Félix Trinidad
Encyclopedia
Félix 'Tito' Trinidad, Jr. (born January 10, 1973) is a Puerto Rican
professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history. After winning five National Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, he debuted as a professional when he was 17. He won his first world championship when he defeated Maurice Blocker
for the International Boxing Federation
's welterweight belt. Trinidad holds the record for most welterweight title defenses (15). During his career he fought Oscar De La Hoya
winning the Lineal
& World Boxing Council
welterweight championships, Fernando Vargas
in a unification fight where with sensei Fabio Martella he won the International Boxing Federation's light middleweight title, and William Joppy
for the World Boxing Association's middleweight championship. He lost to Bernard Hopkins
by technical knockout and retired for the first time. Trinidad returned to action in a fight against Ricardo Mayorga
and, following a fight against Winky Wright
, retired a second time. In 2008, he returned to the ring to fight Roy Jones, losing the contest by unanimous decision. Subsequently, Trinidad entered a three-year hiatus without clarifying the status of his career.
on May 3, 1992 in Cayey, Puerto Rico
.This fight was the main event of the night. Both Gonzalez and Trinidad weighed in at 142 pounds.Gonzalez had a record of 8-2-3 with 5 KOs, while Trinidad had a record of 13-0 with 10 KOs. Gonzalez went down three times, and Trinidad took the victory in round four by TKO. Trinidad would add another victory by KO to his record and would now make it 14-0 with 11 KOs.
and defeated the IBF welterweight champion Maurice Blocker
in two rounds, in a fight card
that took place on June 19, 1993, televised by Showtime. Trinidad spent the first two minutes of the fight analyzing Blocker's style. With 11 seconds left in the first round, one of Trinidad's punches injured Blocker, who barely survived the round. In the second round, the champion's condition appeared to improve, but after the first 30 seconds, another Trinidad punch injured him. Trinidad followed with a combination, scoring a knockout at 1:49 in the round when the referee stopped the fight. Afterwards, tournament organizer Don King's exclusive relationship to stage fights for the cable channel Showtime meant that Trinidad would be showcased regularly on Showtime Championship Boxing.
Trinidad defended his title for the next three years against several opponents. Trinidad's first fight in Las Vegas, Nevada
was against Héctor Camacho
on January 29, 1994. He was cautious during the first rounds and received a cut over his left eye. In the third round he connected a solid combination that made Camacho change to a defensive stance. Throughout the fight Trinidad was on the offensive and won the fight by unanimous decision, in what was his first decision since he won the world championship. The scores awarded by the judges were 117–109, 116–110, and 119–106.
On September 17, 1994, Trinidad traveled to the MGM Grand
for a second straight fight to compete in a title defense against Yori Boy Campas
, who had a record of 56-0. In the second round Campas scored a knockdown, the second knockdown in Trinidad's career. Following this Trinidad exchanged several combinations, injuring Campas' face and breaking his nose. In the fourth round, the referee stopped the fight, the first defeat in Campas' career.
Trinidad's fourth fight outside Puerto Rico or the United States took place on Estadio de Beisbol in Monterey, Mexico. Trinidad was scheduled to defend his title against the undefeated Oba Carr. In the second round, Carr scored a knockdown, which was the product of a quick right hand punch. Trinidad continued the fight and pursued the challenger, who displayed a quick pace throughout the fight. In the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid punch that injured Carr, and in the eighth he scored three consecutive knockdowns before the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.
Trinidad spent the next four years defending his title against numerous fighters in bouts televised on Showtime. Among these fights was a defense against Mahenge Zulu, the number two challenger for Trinidad's championship. This fight was part of a card that took place on April 3, 1998 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
and marked the first time that Trinidad had performed in the archipelago in five years. Trinidad began the first round by cautiously analyzing the challenger's style, but the round ended with quick exchanges after Zulu took the initiative in the offensive. In the second round Zulu was actively pursuing the champion, but retreated when he received a solid jab sequence. Early in the third round a series of jabs opened a wound on Zulu's mouth, while the challenger's punches were not reaching their target. Trinidad began the fourth round heavily on in the offensive connecting several combinations which hurt the challenger, using this to land more punches in Zulu's head and body. One punch hit Zulu in the jaw, he fell to the floor and tried to rise, but the referee stopped the fight before he could do so.
On February 20, 1999, Trinidad defended the welterweight championship against Pernell Whitaker
, winning the fight by unanimous decision in a contest that marked his thirteenth successful defense. The fight began with both boxers displaying aggressive styles, which included excessive pushing. In the following rounds both boxers used their jabs most of the time with Trinidad gaining an advantage when Whitaker attempted to attack inside, eventually scoring a knockdown in round two. In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds the fighters exchanged combinations. Later in the fight both boxers fell to the floor in what were ruled as "accidental slips." On the seventh round Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control in the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth, and tenth rounds. In the last round Whitaker, with a badly swollen right eye, displayed a purely defensive stance, avoiding his opponent throughout the round while Trinidad continued on the offensive until the fight concluded. The judges gave the champion scores of 117–111, 118–109 and 118–109.
In the spring of 1999, Don King and Oscar De la Hoya
's promoter, Bob Arum
, agreed to co-promote a mega-fight for the Lineal, World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation welterweight championships on September 18, 1999 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Early in the fight De la Hoya employed boxing to connect combinations while avoiding Trinidad's attacks. The second round began with both boxers trading punches but De la Hoya quickly returned to his previous tactic, which he employed in the third round. In the fourth round Trinidad pressured the offense while De la Hoya tried to avoid his punches by moving, both boxers eventually exchanged punches. In the fifth round Trinidad continued in the offensive while De la Hoya attempted to remain on the outside corners of the ring, Trinidad's eye was swollen following a trade of punches. In the sixth round Felix connected a solid right to his opponent's jaw. Trinidad began the seventh round connecting several solid left hooks to the body that affected De la Hoya's stamina. In the eighth round the swelling on Trinidad's eye was reduced and he was able to control the center of the ring. After trading several combinations in the ninth round, Trinidad began to control the fight's tempo in the tenth, countering his adversary's attacks. Thinking that they had an advantage on points, De la Hoya's corner urged him to be conservative, a strategy benefiting Trinidad who became more active in the offensive, connecting several solid combinations. Both boxers continued this pattern in the final round, with De la Hoya trying to slow down the offense while displaying signs of exhaustion, as Trinidad continued to possess control. The judges gave Trinidad a majority decision, with scores of 115–113, 115–114 and 114–114.
. Early in the fight Trinidad concentrated his punches on Reid's body, connecting hard punches to his ribs and belly. In the second round Reid connected a solid punch to his opponent's jaw, and in the third round scored a knockdown. In the fourth and fifth rounds Trinidad used his jab consistently, gaining control of the fight's tempo in the sixth round. The fight's score was close at the beginning of the seventh round but Trinidad opened the second half of the contest in the offensive, scoring the fight's second knockdown. Controlling the fight in the eighth, ninth and tenth rounds, and opening a cut over Reid's eye. Trinidad dominated the eleventh round, scoring three consecutive knockdowns. Reid tried to close the fight on the offensive but his opponent boxed and countered his attacks. The judges gave scores of 114–107, 114–106 and 115–106, all in favor of Trinidad.
On December 2, 2000, he was scheduled to fight in a unification card against Fernando Vargas
, the International Boxing Federation's junior middleweight champion. The fight began in a fast pace with Trinidad connecting a solid combination that led to his opponent being knocked down. Vargas was able to stand up, but another combination injured him a second time and led to another knockdown. Early in the second round Trinidad was in the offensive but Vargas connected a solid combination at the round's closing moments which opened a cut over Trinidad's right eye. In the fourth round's opening seconds one of Vargas' punches connected on Trinidad's jaw and he fell, marking the eight knockdown in his career. In the fifth round Vargas was in control of the fight's offensive, connecting combinations to Trinidads' body. In the sixth round Trinidad regained control of the fight's tempo that lasted throughout the contest, connecting punches on Vargas' head and left jabs to the ribs. In the eighth, Vargas displayed signs of exhaustion which slowed his offensive while Trinidad then pursued the offense with combinations to the body. This pattern continued throughout the ninth, tenth and eleventh rounds. Opening the final round Vargas was on the offensive, connecting a solid left hook. Trinidad countered the attack with a left hook that made Vargas collapse; Vargas was able to stand up, but was subsequently knocked down for a second time. With Vargas injured, Trinidad continued connecting combinations, until the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.
Following his fight with Vargas, Trinidad moved up in weight – this time to participate in Don King's middleweight unification tournament featuring IBF champion Bernard Hopkins
, WBA champion William Joppy
, and WBC champion Keith Holmes. Trinidad was matched with Joppy, whom he defeated by technical knockout in the fifth round of a contest that took place on May 12, 2001. Joppy opened the first round on the offensive, but late in the round Trinidad scored a knockdown with a combination of punches that came close to throwing Joppy underneath the ropes. Trinidad subsequently scored a knockdown in the fourth round, during this stage of the competition he was using combinations of left hooks and right punches to the head. In the fifth round Trinidad scored another knockdown, Joppy attempted to continue the fight, but while he was using the ropes to help him stand, the referee stopped the fight. When the contest was over, Trinidad explained his strategy by stating: "I knew he wanted to impose his will, his weight, and I wouldn't let him do it".
The middleweight unification fight between Hopkins and Trinidad was originally scheduled for September 15, 2001, at the Madison Square Garden
. On the morning of September 11, terrorists attacked
the World Trade Center
. Following this incident, the fight was postponed indefinitely. After receiving assurances from Madison Square Garden officials and the City of New York, Don King rescheduled the fight for September 29. The pace of the fight in the early rounds was slow, with each boxer studying his opponent. In the second round Hopkins connected some combinations while Trinidad pursued the offensive in the fourth round and both boxers traded sequences of punches. This pattern continued in the fifth round with Trinidad showing an aggressive style while Hopkins relied on jabs. In the sixth Trinidad continued an offensive stance and won the round after trading several combinations. Both fighters continued to exchange punches in the eighth and ninth round with Hopkins connecting three consecutive solid punches. In the twelfth round Hopkins' scored a knockdown, but before the contest could continue Trinidad's father entered the ring, which led to the referee stopping the fight by technical knockout. According to an interview with Bernard's trainer Bouie Fisher, prior to the fight members of Hopkins' team visited the Trinidad dressing room in what is considered a normal boxing custom to watch the taping of Trinidad's hands before his gloves were placed on. The Hopkins camp claimed that Trinidad's hands were wrapped in an incorrect fashion, and threatened to cancel the fight unless they were wrapped correctly. Fisher also stated that the Chief Inspector of the NYSAC insisted to Trinidad's camp that they needed to re-wrap his hands in a correct fashion.
Trinidad was subsequently scheduled to fight against Hacine Cherifi
in a contest that he won by technical knockout in the fourth round. The event was part of a card that took place on May 11, 2002, and was organized in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Early in the first round Trinidad's strategy consisted of using his jab while Cherifi did not try to directly engage in the offensive. In the last minute of the round a punch by Trinidad hit Cherifi's chin leaving him disoriented, he followed this with a combination and scored a knockdown. In the second round, Trinidad displayed more boxing and was on the offensive by using combinations to the head and ribs. In the third Cherifi landed more punches than in the previous two, but Trinidad relied on throwing left jabs. One of his punches hit Cherifi's liver, followed by a punch to the jaw, making Cherifi fall to the floor. In the fourth, a series of combinations injured Cherifi, who collapsed to the floor twice, forfeiting the fight on the second occasion. Following this contest Trinidad announced his retirement
, at the moment leaving the sport with a record of 41 wins, one defeat, and 34 wins by knockout.
, in Madison Square Garden. Early in the first round Mayorga was on the offensive connecting several combinations, later in the round Trinidad connected some punches to his opponent's face. Mayorga reacted defiantly while lowering his defense, which Trinidad used to continue the offensive during the closing seconds. In the second round he continued connecting with combinations to Mayorga's face which caused him to bleed from his nose; the round concluded with both fighters exchanging punches. In the third round Mayorga attempted to counter with punches to the body but did not do significant damage to his opponent, however later in the round one of these punches made Trinidad lose his balance and touch the floor with one glove which the referee counted as a knockdown. In the fourth round both boxers traded hard combinations. In the fifth Trinidad displayed control of the offense's tempo injuring Mayorga and opening a cut under one of his eyes. This pattern continued in the sixth and seventh round, and the cut on Mayorga's face began to swell. In the eight round Trinidad scored several knockdowns, Mayorga continued after two knockdowns, but lost by technical knockout following a third knockdown.
On May 14, 2005, Trinidad competed against Winky Wright
, in a fight where the winner would become the World Boxing Council's number one challenger in the Middleweight division. Wright won the fight by decision, receiving scores of 120–107 and 119–108 twice by the judges. Trinidad's fighting style appeared to be out of rhythm in the first round, while Wright presented a defensive stance and relied on jabs. During the first three rounds Wright was in the offensive scoring with jabs. On the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid combination. In the sixth, Wright continued the strategy used in the previous rounds while Trinidad employed a strategy where he tried to neutralize his opponent's punches by standing in front of him. In the later rounds Trinidad tried to take the contest's offensive but his adversary managed to block most of his punches while continuing his previous tactic. In the twelfth round Trinidad pursued Wright while trying to score a knockout, but his opponent boxed away from him until the round ended. Following this fight, Trinidad retired temporarily, after his father informed him that he would not continue in his corner.
Trinidad came out of his second retirement for the fight against Roy Jones, a former four-division champion on January 19, 2008. According to the contract, it was to be at a catch weight of 170 lbs; and was broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View
. The card took place at Madison Square Garden in New York city. Trinidad began the fight on the offensive and won the first two rounds. The third and fourth rounds were won by Jones who relied on the velocity of his punches. This pattern continued in the fifth and sixth rounds. In the seventh round, Jones scored a knockdown following a right hand. Following this Jones continued to use his speed while Trinidad pursued the offensive, in the tenth round Jones scored a second knockdown after landing a combination. The judges declared the fight a unanimous decision in favor of Jones with scores of 117–109 and 116–110 twice.
and Iván Calderón
received rings for five successful defenses of their world championships. Beginning in July 2009, Trinidad became involved with the World Wrestling Council
, participating as a guest referee at their anniversary show. Three months later, he was included in a storyline that also included Orlando Colón
. In 2010, Trinidad expressed interest in purchasing the Changos de Naranjito.
, to Irma García and Félix Trinidad Senior. During his childhood the family moved to Cupey Alto, a subdivision of San Juan, Puerto Rico
, where he grew up. His future wife, Sharon Santiago, lived in Cupey and first met Trinidad in the home of her neighborhood friend, a classmate of Trinidad's. Trinidad pursued a relationship with Santiago, including an attempt to impress her with his red Ford Mustang
. He continued to press for her affection and, with the help of Santiago's neighbor, Trinidad was able to win her over. Early on, Santiago's mother thought that Trinidad was related to her daughter's friend, but she realized the true situation when she visited the friend's house and he acted nervous in her presence. Santiago's father objected to the relationship because Trinidad was an athlete; at the time many athletes had a negative public image. Santiago became rebellious, but Trinidad eventually won her family's trust. The couple was married four years after they began dating and have had four daughters. Trinidad has a fifth daughter, named Alondra Nicole, from another relationship.
Hand taping controversy
The day of the Felix Trinidad-Bernard Hopkins fight, members of Hopkins' team visited the Trinidad dressing room in normal boxing custom to watch the taping of Trinidad's hands before his gloves were placed on. The Hopkins camp, including trainer Bouie Fisher, noticed that Trinidad's hands were wrapped in an incorrect fashion, and threatened to cancel the fight unless they were wrapped correctly.[30] The Chief Inspector of the NYSAC forced Trinidad's camp to re-wrap his hands in a correct fashion, which was not done correctly until it was attempted a third time.
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res.
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes
|- align=center
|Loss
|42-3
|align=left|
United States Roy Jones Jr.
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|42-2
|align=left| United States Winky Wright
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|42-1
|align=left|
Nicaragua Ricardo Mayorga
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|41-1
|align=left|
Early Modern France Hacine Cherifi
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|40-1
|align=left| United States Bernard Hopkins
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|40-0
|align=left| United States William Joppy
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|39-0
|align=left| United States Fernando Vargas
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|38-0
|align=left|
Senegal Mamadou Thiam
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|37-0
|align=left| United States David Reid
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|36-0
|align=left| United States Oscar De La Hoya
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|35-0
|align=left|
Colombia Hugo Pineda
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|34-0
|align=left| United States Pernell Whitaker
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|33-0
|align=left|
Italy Mahenge Zulu
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|32-0
|align=left|
Australia Troy Waters
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|31-0
|align=left| Kevin Lueshing
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|30-0
|align=left| United States Ray Lovato
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|29-0
|align=left| United States Freddie Pendleton
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|28-0
|align=left| United States Rodney Moore
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|27-0
|align=left| United States Larry Barnes
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|26-0
|align=left| United States Roger Turner
|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|25-0
|align=left| United States Oba Carr
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|24-0
|align=left|
Mexico Luis Ramon Campas
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|23-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Héctor Camacho
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|22-0
|align=left| United States Anthony Stephens
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|21-0
|align=left|
Venezuela Luis Gabriel Garcia
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|20-0
|align=left| United States Maurice Blocker
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|19-0
|align=left| United States Colin Tomlinson
|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|18-0
|align=left| United States Pedro Aguirre
|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|17-0
|align=left| United States Henry Hughes
|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|16-0
|align=left|
Argentina Alberto de las Mercedes Cortes
|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|15-0
|align=left|
Trinidad and Tobago Joseph Alexander
|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|14-0
|align=left| Mexico Raúl González
|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|13-0
|align=left| Puerto Rico Jake Rodríguez
|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|12-0
|align=left| United States Lorenzo Bouie
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|11-0
|align=left| United States Darren McGrew
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|10-0
|align=left| Colombia Manuel Salas
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|9-0
|align=left| Puerto Rico Felix Vasquez
|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|8-0
|align=left| Puerto Rico Noe Rivera
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|7-0
|align=left| Puerto Rico Luis Felipe Perez
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|6-0
|align=left| Puerto Rico Valentin Ocasio
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|5-0
|align=left| United States Jose Vilarino
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|4-0
|align=left| Argentina Omar Victoriano Alegre
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|3-0
|align=left| Puerto Rico William Lopez
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|2-0
|align=left| Puerto Rico Israel Ponce
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|1-0
|align=left| Puerto Rico Angel Romero
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|align=left|
|align=left|
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history. After winning five National Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, he debuted as a professional when he was 17. He won his first world championship when he defeated Maurice Blocker
Maurice Blocker
Maurice Blocker was a professional boxer in the welterweight division.Blocker turned pro in 1982 and lost his first title shot in 1987 to Lloyd Honeyghan. In 1990 he captured the Lineal and WBC Welterweight Titles from Marlon Starling, but lost them in his next fight to Simon Brown...
for the International Boxing Federation
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
's welterweight belt. Trinidad holds the record for most welterweight title defenses (15). During his career he fought Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
winning the Lineal
Lineal championship
In professional boxing, the lineal championship of a weight class is a notional world championship title. It is initially held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as the best in the class. Another boxer can win the lineal championship only by defeating the reigning lineal...
& World Boxing Council
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
welterweight championships, Fernando Vargas
Fernando Vargas
Fernando Vargas is a retired Mexican American boxer and two-time world champion, who won a bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. His nicknames include "Ferocious", "The Aztec Warrior" and "El Feroz"...
in a unification fight where with sensei Fabio Martella he won the International Boxing Federation's light middleweight title, and William Joppy
William Joppy
William Torelle Joppy is an American middleweight boxer. Joppy held the WBA middleweight title on two occasions. He first became the WBA champion in June 1996 by stopping defender Shinji Takehara in Japan with a flurry of punches in the ninth round. He then would make a couple defenses of his crown...
for the World Boxing Association's middleweight championship. He lost to Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins Jr, known as The Executioner is an American boxer and the current Ring Magazine and WBC light heavyweight champion...
by technical knockout and retired for the first time. Trinidad returned to action in a fight against Ricardo Mayorga
Ricardo Mayorga
Ricardo Mayorga , is a Nicaraguan professional boxer. He is the former WBA/WBC Welterweight champion and the former WBC light middleweight champion. He holds a record of 29-8 with 23 knockouts and 1 draw 1 no contest. He was featured for the first time on the cover of Ring Magazine on the December...
and, following a fight against Winky Wright
Winky Wright
Ronald Lamont "Winky" Wright is an American boxer, the former undisputed world light middleweight champion and a current middleweight contender....
, retired a second time. In 2008, he returned to the ring to fight Roy Jones, losing the contest by unanimous decision. Subsequently, Trinidad entered a three-year hiatus without clarifying the status of his career.
Professional career
Trinidad debuted as a professional on March 10, 1990, when he was 17 years old. The fight was against Angel Romero, another debuting boxer, in a contest that Trinidad won by knockout in the second round. In the beginning of his career he knocked out nine of his first 10 opponents. He then competed against more experienced boxers like Jake Rodriguez, whom he fought on December 6, 1991. Trinidad won the fight by unanimous decision but suffered an injury on his right hand. He was then inactive for five months while recovering from the injury.Gonzalez vs Trinidad
Raul Gonzalez fought Felix TrinidadFélix Trinidad
Félix 'Tito' Trinidad, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history. After winning five National Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, he debuted as a professional when he was 17. He won his first world championship when he defeated Maurice Blocker...
on May 3, 1992 in Cayey, Puerto Rico
Cayey, Puerto Rico
Cayey is a mountain town in central Puerto Rico located on the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and Salinas; and west of San Lorenzo Cayey is spread over 21 wards and Cayey Pueblo...
.This fight was the main event of the night. Both Gonzalez and Trinidad weighed in at 142 pounds.Gonzalez had a record of 8-2-3 with 5 KOs, while Trinidad had a record of 13-0 with 10 KOs. Gonzalez went down three times, and Trinidad took the victory in round four by TKO. Trinidad would add another victory by KO to his record and would now make it 14-0 with 11 KOs.
Winning and defending the world title
Trinidad traveled to San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
and defeated the IBF welterweight champion Maurice Blocker
Maurice Blocker
Maurice Blocker was a professional boxer in the welterweight division.Blocker turned pro in 1982 and lost his first title shot in 1987 to Lloyd Honeyghan. In 1990 he captured the Lineal and WBC Welterweight Titles from Marlon Starling, but lost them in his next fight to Simon Brown...
in two rounds, in a fight card
Fight card
Fight card, more commonly known simply as the Card, is a term used to refer to all of the boxing, or another hand-to-hand contact sport such as MMA or kickboxing, matches that occur in the evening of a boxing event. The fight card typically consists of the main event and the undercard....
that took place on June 19, 1993, televised by Showtime. Trinidad spent the first two minutes of the fight analyzing Blocker's style. With 11 seconds left in the first round, one of Trinidad's punches injured Blocker, who barely survived the round. In the second round, the champion's condition appeared to improve, but after the first 30 seconds, another Trinidad punch injured him. Trinidad followed with a combination, scoring a knockout at 1:49 in the round when the referee stopped the fight. Afterwards, tournament organizer Don King's exclusive relationship to stage fights for the cable channel Showtime meant that Trinidad would be showcased regularly on Showtime Championship Boxing.
Trinidad defended his title for the next three years against several opponents. Trinidad's first fight in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
was against Héctor Camacho
Héctor Camacho
Héctor Camacho , nicknamed "Macho Camacho", is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. His son, Héctor Camacho Jr., is also a boxer.- Early life and amateur career :...
on January 29, 1994. He was cautious during the first rounds and received a cut over his left eye. In the third round he connected a solid combination that made Camacho change to a defensive stance. Throughout the fight Trinidad was on the offensive and won the fight by unanimous decision, in what was his first decision since he won the world championship. The scores awarded by the judges were 117–109, 116–110, and 119–106.
On September 17, 1994, Trinidad traveled to the MGM Grand
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
for a second straight fight to compete in a title defense against Yori Boy Campas
Yori Boy Campas
Luis Ramón Campas is a Mexican boxer who was the IBF light middleweight champion. He is better known as Yory Boy Campas.-Background:...
, who had a record of 56-0. In the second round Campas scored a knockdown, the second knockdown in Trinidad's career. Following this Trinidad exchanged several combinations, injuring Campas' face and breaking his nose. In the fourth round, the referee stopped the fight, the first defeat in Campas' career.
Trinidad's fourth fight outside Puerto Rico or the United States took place on Estadio de Beisbol in Monterey, Mexico. Trinidad was scheduled to defend his title against the undefeated Oba Carr. In the second round, Carr scored a knockdown, which was the product of a quick right hand punch. Trinidad continued the fight and pursued the challenger, who displayed a quick pace throughout the fight. In the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid punch that injured Carr, and in the eighth he scored three consecutive knockdowns before the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.
Trinidad spent the next four years defending his title against numerous fighters in bouts televised on Showtime. Among these fights was a defense against Mahenge Zulu, the number two challenger for Trinidad's championship. This fight was part of a card that took place on April 3, 1998 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
and marked the first time that Trinidad had performed in the archipelago in five years. Trinidad began the first round by cautiously analyzing the challenger's style, but the round ended with quick exchanges after Zulu took the initiative in the offensive. In the second round Zulu was actively pursuing the champion, but retreated when he received a solid jab sequence. Early in the third round a series of jabs opened a wound on Zulu's mouth, while the challenger's punches were not reaching their target. Trinidad began the fourth round heavily on in the offensive connecting several combinations which hurt the challenger, using this to land more punches in Zulu's head and body. One punch hit Zulu in the jaw, he fell to the floor and tried to rise, but the referee stopped the fight before he could do so.
On February 20, 1999, Trinidad defended the welterweight championship against Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
, winning the fight by unanimous decision in a contest that marked his thirteenth successful defense. The fight began with both boxers displaying aggressive styles, which included excessive pushing. In the following rounds both boxers used their jabs most of the time with Trinidad gaining an advantage when Whitaker attempted to attack inside, eventually scoring a knockdown in round two. In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds the fighters exchanged combinations. Later in the fight both boxers fell to the floor in what were ruled as "accidental slips." On the seventh round Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control in the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth, and tenth rounds. In the last round Whitaker, with a badly swollen right eye, displayed a purely defensive stance, avoiding his opponent throughout the round while Trinidad continued on the offensive until the fight concluded. The judges gave the champion scores of 117–111, 118–109 and 118–109.
In the spring of 1999, Don King and Oscar De la Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
's promoter, Bob Arum
Bob Arum
Robert "Bob" Arum is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. He also worked for the US Attorney's Office for the southern district of New York in the tax division....
, agreed to co-promote a mega-fight for the Lineal, World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation welterweight championships on September 18, 1999 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Early in the fight De la Hoya employed boxing to connect combinations while avoiding Trinidad's attacks. The second round began with both boxers trading punches but De la Hoya quickly returned to his previous tactic, which he employed in the third round. In the fourth round Trinidad pressured the offense while De la Hoya tried to avoid his punches by moving, both boxers eventually exchanged punches. In the fifth round Trinidad continued in the offensive while De la Hoya attempted to remain on the outside corners of the ring, Trinidad's eye was swollen following a trade of punches. In the sixth round Felix connected a solid right to his opponent's jaw. Trinidad began the seventh round connecting several solid left hooks to the body that affected De la Hoya's stamina. In the eighth round the swelling on Trinidad's eye was reduced and he was able to control the center of the ring. After trading several combinations in the ninth round, Trinidad began to control the fight's tempo in the tenth, countering his adversary's attacks. Thinking that they had an advantage on points, De la Hoya's corner urged him to be conservative, a strategy benefiting Trinidad who became more active in the offensive, connecting several solid combinations. Both boxers continued this pattern in the final round, with De la Hoya trying to slow down the offense while displaying signs of exhaustion, as Trinidad continued to possess control. The judges gave Trinidad a majority decision, with scores of 115–113, 115–114 and 114–114.
Moving to junior middleweight
In 2000, Trinidad vacated the welterweight championships and moved to the junior middleweight division, in order to challenge the World Boxing Association's champion David ReidDavid Reid (boxer)
David Terrell Reid is a former boxer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Amateur career:Reid had a stellar amateur boxing career, culminating with a come-from-behind, one-punch knock out win to secure a gold medal at the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia...
. Early in the fight Trinidad concentrated his punches on Reid's body, connecting hard punches to his ribs and belly. In the second round Reid connected a solid punch to his opponent's jaw, and in the third round scored a knockdown. In the fourth and fifth rounds Trinidad used his jab consistently, gaining control of the fight's tempo in the sixth round. The fight's score was close at the beginning of the seventh round but Trinidad opened the second half of the contest in the offensive, scoring the fight's second knockdown. Controlling the fight in the eighth, ninth and tenth rounds, and opening a cut over Reid's eye. Trinidad dominated the eleventh round, scoring three consecutive knockdowns. Reid tried to close the fight on the offensive but his opponent boxed and countered his attacks. The judges gave scores of 114–107, 114–106 and 115–106, all in favor of Trinidad.
On December 2, 2000, he was scheduled to fight in a unification card against Fernando Vargas
Fernando Vargas
Fernando Vargas is a retired Mexican American boxer and two-time world champion, who won a bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. His nicknames include "Ferocious", "The Aztec Warrior" and "El Feroz"...
, the International Boxing Federation's junior middleweight champion. The fight began in a fast pace with Trinidad connecting a solid combination that led to his opponent being knocked down. Vargas was able to stand up, but another combination injured him a second time and led to another knockdown. Early in the second round Trinidad was in the offensive but Vargas connected a solid combination at the round's closing moments which opened a cut over Trinidad's right eye. In the fourth round's opening seconds one of Vargas' punches connected on Trinidad's jaw and he fell, marking the eight knockdown in his career. In the fifth round Vargas was in control of the fight's offensive, connecting combinations to Trinidads' body. In the sixth round Trinidad regained control of the fight's tempo that lasted throughout the contest, connecting punches on Vargas' head and left jabs to the ribs. In the eighth, Vargas displayed signs of exhaustion which slowed his offensive while Trinidad then pursued the offense with combinations to the body. This pattern continued throughout the ninth, tenth and eleventh rounds. Opening the final round Vargas was on the offensive, connecting a solid left hook. Trinidad countered the attack with a left hook that made Vargas collapse; Vargas was able to stand up, but was subsequently knocked down for a second time. With Vargas injured, Trinidad continued connecting combinations, until the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.
Moving to middleweight
Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins Jr, known as The Executioner is an American boxer and the current Ring Magazine and WBC light heavyweight champion...
, WBA champion William Joppy
William Joppy
William Torelle Joppy is an American middleweight boxer. Joppy held the WBA middleweight title on two occasions. He first became the WBA champion in June 1996 by stopping defender Shinji Takehara in Japan with a flurry of punches in the ninth round. He then would make a couple defenses of his crown...
, and WBC champion Keith Holmes. Trinidad was matched with Joppy, whom he defeated by technical knockout in the fifth round of a contest that took place on May 12, 2001. Joppy opened the first round on the offensive, but late in the round Trinidad scored a knockdown with a combination of punches that came close to throwing Joppy underneath the ropes. Trinidad subsequently scored a knockdown in the fourth round, during this stage of the competition he was using combinations of left hooks and right punches to the head. In the fifth round Trinidad scored another knockdown, Joppy attempted to continue the fight, but while he was using the ropes to help him stand, the referee stopped the fight. When the contest was over, Trinidad explained his strategy by stating: "I knew he wanted to impose his will, his weight, and I wouldn't let him do it".
The middleweight unification fight between Hopkins and Trinidad was originally scheduled for September 15, 2001, at the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. On the morning of September 11, terrorists attacked
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. Following this incident, the fight was postponed indefinitely. After receiving assurances from Madison Square Garden officials and the City of New York, Don King rescheduled the fight for September 29. The pace of the fight in the early rounds was slow, with each boxer studying his opponent. In the second round Hopkins connected some combinations while Trinidad pursued the offensive in the fourth round and both boxers traded sequences of punches. This pattern continued in the fifth round with Trinidad showing an aggressive style while Hopkins relied on jabs. In the sixth Trinidad continued an offensive stance and won the round after trading several combinations. Both fighters continued to exchange punches in the eighth and ninth round with Hopkins connecting three consecutive solid punches. In the twelfth round Hopkins' scored a knockdown, but before the contest could continue Trinidad's father entered the ring, which led to the referee stopping the fight by technical knockout. According to an interview with Bernard's trainer Bouie Fisher, prior to the fight members of Hopkins' team visited the Trinidad dressing room in what is considered a normal boxing custom to watch the taping of Trinidad's hands before his gloves were placed on. The Hopkins camp claimed that Trinidad's hands were wrapped in an incorrect fashion, and threatened to cancel the fight unless they were wrapped correctly. Fisher also stated that the Chief Inspector of the NYSAC insisted to Trinidad's camp that they needed to re-wrap his hands in a correct fashion.
Trinidad was subsequently scheduled to fight against Hacine Cherifi
Hacine Cherifi
Hacine "Billy" Cherifi is a former French boxer of Algerian origin.Cherifi, known as "Billy", began his pro career in 1989 and challenged for the WBC Super Middleweight Title in 1997 against Robin Reid, losing a split decision...
in a contest that he won by technical knockout in the fourth round. The event was part of a card that took place on May 11, 2002, and was organized in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Early in the first round Trinidad's strategy consisted of using his jab while Cherifi did not try to directly engage in the offensive. In the last minute of the round a punch by Trinidad hit Cherifi's chin leaving him disoriented, he followed this with a combination and scored a knockdown. In the second round, Trinidad displayed more boxing and was on the offensive by using combinations to the head and ribs. In the third Cherifi landed more punches than in the previous two, but Trinidad relied on throwing left jabs. One of his punches hit Cherifi's liver, followed by a punch to the jaw, making Cherifi fall to the floor. In the fourth, a series of combinations injured Cherifi, who collapsed to the floor twice, forfeiting the fight on the second occasion. Following this contest Trinidad announced his retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
, at the moment leaving the sport with a record of 41 wins, one defeat, and 34 wins by knockout.
Coming out of retirement
Trinidad announced a comeback on March 2, 2004. On October 2, 2004 he fought against Ricardo MayorgaRicardo Mayorga
Ricardo Mayorga , is a Nicaraguan professional boxer. He is the former WBA/WBC Welterweight champion and the former WBC light middleweight champion. He holds a record of 29-8 with 23 knockouts and 1 draw 1 no contest. He was featured for the first time on the cover of Ring Magazine on the December...
, in Madison Square Garden. Early in the first round Mayorga was on the offensive connecting several combinations, later in the round Trinidad connected some punches to his opponent's face. Mayorga reacted defiantly while lowering his defense, which Trinidad used to continue the offensive during the closing seconds. In the second round he continued connecting with combinations to Mayorga's face which caused him to bleed from his nose; the round concluded with both fighters exchanging punches. In the third round Mayorga attempted to counter with punches to the body but did not do significant damage to his opponent, however later in the round one of these punches made Trinidad lose his balance and touch the floor with one glove which the referee counted as a knockdown. In the fourth round both boxers traded hard combinations. In the fifth Trinidad displayed control of the offense's tempo injuring Mayorga and opening a cut under one of his eyes. This pattern continued in the sixth and seventh round, and the cut on Mayorga's face began to swell. In the eight round Trinidad scored several knockdowns, Mayorga continued after two knockdowns, but lost by technical knockout following a third knockdown.
Winky Wright
Ronald Lamont "Winky" Wright is an American boxer, the former undisputed world light middleweight champion and a current middleweight contender....
, in a fight where the winner would become the World Boxing Council's number one challenger in the Middleweight division. Wright won the fight by decision, receiving scores of 120–107 and 119–108 twice by the judges. Trinidad's fighting style appeared to be out of rhythm in the first round, while Wright presented a defensive stance and relied on jabs. During the first three rounds Wright was in the offensive scoring with jabs. On the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid combination. In the sixth, Wright continued the strategy used in the previous rounds while Trinidad employed a strategy where he tried to neutralize his opponent's punches by standing in front of him. In the later rounds Trinidad tried to take the contest's offensive but his adversary managed to block most of his punches while continuing his previous tactic. In the twelfth round Trinidad pursued Wright while trying to score a knockout, but his opponent boxed away from him until the round ended. Following this fight, Trinidad retired temporarily, after his father informed him that he would not continue in his corner.
Trinidad came out of his second retirement for the fight against Roy Jones, a former four-division champion on January 19, 2008. According to the contract, it was to be at a catch weight of 170 lbs; and was broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
. The card took place at Madison Square Garden in New York city. Trinidad began the fight on the offensive and won the first two rounds. The third and fourth rounds were won by Jones who relied on the velocity of his punches. This pattern continued in the fifth and sixth rounds. In the seventh round, Jones scored a knockdown following a right hand. Following this Jones continued to use his speed while Trinidad pursued the offensive, in the tenth round Jones scored a second knockdown after landing a combination. The judges declared the fight a unanimous decision in favor of Jones with scores of 117–109 and 116–110 twice.
Inactivity
After this fight, Trinidad was inactive for almost two years, before announcing on October 14, 2009, that he was "between 95 and 98 percent sure [that he would] not do anything more within boxing". During this timeframe, he made sporadic public appearances, attending boxing cards and participating in public activities, including a ceremony where Juan Manuel LópezJuan Manuel López (boxer)
Juan Manuel "Juanma" López Rivera is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur, Lopez represented Puerto Rico at numerous international tournaments including the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Summer Olympics. López's professional career...
and Iván Calderón
Ivan Calderón (boxer)
Iván Calderón Marrero is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur Calderón represented Puerto Rico in international competitions and attended the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia. On May 3, 2003, he won the World Boxing Organization's minimumweight championship when he defeated Eduardo...
received rings for five successful defenses of their world championships. Beginning in July 2009, Trinidad became involved with the World Wrestling Council
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
, participating as a guest referee at their anniversary show. Three months later, he was included in a storyline that also included Orlando Colón
Orlando Colón
Orlando Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began working in Hybrid Pro Wrestling, an independent circuit in Schoolcraft, Michigan. In 2006, Colón debuted in the World Wrestling Council, a promotion owned by his uncle, Carlos Colón. While working with WWC, he had a brief...
. In 2010, Trinidad expressed interest in purchasing the Changos de Naranjito.
Personal life
Félix Trinidad was born in Fajardo, Puerto RicoFajardo, Puerto Rico
Fajardo is a small city in Puerto Rico located in the east region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Ceiba and east of Luquillo.Fajardo is spread over 7 wards and Downtown Fajardo , which serves as the administrative center of the city...
, to Irma García and Félix Trinidad Senior. During his childhood the family moved to Cupey Alto, a subdivision of San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, where he grew up. His future wife, Sharon Santiago, lived in Cupey and first met Trinidad in the home of her neighborhood friend, a classmate of Trinidad's. Trinidad pursued a relationship with Santiago, including an attempt to impress her with his red Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
. He continued to press for her affection and, with the help of Santiago's neighbor, Trinidad was able to win her over. Early on, Santiago's mother thought that Trinidad was related to her daughter's friend, but she realized the true situation when she visited the friend's house and he acted nervous in her presence. Santiago's father objected to the relationship because Trinidad was an athlete; at the time many athletes had a negative public image. Santiago became rebellious, but Trinidad eventually won her family's trust. The couple was married four years after they began dating and have had four daughters. Trinidad has a fifth daughter, named Alondra Nicole, from another relationship.
Hand taping controversy
The day of the Felix Trinidad-Bernard Hopkins fight, members of Hopkins' team visited the Trinidad dressing room in normal boxing custom to watch the taping of Trinidad's hands before his gloves were placed on. The Hopkins camp, including trainer Bouie Fisher, noticed that Trinidad's hands were wrapped in an incorrect fashion, and threatened to cancel the fight unless they were wrapped correctly.[30] The Chief Inspector of the NYSAC forced Trinidad's camp to re-wrap his hands in a correct fashion, which was not done correctly until it was attempted a third time.
Professional record
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|42 Wins (35 Knockouts), 3 Defeats (1 Knockout), 0 Draws|- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res.
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes
|- align=center
|Loss
|42-3
|align=left|
United States Roy Jones Jr.Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones, Jr. is an American boxer. As a professional he has captured numerous world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions...
|
|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|42-2
|align=left|
United States Winky WrightWinky Wright
Ronald Lamont "Winky" Wright is an American boxer, the former undisputed world light middleweight champion and a current middleweight contender....
|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|42-1
|align=left|
Nicaragua Ricardo MayorgaRicardo Mayorga
Ricardo Mayorga , is a Nicaraguan professional boxer. He is the former WBA/WBC Welterweight champion and the former WBC light middleweight champion. He holds a record of 29-8 with 23 knockouts and 1 draw 1 no contest. He was featured for the first time on the cover of Ring Magazine on the December...
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|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|41-1
|align=left|
Early Modern France Hacine CherifiHacine Cherifi
Hacine "Billy" Cherifi is a former French boxer of Algerian origin.Cherifi, known as "Billy", began his pro career in 1989 and challenged for the WBC Super Middleweight Title in 1997 against Robin Reid, losing a split decision...
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Loss
|40-1
|align=left|
United States Bernard HopkinsBernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins Jr, known as The Executioner is an American boxer and the current Ring Magazine and WBC light heavyweight champion...
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|40-0
|align=left|
United States William JoppyWilliam Joppy
William Torelle Joppy is an American middleweight boxer. Joppy held the WBA middleweight title on two occasions. He first became the WBA champion in June 1996 by stopping defender Shinji Takehara in Japan with a flurry of punches in the ninth round. He then would make a couple defenses of his crown...
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|39-0
|align=left|
United States Fernando VargasFernando Vargas
Fernando Vargas is a retired Mexican American boxer and two-time world champion, who won a bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. His nicknames include "Ferocious", "The Aztec Warrior" and "El Feroz"...
|
|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|38-0
|align=left|
Senegal Mamadou Thiam|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|37-0
|align=left|
United States David ReidDavid Reid (boxer)
David Terrell Reid is a former boxer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Amateur career:Reid had a stellar amateur boxing career, culminating with a come-from-behind, one-punch knock out win to secure a gold medal at the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia...
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|36-0
|align=left|
United States Oscar De La HoyaOscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|35-0
|align=left|
Colombia Hugo Pineda|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|34-0
|align=left|
United States Pernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker
Pernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|33-0
|align=left|
Italy Mahenge ZuluMahenge Zulu
Ekoli Mahenge Zulu Is a retired Italian/African boxer. He debuted as a professional at the age of 25 which was later than most boxers. He retired after his loss against Felix Trinidad in a 1998 fight for the IBF welterweight title at the age of 33 ending his brief boxing career.-Early...
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|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|32-0
|align=left|
Australia Troy WatersTroy Waters
Troy Weston Waters is a retired light middleweight boxer and member of the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame...
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|31-0
|align=left| Kevin Lueshing
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|30-0
|align=left|
United States Ray Lovato|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|29-0
|align=left|
United States Freddie PendletonFreddie Pendleton
Freddie Pendleton is a retired professional boxer in the lightweight division.Known as "Fearless", Pendleton had a 1-5 amateur career & turned pro in 1982 losing to Rodney Watts at the Tropicana Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.Pendleton won his first title in October 1985 knocking out...
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|28-0
|align=left|
United States Rodney MooreRodney Moore (boxer)
Rodney Moore is an American boxer in the welter-/cruiser-weight class. He was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, but later moved with his family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Initially wanting to become a policeman, he changed his mind upon graduating from the I.S.T. Academy to become a boxer...
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|27-0
|align=left|
United States Larry Barnes|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|26-0
|align=left|
United States Roger Turner|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|25-0
|align=left|
United States Oba CarrOba Carr
Oba Diallo Carr is a former American boxer in the welterweight division.-WBC Welterweight Championship:On May 22, 1999 Carr lost to the Mexican American Superstar Oscar De La Hoya by T.K.O....
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|24-0
|align=left|
Mexico Luis Ramon Campas|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|23-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Héctor CamachoHéctor Camacho
Héctor Camacho , nicknamed "Macho Camacho", is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. His son, Héctor Camacho Jr., is also a boxer.- Early life and amateur career :...
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|22-0
|align=left|
United States Anthony Stephens|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|21-0
|align=left|
Venezuela Luis Gabriel Garcia|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|20-0
|align=left|
United States Maurice BlockerMaurice Blocker
Maurice Blocker was a professional boxer in the welterweight division.Blocker turned pro in 1982 and lost his first title shot in 1987 to Lloyd Honeyghan. In 1990 he captured the Lineal and WBC Welterweight Titles from Marlon Starling, but lost them in his next fight to Simon Brown...
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|19-0
|align=left|
United States Colin Tomlinson|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|18-0
|align=left|
United States Pedro Aguirre|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|17-0
|align=left|
United States Henry Hughes|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|16-0
|align=left|
Argentina Alberto de las Mercedes Cortes |
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|15-0
|align=left|
Trinidad and Tobago Joseph Alexander|
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|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|14-0
|align=left|
Mexico Raúl GonzálezRaúl González (Mexican boxer)
Raul Gonzalez , where he grew up. Raul Gonzalez is a retired Mexican professional boxer and currently lives in Pasadena, California, USA, where he began boxing around at age of 18.-Professional career:...
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|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|13-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Jake RodríguezJake Rodriguez
Evaristo Rodriguez, better known as Jake Rodriguez was a Puerto Rican boxer at light welterweight.- Professional career :...
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|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|12-0
|align=left|
United States Lorenzo Bouie|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|11-0
|align=left|
United States Darren McGrew|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|10-0
|align=left|
Colombia Manuel Salas|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|9-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Felix Vasquez|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|8-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Noe Rivera|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|7-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Luis Felipe Perez|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|6-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Valentin Ocasio|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|5-0
|align=left|
United States Jose Vilarino|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|4-0
|align=left|
Argentina Omar Victoriano Alegre|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|3-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico William Lopez|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|2-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Israel Ponce|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|1-0
|align=left|
Puerto Rico Angel Romero|
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|align=left|
|align=left|
Professional championships
Ring Magazine's Fighter of the Year
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- African immigration to Puerto RicoAfrican immigration to Puerto RicoThe history of African people in Puerto Rico begins with the immigration of African free men who accompanied the invading Spanish Conquistadors. The Spaniards enslaved the Taínos , and many of them died as a result of Spaniards' oppressive colonization efforts...
- List of boxing families
- List of boxing triple champions
- List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions