Tito Trinidad and the myth of the 'illegal handwrapping'

Rico Spadafora · Dec 18, 2008

BORI Q said: ↑

He always got up though Rico.

Ther is something to be said for his recovery ability.

What are the final 2008, top 10 Glass Jaw rankings Rico?
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ah, I do give credit for Tito always getting up and he usually dropped the guy right after he got dropped also. I do not dislike Tito the guy was exciting. :good

Iceveins · Dec 18, 2008

Don't now if its true. If it is, it may have given him a slight advantage but you don't go from being an ok puncher to having devastating punching power by lessening the wraps on your hand.

IsaL · Dec 18, 2008

sitiyzal said: ↑

Cherifi Better Watch Tito's Hand Wraps.
Exclusive by Ron Heard

On September 29, 2001 before the fight between Bernard Hopkins and Felix Trinidad, team Hopkins sent a representative from their team to over-see Tito's hands being wrapped. When their representative arrived he was shocked to see that Tito's left hand was already wrapped, signed off and the boxing glove was on. In an exclusive interview Bernard Hopkins (said), "I sent my team in there to watch Trinidad wrap his hands and when they got there
Trinidad's left hand was already wrapped and he had his boxing glove on. So my trainer, Bouie Fisher who has been doing this stuff for a long time went over there to straighten it up. The thing is Trinidad has been getting away with doing this for a long time. I know for a fact that he has done it at least one other fight. They are used to being able to do whatever they want and get away with it. That is how it is in boxing."
First of all, you have to wonder who this commissioner was that let Don Felix wrap Tito's hand without anyone from the Hopkins camp being there. Hopkins said, "not only did he let him wrap the hands without us being there, but he was in there joking and laughing and talking Spanish with the Trinidads like they were best friends. When Bouie told them that he would have to take it off and rewrap it in front of someone fron their camp, he said "NO," its
already wrapped and it's too close to time for the fight to start. Bouie had to go to the head commissioner before they were made to rewrap his hands."
Luckily for Hopkins, Bouie Fisher is old school and he was not going to let this fight go on with Tito having wrapped his left hand and nobody from his camp watching it. "Bouie kept telling them, either we do this by the book or we don't do it all," said Hopkins.

It didn't make since to Fisher why the Trinidad's were so insistent on not rewrapping the hand because obviously they knew the rules. They have been in enough of these big fights to know that a representative from the other camp is allowed to be in the room while they are wrapping Tito's hand. Even if the New York Commission's Representative didn't know any better, the Trinidads definitely did. The Trinidads went so far as to actually say, "If we have to rewrap Tito's hand then there will be no fight."
Why was this left hand wrapping so important to the Trinidads?
Finally, after the head commissioner became involved the Trinidads were told to either rewrap the left hand or the fight was off. After much argument, they finally agreed to rewrap the hand with a member from the Hopkins team present.

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. All the sudden it became very clear why they had tried to get away with wrapping the left hand without anyone from the Hopkins camp watching and also why they didn't want to remove it and rewrap the hand.

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In an interview with Bernard Fernandez of Philly.com, Hopkins said,
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I'm giving out some secrets here, but you can dip your hands in ice water and that tape will, like, marinate and become harder. But it's only cheating if you get caught. Personally, I think Vargas' and Reid's people dropped the ball. Naazim did a brilliant job in spotting what [Felix Trinidad Sr.] was doing with the wraps." Don Felix was also putting tape on the skin and over the knuckles, both of which are not in accordance with NYSAC rules. New York's head commissioner put his foot down and made Don Felix wrap in strict accordance to the rules.

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Now, all the sudden you guys want to make a big deal out this. That's just not right, I'm a respectable man.
In a recent interview of Don Felix by Gerardo M. Avila-Planas and David Mesqueue., Don Felix was asked, "Do you think that the Hopkins camp did it (made them rewrap Tito's hand) to get to you psychologically?" and he answered, "Well, it got to us a little because, since I couldnt place the tape that I usually place on Titos hand... I had to add some more gauze to make a type of pillow...
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There are a couple really important things in this statement by Don Felix.
First, he admits that the New York Commission wouldn't allow him to wrap the hands like he ALWAYS DOES. There can only be one reason for him not being allowed to wrap the hands that way - it was illegal. Therefore, if that is how he ALWAYS wrapped Tito's hands in the past, the assumption that he always wrapped illegally is not far-fetched. But this time he was forced to wrap the hands in strict accordance to NYSAC rules.

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Finally, he also admits, that not only does the illegal wrap allow Tito to hit harder, but it PREVENTS TITO'S HANDS FROM OPENING ON IMPACT" which actually provides more protection for his hand. So while most fighters have to worry about hitting a fighter on the top of the head in fear of hurting their hands, Tito's hands have extra power and extra protection from illegal hand wraps.
You may think, "Oh Well," it's over. He wrapped the hands illegally, he got caught and was made to rewrap legally - no harm - no foul.
Not exactly.
First of all, Don Felix insists that he is going to continue to wrap Tito's hands the way he has always wrapped them - which is of course, illegally. In the same interview quoted above, Don Felix is asked straight out, "Will you be wrapping Titos hands differently for this upcoming fight with Cherifi?" and to my absolute amazement his answer was, "No, well be doing it the same way weve always done it because I believe that we wouldnt have the same problems we had for the last fight. That controversy was really done to fill our heads with too many things at the same time. It was like a type of terrorism in a time when terrorism was in the United States. It was boxing terrorism."
I don't see how you can blame Hopkins for not allowing them to wrap Tito's left hand without anyone from his camp being there. Hown one day the cops come and arrest you just after one of your sparring sessions on her face, you can't blame the cops for terrorizing you just because you got away with it all the other times.
If the wraps were illegal, then they will be and always have been illegal. That is as long as they are in the United States. Which brings up a very interesting twist.
Cherifi better watch very carefully how Tito wraps that left hand, but even if he does, are the same rules applicable in Puerto Rico? Even if the rules are the same will the commission there enforce them?
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Read the highlighted parts for the truth.

papolamuerte · Dec 18, 2008

Exclusive by Ron Heard
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The guy who created the site that "talks boxing" aka "The Enquirer" of the boxing world......atsch

Let me know when Bert Sugar, Dan Rafael or Tim Smith write about it ok....:good

sitiyzal · Dec 18, 2008

papolamuerte said: ↑

Let me know when Bert Sugar, Dan Rafael or Tim Smith write about it ok....:good
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I suppose those 3 tools will be more credible sources than Hopkins & Trinidad sr, right?

dave82 · Dec 18, 2008

Listen here, the only thing that stopped Trinidads punches from landing with power wasn't the hand wraps or Hopkins mental tactics before the fight. It was Hopkins movement that stopped Trinidad from setting his feet up. Simple.

IsaL · Dec 18, 2008

dave82 said: ↑

Listen here, the only thing that stopped Trinidads punches from landing with power wasn't the hand wraps or Hopkins mental tactics before the fight. It was Hopkins movement that stopped Trinidad from setting his feet up. Simple.
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Listen there, stop living in denial.

dave82 · Dec 18, 2008

UliUli said: ↑

Listen there, stop living in denial.
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What denial?

eze · Dec 18, 2008

papolamuerte said: ↑

The guy who created the site that "talks boxing" aka "The Enquirer" of the boxing world......atsch

Let me know when Bert Sugar, Dan Rafael or Tim Smith write about it ok....:good
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Trinidad Sr said it even takes away from the power of the punch, are you ****ing blind?

IsaL · Dec 19, 2008

dave82 said: ↑

What denial?
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Read the article.

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Tito Trinidad and the myth of the 'illegal handwrapping'

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Tito Trinidad and the myth of the 'illegal handwrapping'

Rico Spadafora Master of Chins Full Member

Iceveins Puglistic Linguistics Full Member

IsaL VIP Member Full Member

papolamuerte Yo soy La Muerte! Full Member

sitiyzal ................. Full Member

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