Jones Wins Over Tito!
Well, was it worth my 50 bucks to see the Roy Jones vs Felix Trinidad fight card this past weekend? Hey I did get to see two of the best fighters of the past couple of decades. I also got to see the guy who came has blown the most chances to become Heavyweight Champion in Andrew Golota. Was it worth it to sit by myself on a Saturday evening in Las Vegas and watch this instead of taking my little royal blue two-seater Mercedes for a cruise on the Strip?
Yes is my answer. I can always go to the strip, it’s only about 8 minutes from my house and if I did stop anywhere on the strip it certainly would have cost me way more than 50 bucks, and the way people drive on the strip it may have been me getting in a fight!
As most thought, Jones won pretty easily, and my prediction of a 7th round stoppage looked pretty good early in the round with Tito on the canvas from a Jones shot. I really felt Jones could have finished the job right then and there, but true to his character that he has demonstrated for nearly 20 years, Jones decided to “just win baby”. Trinidad would go down once more, but again the 39-year-old Jones was content to pot shot and take the unanimous decision giving him his 52nd win with 4 losses.
For the 35-year-old Trinidad, it was only his 3rd loss in 45 fights, but Tito has not won a fight in nearly four years now. Roy was simply too big for Felix as Tito spent most of the fight banging on the arms and gloves of Jones, much the way he did against Winky Wright in his unanimous decision loss in 2005. Tito really is, and was meant to be, a Welterweight, a 147-pound fighter, not a 170-pounder as he was at Madison Square Garden Saturday night.
As for Jones, 170 is much more comfortable for him compared to 180-193 pounds that he has fought and won at. He really is an amazing athlete to be able to have gone all the way up to 193 pounds he fought and captured the Heavyweight Title at from John Ruiz on March 1, 2003.
Jones has some options out there, a possible fight with Joe Calzaghe or the winner of the Calzaghe vs Bernard Hopkins match if it happens. There are a few other fights out there like a bout with Winky Wright another older guy. That fight would put even me to sleep it would be so strategic. For Roy, hopefully, it will be one and done. One more big payday against a big name and that’s it. I certainly hope so.
For Trinidad, one of Puerto Rico’s best and most beloved, it is time to go home to your Island and play with your kids, and maybe train some fighters. Maybe you, like your dad, can be in the corner of the next Tito.
You know, I was watching Classic Boxing last night as they were showing the famous George Foreman 2nd round destruction of Joe Frazier in 1973 in Jamaica. There, nearly climbing over the battered Frazier after he was knocked down a 6th time and stopped, was a very young looking Don King, without the crazy hairdo at the time. I could only chuckle thinking about the same King now in his mid seventies in the ring Saturday night at the Garden with Jones and Tito. Love him or dislike him, you gotta admire him and we, boxing, will certainly miss him when he is gone. But you never know, Don and Bob Arum must be using something much stronger than any Viagra on the market the way they keep on keepin on!
Hey, I mentioned Andrew Golota at the beginning of this thing because, yes, he fought and won on the undercard of this 50-buck PPV. Golota, now at age 40, older than even Jones by a year, defeated some youngster named Mike Mollo. The fight was a somewhat entertaining one, with Golota winning a unanimous 12-round decision over a very game but out-sized, out-gunned and out-experienced Mollo. Golota, who to his credit, fought much of the way with one eye open and one eye shut, and even enduring this, there were NO FOULS.
If a cat has nine lives, how many does Golota have? I picked him to twice beat Riddick Bowe in the mid-nineties; he found a way to lose twice with his now infamous way south of the border shots. I picked him to be competitive with Lennox Lewis when he challenged him for the World Title in 1997. Golota self-imploded being knocked out in the very first round. I thought if he really fought hard he might be too much for an over the hill Mike Tyson in 2000; Golota chickened out again quitting after a few rounds.
Well somehow, some way, the Polish guy is still around and could somehow challenge for another title, while Bowe, Lewis and Tyson are long gone, at least I hope so.
Andrew has and will probably always be his own worst enemy. Even though there was a time when he probably was the best of the big boys physically, he never had the right stuff when it came to his heart and toughness, and I mean mental toughness as well. If there ever was a Polish guy who deserves to be the brunt of those jokes it is Andrew. For whatever reason I find myself still feeling sorry for the guy, but when I tap myself on my groin and realize I should not, he simply blew it over and over and over again, he was given, and still may be again, too many chances.
Realistically, I hope Golota does not get another shot at what used to be the most coveted title in sports. He really does not deserve it, but we will never forget Golota, just think of him every time you pay a visit south of the border!
One last thought till next time. We hear that Floyd and Oscar are talking about doing it again in September. Do you want to see that fight? Not me. I would rather see Floyd fighting the exciting Puerto Rican puncher. No I’m not talking about Tito, who defeated Oscar last decade, I’m talking about a fighter closer to Floyd in terms of age and competitiveness these days, and his name is Miguel Cotto.
