03.09.07 – By Jack Presscot: It’s hard to believe that 8 years have already passed since that magnificent weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. September 18, 1999 was a date in Boxing history that will be remembered by fans of both Oscar de la Hoya and Felix Trinidad as either one of the the most miserable nights of their lives, or perhaps the greatest Saturday Evening of a lifetime. I was in Sin City that weekend, because as a hardcore fan of our sport, I knew how huge this welterweight championship fight was going to be.
The Hotel rooms had been booked solid for weeks, it was difficult to find a flight, and as soon as I arrived at the Airport in Vegas, I was greeted by the happy sight of the People of Puerto Rico walking around wearing Puerto Rican flags on their shoulders.
We made our way to the weigh in that Thursday, and it was surreal, like a massive pep rally, the Oscar fans vs, the Puerto Rican people. It seemed like nothing else mattered after the weigh in, until the following Saturday Afternoon at the Mandalay Bay, which can only be described as incredible.
There truly was electricity in the air, and there were Mexican and Puerto Rican flags everywhere you looked, one could peek into a bar and spot Jim Lampley, or perhaps Cedric Kushner sipping on a drink, and the arguments and debates over who was going to win that night were in the air as well. We watched the parade of stars making their way to the fight. Unfortunately, unless you owned the LA Lakers, or were an NFL or NBA star, dressed to the nines with a Playmate hanging off your arm, you probably weren’t going to be sitting ringside. The good seats were all reserved for DKP executives, Top Rank, friends of Oscar de la Hoya and Hollywood Stars such as Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas. Mere mortals such as yours truly were delegated to venues such as the Joint at the Hard Rock to watch the fight on the Big Screen for 50 bucks a pop. So we made our way to the Hard Rock, into a sea of Oscar fans.
Say what you will about Oscar’s obnoxious fans, they are ridiculously loyal. I believe I was the only Tito Trinidad fan in the Joint. And I, as Tito was heartily booed when Trinidad started his magnificent Ringwalk, to the Salsa Music, a song called, “La Hora Ya Llego” or the Hour has Arrived.
The late Big Pun announced his arrival to the Borricuas, who went absolutely mad, at the sight of their champion, wearing the simple hat of a peasant. It took Tito a good 10 minutes to make his way to the ring, immediately followed by a song called “Baille Amor” by Marco Gabriel, or some other Latin Teeny Bopper star marking Oscar’s entrance.
The first round was dead even, a feeling out round, in which there were no real exchanges. Oscar swept rounds 2-4, and his fans both at the Joint, and at the Bay were celebrating as if it were the 4th of July, and New Year’s Eve at Midnight, all rolled into one. I seem to recall Oscar fans giving each other “high fives” at the end of each round, as if Oscar had won all the rounds. But he didn’t do enough to take round five. Somewhere before seven (Tito’s round), he landed a nice 4-punch combo that busted Tito’s nose.
To many ignorant fans, too clueless to know the first thing about scoring a fight, this along with Tito’s blood on his white trunks was proof enough that Oscar had did enough to win. Oscar won the 8th as well, right before his legs and stamina became major issues in the fight. Oscar had tasted enough Trinidad leather to know he had absolutely zero interest in standing toe to toe with the Borricua Warrior. Oscar had won five rounds going into the 9th. Trinidad had won two, and the first was even. It was a nice lead, but Oscar didnt have enough rounds “in the bag” to simply stop fighting at that point.
Trinidad staged a ninth round rally, and took the 10th as well. At this point, the fight was still close, and anyone’s fight, although the fans of de la Hoya were already dancing in the aisles. I was at the Joint watching Oscar de la Hoya, a Mexican American who had brought the Mexican flag into the ring with him, begin to run away from Tito Trinidad and avoid exchanges at any cost, even at the expense of nearly getting booed out of the Mandalay Bay. The blame for these shameful actions is on many different people. For one, the inept and laughable advice of one Roberto Alcazar. It was Alcazar who had the best seat in the house, and knew of Oscar’s capabilities better than anyone else, and it was he who was mainly advising Oscar to avoid any toe to toe exchanges, with the near senile Gil Clancy chiming in for Oscar to “Box, box box” one of the most stupid pieces of advice given to any fighter in any Superfight of the 20th Century. And Oscar, he of Mexican Heritage, took heed, and obeyed.
Oscar himself should have ignored the silly and ignorant advice of his inept corner, and went out and did what he did in the 12th against Ike Quartey. Oscar, in the 12th against Quartey looked like a Mexican Warrior. In the 12th against Trinidad, he looked like a track athlete. Oscar foolishly gave away the 11th and 12th to the stalking, and aggressive Tito Trinidad who had Oscar in the cross hairs, and was able to land a few well placed hooks on his elusive opponent, the Running Man.
As the 12th bell rang, and Tito landed the final punch, Oscar took to the shoulders of his brother, and was holding his hands in the air in a victory pose, to the booing of an unappreciative crowd. Tito was also raised, and as Buffer took the mic, there was tension in the air, and finally, elation and jubilation among the Borricuas as Tito Trinidad was crowned, the True Welterweight Champion of the World. Oscar de la Hoya had a look in his face as if he had stepped on some doggie doo. The golden glitter that started raining from the ceiling only added to the surrealism of that moment for all fans of de la Hoya, as their hero’s undefeated streak was ruined.
Later during Larry Merchant’s interview of Trinidad, Tito called out Oscar and in front of the live PPV cameras, asked him “am I worth the 10 million now” to much laughter….As Oscar tried to answer, Larry Merchant turned the mic back to the new Champion, leaving Oscar with a look of disgust and frustration that must be seen to be believed….until of course Oscar realized he was still on camera, and switched over to a fake smile for all the folks at home.
We made a mad dash to the Mandalay Bay, where we were treated to the sight of literally thousands of disgruntled fans of de la Hoya shuffling and moaning slowly out of the Bay, crying robbery, and sometimes, just crying. They resembled extras from a George Romero Zombie flick. After we collected from the Sportsbook, we made our way to a Salsa Club, where we danced until dawn, and drank toasts of Champagne to the Future Grandchildren of Tito Trinidad.
Much later, HBO made a special on the Fight of the Millenium, and new footage of Oscar walking back to his dressing room sans belt was made available. Oscar looked to be in tears, and was cussing, and pounding the walls with his fists a lot harder than anything he landed 9-12. He also was complaining about compu-box numbers, something he wouldn’t bother doing 8 years later when the Pretty Boy gave him the 5th boxing lesson of his career. Tito Trinidad stepped off the plane in Puerto Rico the following Monday with Oscar’s WBC belt in one hand, and a rubber chicken in the other, and that my friends is the story of the last Super fight of the 20th Century.