At long last, Saturday evening, shortly after midnight the wait was over and the first official mega-fight of 2008 was underway. In the midst of a wild and rather rambunctious Puerto Rican crowd, Felix Trinidad gave an effort to his highest honor but in the end, it wouldn’t be nearly enough as the sports former Pound for Pound champ, Roy Jones Jr., found a way to turn back the hands of time and make a 39 year old body throw fist like that of a spirited 29 year old soul. Oddsmakers had Roy Jones Jr. a solid betting favorite coming into the fight and perhaps the most compelling stat supporting the odds was the fact that Jones Jr. was previously a perfect 33-0, with 29KO’s in fights below the light heavyweight division, which was a troubling sign for Trinidad who was coming into the ring 10 pounds heavier than he ever had. Trinidad came out strong as he employed his patented ‘stalk-until-they-can’t-walk’ style, but the flamboyant Jones Jr. was destined to clarify his position amongst the sports elite, and did just that. Midway through the fight, Jones Jr. appeared to go into cruise control as Trinidad had totally fatigued, showing visible signs of the ring rust most thought would accompany him in the ring after a 32 month hiatus away from the sport. ‘The Aftermath’ With the fight being a total landslide on the score cards, the focus now diverts to where exactly does this leave each fighter. For Trinidad, even in the loss it appeared that with a proper regimen, and a steady dose of challengers, he could one day become a contender again in the sport somewhere south of the super-middleweight division. Perhaps a rematch with Oscar Dela Hoya is on the horizon with Dela Hoya wanting a tune-up fight in May before a scheduled rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September. For Jones, it was evident that his speed and skill level is still nearly unparalleled in the sport. He took a few solid chin-checks from one of the best punchers in the sport, and he entertained in a way that we haven’t seen him do so in over a half decade. One can only imagine what the future holds for him but what we do know is that if he decides to build on the efforts visible Saturday night, it will undoubtedly present multiple mega-fights, and perhaps even another title run. At the post fight press conference Jones stated that the Hopkins/Calzaghe winner is who he ultimately wants, but also has not ruled out a rematch with Glen Johnson or Antonio Tarver, the two men credited with giving him his losses.
From Old Roy To Oh Roy: Jones Too Much For Trinidad
Posted by Tim Starks on Jan 22, 2008 14:29
