Second chance
Trinidad should get a better showcase this time
Posted: Friday February 19, 1999 07:32 PM
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Showing muscle: Felix Trinidad has 29 knockouts in his 33 professional fights. AP |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Felix Trinidad's only appearance in Madison Square Garden amounted to a cameo experience that did nothing to enhance his reputation.
On Saturday night, however, the unbeaten IBF welterweight champion gets a real opportunity to showcase his talents because the opponent will be Pernell Whitaker, a former champion in four weight divisions.
There are the questions of how drug and alcohol problems and a 16-month layoff will affect the 35-year-old Whitaker. However, there is no question he will provide stiffer opposition than that put up by Troy Waters, who lasted 2:50 against Trinidad in the Garden in 1997.
There also is the question of how making the 147-pound limit will affect Trinidad. He weighed himself at the Garden before Friday's weigh-in, then left to run around the arena. Trinidad weighed in 22 minutes after his name had been called and made the weight limit. Earlier, Whitaker weighed in at 147 pounds.
Trinidad's weight problem would be more serious if the weigh-in were the day of the fight. In this era of weighing in the day before the bout, boxers enter the ring several pounds above the limit.
"This is one of the best training camps I've ever hand," said Whitaker, who declines to discuss the problems that forced him into drug and alcohol rehabilitation and have kept him from fighting since he outpointed Andre Pestriaev on Oct. 17, 1997.
"He still a good boxer, but the drugs and alcohol have taken their toll," said Trinidad's father, also his trainer and manager. "But he still has pride."
Whitaker is left-handed but Trinidad expects no problem.
"I've fought left-handers before," he said.
In his last Garden appearance, Whitaker won the WBC welterweight belt. AP |
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Trainer Tommy Brooks thinks Whitaker has a lot more left than pride.
"You'd never think he'd been out of the gym," Brooks said. "Trinidad has a surprise coming."
"I would not be surprised if he comes right after me," said the 26-year-old Trinidad, a 5-1 favorite in Las Vegas. "If he does, I'll be ready."
Because of age and possible ring rust -- and Whitaker insists there is none -- it will be interesting to see how he holds up in the later rounds.
But that could be a bigger problem for Trinidad, who has gone past the fifth round only once (into the eight against Oba Carr in 1994) since outpointing Hector Camacho in 12 rounds on Jan. 29, 1994. He also has not fought since he knocked out Mahenge Zulu last April 3.
Trinidad's record is 33-0, with 29 knockouts. Whitaker is 41-2-1, with 17 knockouts.
This will be Whitaker's third Garden appearance and his first since he won the WBC welterweight title on points over James "Buddy" McGirt on March 6, 1993. He lost that title on a disputed decision to Oscar De La Hoya on April 12, 1997.
The replay of De La Hoya's split-decision win over Ike Quartey last Saturday will open the HBO telecast at 9:30 p.m. EST. The Trinidad-Whitaker fight should start between 10:30 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.
In a fight that will not be televised, Vince Phillips (39-3, 28 knockouts), 140 pounds, will defend the IBF junior welterweight title against Terronn Millett (20-1-1, 15 knockouts), 140 pounds.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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