Why Was Trinidad Such A Big Favorite Vs Hopkins

[DooGee#33]

That is true, But Hopkins was the naturally bigger man and more skilled.

Tito was outstanding puncher especially at 147 and 154. His style of fighting was crowd pleasing. He could be a spectacular performer.

Hopkins was a good all around boxer who would do whatever necessary to win. He was methodical at times but always a fine technical fighter. High Ring IQ.

The public will generally overrate puncher/offensive powerhouse. Going into that bout these were my 2 favorite fighters at the time. I didn't see a way for Tito to win this.

[Dr. Z]

Tito was outstanding puncher especially at 147 and 154. His style of fighting was crowd pleasing. He could be a spectacular performer.

Hopkins was a good all around boxer who would do whatever necessary to win. He was methodical at times but always a fine technical fighter. High Ring IQ.

The public will generally overrate puncher/offensive powerhouse. Going into that bout these were my 2 favorite fighters at the time. I didn't see a way for Tito to win this.

Neither did I. He was a lower weight fighter and more limited fighter. Tito was mostly a left hook type of fighter ( not a jabber or right hand type of guy ), and he didn't have the footwork or foot speed needed to close the gap. Nor did he have the range. He did not have the defense or the counter punching either. He was essentially Effed.

Hopkins easily shut Tito down. With some dirty play on the side.

[Hooded Terror]

Handing you some of my early-Trinidad notions, I felt that as far back as pre-1993 he was sort of pushed hard as a star by King, even before blowing-out remnants of Maurice Blocker. It was a very good move. The win against 32-0 Oba Carr was impressive. He proved himself in 1994 with his off-the-deck shootout against a 56-0 Ramon Campas. But it seemed like a lot of treading water facing a number of lightweight and junior welter retreads while Papa Trinidad and King did all that they could to ignore the elephant in the room, Pernell Whitaker. And just as Whitaker began to fade, it was then that Oscar De La Hoya decided to take the plunge. Two more years would pass before Team Trinidad finally got around to facing Whitaker, who by then, was running on fumes. To me none of it was a good look. Granted, it gave us Trinidad vs Oscar.

I used to tune into every Trinidad fight from 1993-onward. I thought he was compelling, explosive and class. When he moved-up he underlined his greatness, even if I didn't see his "win" over Oscar being just that. He lathered Reid and dispatched Vargas in terrific fashion. When he utterly pole-axed the talented William Joppy I was sort of amazed at how well his power had translated. Facing Hopkins, I always had The Executioner as the winner, but after the drubbing of Joppy, I was no longer utterly certain. Trinidad was THAT good - good enough to make me rethink his place on the boxing landscape circa 2001, of for about the 4th time in a decade.

Trinidad's "thank-you" favor to me was his late-career KO of mouthpiece-power-smoker Ricardo Mayorga.

Terrifc, GREAT fighter. I miss him to this day.

[kara]

That is true, But Hopkins was the naturally bigger man and more skilled.

That's true, but the way Tito blew out Joppy went a long way

[Dr. Z]

That's true, but the way Tito blew out Joppy went a long way

He is also a jr welter that moved up to middle and lost badly to Hopkins and Wright.

[kara]

He is also a jr welter that moved up to middle and lost badly to Hopkins and Wright.

But then he blew out Cherifii

[DooGee#33]

But then he blew out Cherifii

Why Don King took Tito up to 160 as quickly as he did I never understood the logic. Trinidad had just moved to 154. Possibility fights with Mosley and DLH.

At the end of the day Trinidad was a great Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight. A good 160lber though Hopkins would always have his number.

[kara]

Why Don King took Tito up to 160 as quickly as he did I never understood the logic. Trinidad had just moved to 154. Possibility fights with Mosley and DLH.

At the end of the day Trinidad was a great Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight. A good 160lber though Hopkins would always have his number.

At the time King had all of the fighters at 160 and made that tournament, expecting Tito to win.

If you remember, they already planned a fight between Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr. and started negotiations before he stepped in the ring with Hopkins

[DooGee#33]

At the time King had all of the fighters at 160 and made that tournament, expecting Tito to win.

If you remember, they already planned a fight between Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr. and started negotiations before he stepped in the ring with Hopkins

Yea that was a tall order to beat Jones. Maybe DelaHoya didn't want a rematch at 154. That would have been $$. Sugar Shane would have been another option. Trinidad probably would have been favored in both of those fights.

[Hooded Terror]

Why Don King took Tito up to 160 as quickly as he did I never understood the logic. Trinidad had just moved to 154. Possibility fights with Mosley and DLH.

At the end of the day Trinidad was a great Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight. A good 160lber though Hopkins would always have his number.

I figured King accelerated Trinidad to 160 because the playing field was lite. Matched correctly Hopkins would eliminate the rangy Keith Holmes and Joppy, size-wise, was perfect for Felix. Also, at 36. Hopkins should have been ready for the exit. Back then nobody knew he had the staying power and adaptability of Archie Moore, with years of success ahead of him. King and Papa gambled. Hopkins won.