Best Prime Middleweight Felix Trinidad Would Defeat?

I think Trinidad may have a good shot at Gene Fullmer.

 

What if he was a brute at cruiserweight

 

He would definitely beat most of the middleweight titleholders over the last 20 years. Beats guys like Martinez, Charlo, Jacobs, Lemieux, etc. Pulverizes guys like Cotto, Geale, Adames. Probably comes up short against Golovkin and Canelo due to their durability. I would put him at no less than 50/50 to stop Jermain Taylor. And, a matchup against Kelly Pavlik would be a fun firefight that could go either way.

 

Think he’d beat Vito Antuofirmo, Alan Minter, Hugo Pastor Corro, Marcel Cerdan and a good handful of others.

 

He mopped the floor with Joppy, who was decent, but nothing special. Trinidad was a dangerous fighter at any of the 3 weight classes.

 

I think it ends up a real brawl TR. Roldan is hugely physical and aggressive and Tito's not big at the weight so there's going to be some serious exchanging. A declining Hearns had to go hard to come out the other side vs Roldan and he went hard at Hagler for a while too. It comes down to how truly hard Trinidad hits at the weight, for me. He needs enough power and guts to dissuade Roldan.

The matches you mention are mouth watering as well. Hamsho would maul him out of that lot, IMO. He used to win the best chin in boxing award for a while, and before he started to stutter it wasn't far off the mark. He'd ravage him in close with all that dirty work of his and limit punching room. Your point is there tho, one can make great matchups for him by stepping back a level or two. They'd be excellent fights to see.

 

I don't think Trinidad defeats the Jacobs that fought GGG that night. If Winky could out box him so clearly, then the larger Jacobs who stood tough for 12 rounds with GGG would likely be to much for Trinidad.

 

Aye,

Having given it a bit of thought John, I could easily see Roldan running Tito over early to mid fight, frantically bobbing his way in and bulling him into a stoppage. Like you said, hugely physical and hard hitting. When you look at how he was able to charge at and back up Hagler (who Tito hit no harder than, was less durable and certainly couldn't box like on the slow retreat) while timing him and breaking through with those loaded up/telegraphed, winging but deceptive bombs from a well judged distance.....Trinidad being on the end of that makes me grimace quite a bit.

Roldan was notably better than Vargas imo apart from heart and guts, and Tito didn't have the speed, power or skill of Hearns despite still throwing those beautifully formed and pleasing hard punches and combos. That said, Roldan was a flat track bully and frontrunner with questionable determination and poise if he couldn't put you away, capable of not reacting well to adversity a bit like the Tonnas of the division. When his eye closed up a bit unluckily against Marv, he unravelled too easily for my liking and did the same against Nunn.

Trinidad was better especially above 147 against slower, more methodical upright pressure at ring centre that he could counter with left hooks, than against the sort of fast, bobbing, unpredictable pressure that Roldan brought to the table. But if he could land some hard counters or combis early doors when Roldan is telegraphing, or is still in there throwing hard after 8-10 rounds, it might swing things his way. I mean more towards him losing though I think. A lot rate him highly at 154 especially and above, but he wasn't the same fighter he was at welter imo.

I think I agree re Hamsho as well. Less of an offensive force than Roldan and an absolute slop machine, but with a better chin and far more resilience under fire.

 

The Trinidad that fought Winky was basically done. Jacobs was awful. When he ran GGG close, that was the signal to Canelo that he was there to be taken.

 

I dunno Flo. I usually agree with you on most things but tend here towards Trinidad at middle being mauled, stifled, manhandled and shithoused onto the back foot where he can't consistently manufacture room and leverage. You'd think that Fullmer would be tough enough to take Titos cleaner, harder, better looking punches a lot more often than not, and he had enough ability on the back foot, however f*ck ugly and awkward, to mix things up and ride out and spells where Tito makes him think twice about trying to rabbit punch or armtwist etc.

I'd badly want Tito to win though, I really liked him whereas Fullmer makes me want to blind myself with a soldering iron.

 

Great breakdown mate, totally agree. Tito lacks the physicality to beat guys like Roldan, Hamsho, Fullmer and co. Roldan also copped a lot of questions on the way his fights against Hagler and Nunn ended, you are bang on. When i used "dissuade" earlier i had these two fights in mind. He was a frontrunner for sure. He hung in there against Hearns for a bit, but he had Hearns in trouble there which would have kept him in the game.

 

Trinidad wasn't done vs Mayorga, but he was done vs Winky? I think it was just styles. so you think the GGG that fought Canelo in fight 1 would have lost to Trinidad? On an earlier post you said that GGG would likely be too much for Trinidad, but Jacobs runs GGG close, who you say isn't any good so I guess Trinidad destroy's G?

 

You are so wrong about Jacobs.

 

The line of logic obviously doesn’t make sense. Jacobs would beat Tito. I was there for the D-Chenko fight and he showed a lot of skill. Quillin is someone who Tito would beat.

 

That was a great fight, glad you were able to see it live.