Felix "Tito" Trinidad - Has enough time passed to properly rank him?

Jel · Feb 22, 2018

Tin_Ribs said: ↑

Trinidad was a better fighter early in reign imo, from Blocker onwards for the first couple of years/few defences. Set up his attack with more patience and intelligence and followed up with a more varied array of punches and combinations. I think he was a bit lighter on his feet too and didn't just plod forward in straight lines throwing hard and technically sound yet predictable blows like the later version. That Trinidad was a very formidable boxer puncher and probably a tall order for a lot of welterweights in history. He was pre-prime too, really, and probably could've developed further, but fell foul of blowing away soft, overmatched opposition for a few years and fell in love with his power as a result when he was in what should've been his best years. He was never going to be Robinson or Leonard in terms of all round ability. A few too many flaws for that type of status, but he regressed from about 95 onwards I think, albeit slowly and while still retaining his superb power and punching form. The overhyped rep of Vargas, the surprising blowout of Joppy, Whitaker being shot etc all disguised it a bit at various points but the warning signs were there even prior to the Oscar fight, which laid things a bit more obviously. Like Kev says, just basic lateral movement by that point and he could be troubled, whereas I don't think that was the case several years earlier despite him always being a bit susceptible to good movement.
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There's definitely some truth in that. He dined out on too many easy defenses at WW between 95 and 98. I think he spent too long there. He could have moved up sooner and I think that's one of the reasons he looked a lot better at 154 as soon as he moved up. I think he might have been weakening himself making 147 for quite some time. But the quality of his opposition during those years wasn't great, whereas in 93 and 94 he was really impressive in beating Blocker, a then-undefeated Yori Boy Campus and Oba Carr as well as Hector Camacho.

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Felix "Tito" Trinidad - Has enough time passed to properly rank him?

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Felix "Tito" Trinidad - Has enough time passed to properly rank him?

Jel Obsessive list maker Full Member