The Cyber Boxing Zone Newswire


Will Felix Trinidad Rain On Oscar De La Hoya's Multi-Million Dollar Parade?: Benjamin A. Rodriguez


I don't think so. When comparing both of their records, I just believe that Oscar has been in with a lot better competition. There are only but a handful of opponents in Felix's 35-0 (30KO) record that are to be considered world class opponents, to name a few: Hector 'Macho' Camacho, Yori Boy Campos, Oba 'Motor City' Carr, Freddie Pendleton, and an old Pernell Whitaker.

When you compare that to some of the opponents in Oscar's 31-0 (25KO) record: John John Molina, Rafael Ruelas, Genero Hernandez, Jesse James Leija (in that order I might add), he then took an easy fight and proceeded with Julio Cesar Chavez, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, and Pernell Whitaker (again in that order). Other world class opponents for Oscar include Hector 'Macho' Camacho, Wilfredo Rivera, Ike 'Bazooka' Quartey, and Oba 'Motor City' Carr.

It just doesn't feel like Felix has that much of chance.

There is a chance though, however small it may be. Felix Trinidad is a slow starter. In the few fights that I have seen him in, the majority of 'em he has gone down in the first couple of rounds (a few times by opponents not listed above) only to get up and KO his opponent. He can't come out slow against Oscar.

Another important factor is that Felix has only KO'd an opponent past round 6 twice, once against Oba Carr (KO 8) and Anthony Stephens (KO 10). We know Oscar has power in the later rounds after he had Ike Quartey in trouble in the final round of their fight and KO'ed Oba Carr in round 11 (Oscar's last 2 fights).

So I believe if Felix is going to go for a KO he would have to give it his all in the first 7 rounds of the fight. Oscar is getting hit a lot more often than he has in the past with his new (crowd-pleasing?) style. Felix should take advantage of this.

There is no question that Felix is a heavy puncher. Oba Carr was hitting Oscar all night long, would Oscar have lasted if he was getting hit like that from Trinidad? When I think of Oscar, I don't think of a body puncher, I think of a left hook/jab. When I think of Felix, I remember that body punch that put Hugo Pineda out in round 4 of their fight where Hugo could no longer continue. Then I think of Freddie Pendelton getting hit in the gut in the 5th round and not getting up in his fight with Trinidad. This constant body attack of Felix could be a major factor in this fight.

The more I think about it, Felix's chance of success may be more than meets the eye. This is what intrigues fans about this matchup. One De La Hoya left hook or one Trinidad body shot could end the fight seemingly in any round. On the other hand if it goes the distance we can anticipate watching 12 rounds of great boxing. You see, I thought Ike Quartey beat Oscar De La Hoya, I had the same score that Harold Lederman had it 114-113. It is one of the few times that Larry Merchant and I have agreed on anything as well.

The scoring sucked in that fight with the judges having it a blowout. Before that, was a controversial decision against Pernell Whitaker for the title that Oscar currently defends. I had it being very close and would have accepted a decision of a draw, but no, again the judges had it a blowout for Oscar.

Did Oscar do enough to take the title away from Pernell Whitaker? With Felix Trinidad this does not exist, he did not receive any gift decisions. Every fight on his record he won convincingly whether by decision or KO. There are no questions lingering around.

Except one, can Felix beat Oscar on September 18th?

What will happen if Felix wins on September 18th? There will be a rematch of course. Either way, from what I hear both of them will be moving up to the Jr. Middleweight division after they unify the IBF and WBC welterweight titles. Whether Felix Trinidad wins or loses there are some big paydays in store for him.

Once he moves up in weight to 154lb he will have fighters like David Reid (WBA champ), Fernando Vargas (IBF champ), Francisco J. Castillejo (WBC champ), Ike 'Bazooka' Quartey, or Jose Luis Lopez. Or if he unifies the WBC and IBF welterweight titles, he may want to go after James Page for the WBA welterweight title or take on Vernon Forrest for a big money fight.

If Felix beats Oscar, will he be as popular as Oscar? I don't believe so. When Oscar fights it is almost like a Mike Tyson fight used to be. Felix isn't Pay-per-View material yet, but who knows, if he beats Oscar and beats quality opposition consistently he just may be. But I can't see Tito breaking Oscars PPV buys and getting the fan following that Oscar has.

But Oscar has done things that turn off fans, like was it really necessary to fight Julio Cesar Chavez again and why did he make it seem like a matter of respect when it was really about money? If you didn't hear, Oscar said that Julio Cesar Chavez didn't give him the respect he deserved when Oscar beat him originally so he was going to fight him again because Chavez disrespected him.

Fine, but now Fernando Vargas (who is 17-0 with 17KO's) supposedly disrespected the Golden Boy and Oscar's answer to Fernando is I won't fight you because you disrespected me? And when asked about a rematch directly after Oscar received a gift wrapped decision against Ike Quartey, Oscar played the fight down saying it wasn't a good fight and that fans don't want to see a rematch. I think it was the closest to death that Oscar has ever been and that is really what that was all about.

When you take everything into account, now is the best time to for Felix to fight Oscar De La Hoya. I believe that Felix is in a win/win situation whether he beats Oscar or not.

I just want to see a good fight, and if it goes the distance I want to see some realistic score cards. My gut tells me that Oscar wins by KO in middle rounds.

Benjamin A. Rodriguez
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