14.06.07 – By Geoffrey Ciani: Recently, rumors have surfaced regarding a possible comeback by former pound-for-pound great, Felix “Tito” Trinidad. Puerto Rican newspapers have recently hinted that he’s interested in making a comeback which has caused a lot of ‘chatter’ in the boxing community. Furthermore, recent reports have even suggested Trinidad has been sparring with former conqueror, Ronald “Winky” Wright.
That begs the question, will Trinidad make a comeback, and if so, what type of impact will it have on the boxing world?
A Trinidad comeback makes all the sense in the world. He is still young enough tomake some noise and receive a healthy sum of money for his efforts.
Of course, this is all speculation on my part, but I tend to believe he will comeback; perhaps sooner rather than later. In fact, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if an official announcement comes soon. There’s a golden goose sitting on the horizon, and Trinidad can cash in on it if he so desires. Of course, I’m referring to none-other than the biggest draw in boxing, “The Golden Boy”, Oscar De La Hoya.
Trinidad and De La Hoya still have some unfinished business, and despite the fact this rematch should have happened more than five years ago, it remains intriguing nonetheless. In fact, the potential prospects of a rematch finally coming to fruition is a gold mind which would no doubt spark much intense interest amongst the fans, even though these two are both past their best.
After suffering a decisive loss at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Junior, it seems unlikely that De La Hoya would be eager to pursue that route again. Yes, a rematch with Mayweather would make a lot of money, but in reality, I don’t think too many people (De La Hoya included) foresee the outcome being reversed. Luckily for De La Hoya, he always seems to have a golden ace up his sleeve, and I believe that Trinidad might personify the latest example of such.
Incidentally, Mayweather doesn’t seem interested in fighting anyone besides De La Hoya, which is kind of pathetic when you think about it. It’s simply baffling when the decisive winner of a fight demands a rematch. The only other example of this in recent memory is when Lennox Lewis wanted to rematch Mike Tyson after having just administered a one-sided beat-down. Of course, this always comes down to money. Who could blame Mayweather, or Lewis for that matter?
This type of mentality, however, is shallow in terms of greatness and legacy. “I’d like to kick his ass again and get paid millions in the process!” Financially, of course, it makes sense, but in terms of legacy, it’s absolutely pointless—but I understand that boxing is a business and so, too, does “The Golden Boy” and all his potential suitors.
I suspect Trinidad will fight later this year. More specifically, I think he’s going to wind up facing John Duddy, or someone along those lines. A Trinidad-Duddy bout makes perfect sense for these two pugilists, each of whom has an extremely loyal fan base. It would be a financial slam dunk for any fight in this weight range not involving De La Hoya.
If the Trinidad-Duddy fight became a reality, chances are Trinidad should win. Of course, it’s tough to say, being we’ve not seen him in the ring since he suffered a one-sided loss at the hands of Wright, but it seems like a safe call. Duddy is an exciting fighter, no doubt, but talent-wise, few would argue he’s a cut below Trinidad. Even still, this fight would generate a lot of hype—exactly the type of hype needed to help sell a rematch with De La Hoya. In fact, I can already see the television spots for Oscar & Felix: The Odd Couple, 24/7.
This doesn’t bode well for Mayweather. On the flip side, this is good news for “Sugar” Shane Mosley, who has made his intentions clear—he wants a fight with Floyd and he wants it soon. “The Golden Goose”, being the suave promoter he is, can definitely persuade Mayweather to take this bout if the money is right; and Mosley has been dying for an opportunity to fight Mayweather, even waiting patiently in the wings while his promoter got first crack at him.
I believe there’s a strong possibility we will see Trinidad-Duddy and Mayweather-Mosley before the year ends. Assuming Trinidad wins, it would seem almost certain the long-awaited rematch between De La Hoya and Trinidad would come the following May on Cinco de Mayo weekend. Then, depending on what happens in the Mosley-Mayweather bout (assuming my speculation is accurate, of course), the winner or loser might get a crack at either De La Hoya or Trinidad somewhere towards the end of 2008.
But alas, I regress, for I’m getting way ahead of myself.
Bottom line, if Trinidad does indeed decide to comeback, it will make things much more interesting. I, for one, hope he returns.
To contact Ciani:
geoff@eatthemushroom.om
To read more by Ciani, please visit The Mushroom Mag:
http://www.eatthemushroom.com/mag