Boxing is dead, you say? No big-name fighters, no big super-fights? Well, it's time for that criticism to cease! With two huge mega-fights in less than a year (Mayweather vs. De La Hoya, then Mayweather vs. Hatton), getting a third massive fight in January is more than most boxing fans could ever really hope for, even back in the golden days of the 1960's to 1980's. Well, our prayers have been answered.
If you're a boxing fan like me, there's certain matches you've always wanted to see. Matches where the styles of both fighters are so triumphant, so perfectly matched, that the fight is destined to be remembered through the ages. And in the past fifteen years, we've seen some of those fights... Roy Jones Jr. vs. Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Oscar De La Hoya, Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad, and countless others. But one of the greatest fights ever, a match that boxing fans have salivated over for years, never happened. Of course I'm talking about Roy Jones Jr. versus Felix "Tito" Trinidad. It came close to happening in 2001, but it never came to be, so fans around the world let out a huge collective sigh and spent the last several years wondering "what if?"
Your prayers have been answered. Roy Jones Jr. and Felix Trinidad are going to fight January 19th 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City... the same stage where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier waged their epic battle in "the fight of the century."
Both Jones and Trinidad are living legends. They're both destined for the Boxing Hall of Fame, regardless of the outcome of this fight. Seeing these two monumental figures collide in a square circle is something I've always dreamed about seeing. It's one of the biggest unanswered questions in the history of sports, let alone the sport of boxing, and the sports world has erupted in news and speculation since the fight was officially announced last month. The only reason I didn't post about it then was that I was afraid it'd get cancelled again, but with less than a month until the fight and both boxers in their Florida and Puerto Rico training camps respectively, I figured it was safe to post and ask this question: Whose side are you on?
If you don't know anything about either fighter, he's a quick summary of who they are, and why it's pretty astonishing you haven't heard of them, lol:
Roy Jones Jr. is arguably the most highly decorated boxer in history. He's been a middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight world champion. He was the first boxer in history to make the climb from middleweight to heavyweight with titles in every weight class between them, and is recognized for having unified every single light heavyweight belt there is, holding the WBC, WBA, WBF, IBA, IBO, and IBF belts at the same time. He's defeated some of the biggest names in boxing, including Bernard Hopkins (the only person to beat him before Hopkins lost to Jermain Taylor the first time) and James Toney. He's a lot of fun to watch because he showboats much like Ali did, taunting his opponent before gracefully ripping them to pieces.
Felix "Tito" Trinidad had a similar meteoric rise, climbing the the lower weight divisions, with belts in the welterweight, light middleweight, and middleweight divisions, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas. His loss to Bernard Hopkins in 2001 is the reason Trinidad and Jones never met in the ring before now. People consider him a throwback to the 20th century fighters of yesteryear, and his style and ring presence seem to be designed as an homage to classic boxing. He was the Boxer of the Year in 2000.
I'm rooting for Roy Jones Jr. Here's why:
Roy Jones video montage. He's easily one of the greatest fighters of all time. You commonly hear people say his name in the same sentence as Ali, Robinson, and Leonard. He was voted as the "Boxer of the Decade" not long ago... I really don't see Tito beating him. My prediction for the fight: Roy Jones wins by KO by or in the 10th round.
So, what is your prediction? Who do you think is going to win this fight, how will they win, and in what round (if it's a KO)? And do you think they'll both simply retire after this fight, or do you see Floyd Mayweather possibly challenging the winner down the road (provided he can make the climb to Middleweight)?
