the list of potential opponents increased. Landing a Trinidad fight can be lucrative and promising, and Ronald “Winky” Wright is in this position.
Wright, a boxer with a difficult style and airtight defense, is about to enter into the toughest fight of his career. Yes, Wright did dismantle Shane Mosley in their first fight, but in all respects, Shane and Tito are great in their own separate ways. Trinidad’s sole loss is to Bernard Hopkins, and you have some protestors who state the September 11 terrorist attacks and Tito’s problems outside of his marriage as some justification for his performance. Whatever the case, this is Trinidad’s chance to re-establish his path to revenge over Hopkins.
In Trinidad, you have a boxer loved by his island of Puerto Rico and the boxing community in total. This is a boxer who went up to middleweight to enhance his competitive spirit and add to the overall statement of boxing being a real sport. What makes a fighter, who is wealthy financially and has a legacy in the sport of boxing return? Could it be his self-awareness that there is still a lot of great boxing left in him, or could it be his love for the sport, in general?
Tito studies boxing like an art, with his father being his trainer and personal support system, the masterpiece of displaying his skills in the ring is only part of his reward. From Mayorga to Wright, Tito’s level of opposition has increased dramatically. Let’s think logically here. We all know Trinidad has outstanding punching power, impressive stamina, aggressive ring generalship and patience when picking his counter shots. Wright is not going to go in there hands low and trying to overpower Trinidad. A boxer first, defense second and puncher third, is Wright’s style.
Wright’s main weapon is to confuse Tito, make him miss and hopefully in the process, make Trinidad tired. Don’t even try to trace Bernard Hopkins’ successful plan of defeating Trinidad and pass it on to Wright. This fight will be very tactful and precise from the start. Wright’s punches will be well thought out and Trinidad’s punches will be slow and with medium power. Trinidad is a marathon fighter and will warm up in the later rounds. This is where the winner can take advantage of the fight. Will Wright be able to deal with Trinidad’s power and coast out with the win? Can Trinidad step it up, recognize Wright’s above average defense, find some openings and land away, until Wright hits the canvas? Do you want to know my prediction on the fight? You will have to wait until prediction time, where you can read my response, along with my fellow writers. This is an outstanding boxing match-up that will serve boxing fans another dose of great boxing, for the second straight week in a row. Fans, writers, non-boxing fans, who are just viewing this fight to see something entertaining, apply patience and attention when watching this fight, because it is going to take you along for a fantastic journey.
Shaun Rico LaWhorn can be reached at filmmaking_mentality@msn.com