P uerto Rico is one of the world’s top five boxing cultures despite having a fraction of the population of the U.S., U.K., Mexico and Japan. Sixto Escobar became Puerto Rico’s first world champion when he collected the NBA and Ring Magazine bantamweight belts way back in the mid-1930s. Since then, the Caribbean island has produced more than 60 major world titleholders – including Hall of Famers Carlos Ortiz, Jose Torres, Wilfred Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez, Hector Camacho and Miguel Cotto. Where does Felix Trinidad fit into that group of greats? Some argue that the power-punching technician is the best, but nobody will deny that “Tito” is the most beloved of Puerto Rico’s champions. The Cupey Alto
THE FIRST TIME I LACED UP GLOVES “I don’t remember when I first put on gloves. My father was a boxer – amateur and professional – in the 1970s. He fought the great Salvador Sanchez in 1979, retired in 1981 and began training fighters soon after that, so I was born into boxing. My earliest memories are of my father teaching me boxing technique. I grew up in the gym in Cupey Alto. “I might have been a toddler when I first put the gloves on, probably at our house. But I remember my first sparring sessions. I was around 9 years old when I first sparred. The very first time could have been one of three boys. It might have been against a guy who has since passed away; his name was Raul Cruz. Or it might have
been against a cousin of mine named Joey Borrero. Or possibly a guy named Hector Orozco. “Two of them went on to be professional boxers. They didn’t become world champions, but they could fight. I was young, so I can’t remember who was first; I just remember that he was my age and I was mad because I couldn’t land punches on him. Whoever it was – Raul, Joey or Hector – he was a better boxer than I was at that point. I remember I was frustrated and I wanted to go one more round after it ended. We only went three rounds. I wanted a fourth round
My First Time Felix Trinidad As told to Doug Fischer
native grew from a local attraction to a bona fide icon during the 1990s. From hotel ballrooms in San Juan to capacity crowds inside Madison Square Garden, Trinidad had the loudest and most passionate fans. Their chants of “Tito! Tito! Tito!” motivated him as the accomplishments stacked up: Fifteen welterweight title defenses, including victories over Camacho
(UD 12), Yory Boy Campas (TKO 4), Oba Carr (TKO 8), Pernell Whitaker (UD 12), and, in a title-unifying final defense, fellow superstar Oscar De La Hoya (MD 12). Junior middleweight victories over undefeated titleholders David Reid (UD 12) and Fernando Vargas (TKO 12), which together earned him The Ring’s 2000 Fighter of the Year award. A middleweight title-winning stoppage of William Joppy (TKO 5) that crowned him a three-division champ in front of one of the most ecstatic Madison Square Garden crowds ever assembled. Four months after his career-peak triumph over Joppy, Trinidad was upset by the great Bernard Hopkins and gradually faded from boxing over the next seven years. He retired with a record of 42-3 (35 KOs) following a decision loss to Roy Jones Jr. and was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014. Win or lose, Trinidad’s fans loved him, just as Tito remained devoted to boxing from the very beginning of his journey.
because I thought I could get him. (laughs) “It was frustrating, and I was still mad immediately after, but my dad told me that I did well for my first time and he encouraged me to keep at it.” MY FIRST AMATEUR FIGHT “I want to tell you that I don’t remember it, because I lost. (laughs) But I do remember. It was at an auditorium on a naval base, and it went like any other fight when you’re that age; you just go crazy with the punches, just two boys swinging away. (laughs) “But I wasn’t mad or frustrated like I was after my first sparring session. I always believed in myself. And guess what? My second amateur bout, I won by knockout. It was a second-round stoppage. That was just one month after my first amateur bout and just a few months after my first sparring session. I was still 9 years old, but I was on my way.”
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