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Felix Tito Trinidad
Boxer Autograph
ATough Signature from Puerto Rican multi
Champion Felix Tito Trinidad one of the best pound for pound
fighters of recent times.
Felix Trinidad
SOLD
Félix "Tito" Trinidad began
boxing at the young age of 12 on the beautiful island of
Puerto Rico where many boxing legends also call home. Tito
was raised in a boxing environment as his father and manager
Félix Trinidad Sr. was a Puerto Rican featherweight
champion in the mid '70s.
Felix Trinidad had a solid amateur career
winning five Puerto Rican National Amateur Championships
at (100 pounds, 112, 119, 126 and 132). He posted an amateur
career record of 51-6, but only had 12 knockouts.
When the president of the amateur boxing federation
in Puerto Rico wanted Trinidad to abandon the 126 pound
division so another boxer could compete in the 1992 Olympics,
Félix Sr. became fed up with the politics and Trinidad
never competed in the Olympics and decided to go pro.
In his first world title bout on June 19,
1993, Trinidad took on two-time world champion Maurice Blocker
for the IBF welterweight crown. Trinidad took control of
the bout from the opening bell, rocking Blocker with powerful
shots with both hands. Trinidad finished Blocker off at
1:59 of the second round with a knockout that left Blocker
on the canvas for several minutes, solidifying Trinidad's
status as a devastating puncher with power in both hands.
On January 29, 1994, Trinidad scored a unanimous
decision over Hector "Macho" Camacho. Trinidad
dominated the fight against the flamboyant "Macho Man."
It was fight that vaulted Trinidad to the elite of the boxing
world.
Following what was then the longest layoff
of his career (eight months), Trinidad was matched up against
Luis Ramon "Yory Boy" Campas, whom many were calling
the next Chavez. Campas carried with him a remarkable 56-0
record with 50 knockouts. The fight took place on September
17, 1994 as part of the Mexican Independence celebration.
Campas, who had the crowd behind him, sent Trinidad to the
canvas with a quick, short left hook in the second round.
Though the punch seemed to stun Trinidad rather than hurt
him, the frenzied crowd sensed Campas would finish him off.
But the young Puerto Rican sensation showed why he's champion,
as he roared back in the fourth round and landed a dozen
unanswered blows to the head of Campas. Referee Richard
Steele had no choice but to stop the punishment and fight
shortly thereafter.
On December 10, 1994, in Monterrey, Mexico,
Trinidad faced the most formidable challenger of his career,
then undefeated Oba "Motor City" Carr. After an
uneventful first round, a straight right hand in round two
not only sent Trinidad to the canvas, but also woke up the
champion. For the next five rounds, Trinidad controlled
the fight, and in the eighth round, Trinidad floored Carr
twice. After getting up for the second time, Trinidad unleashed
four unanswered blows to Carr's head, prompting the referee
to stop the fight.
Trinidad went on to defend the IBF welterweight
title 16 times against many quality opponents. Trinidad,
now feeling that he solidified the welterweight division,
set his goals on earning another title. He continued his
choice of quality opponent and faced undefeated WBC welterweight
champion "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya. In
a highly publicized match, Félix Trinidad out-dueled,
De La Hoya in a unanimous 12-round decision to retain his
IBF title while taking De La Hoya's WBC title.
Promoter Don King created a Middleweight
World Championship Series where four boxers will fight against
each other to determine who will be the undisputed Middleweight
champion, a feat that hasn't been done since the great since
Sugar Ray Leonard beat Marvelous Marvin Hagler in 1987.
The winner will also win the first Sugar Ray
Robinson trophy.
Trinidad's first opponent in the new division
was William Joppy. A true middleweight at 160 who was holder
of the WBA title since 1998.
Trinidad, in his first fight at this new weight,
destroyed Joppy in 5 rounds knocking him down 3 times during
the fight. "I always knew I was a middleweight,"
Trinidad said at the post-fight press conference at Madison
Square Garden. "I knew I was going to knock him out."
Trinidad showed devastating power at this
new weight and proved to everyone that he is a force to
be reckoned with in the Middleweight division. Trinidad
moved on to the finale of the Middleweight World Championship
Series against Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins.
When the Middleweight Championship series
first began in March, everyone felt that Tito Trinidad was
going to be crowned as the undisputed middleweight champion
and the first recipient of the Sugar Ray Robinson trophy.
But to the surprise of many, Trinidad would
suffer his first defeat.
In the finale of the Middleweight Championship
Series, Hopkins knocked down Trinidad and stopped him at
1:43 of the final round before a stunned crowd of 19,075
in Madison Square Garden.
Hopkins fought Trinidad well and obviously
did his homework. He studied Trinidad's style for months
and had an answer for his every move. Trinidad couldn't
get his feet set and deliver that devastating blow which
has taken out so many of his past opponents. Hopkins was
flawless and fought the perfect fight against one of the
best fighters of this modern era.
