Jones, Trinidad playing the weight-ing game before clash

Rafael

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: January 18, 2008

AP Photo/Richard Drew

Say what you want about their age; Felix Trinidad, left, and Roy Jones look as good as they ever have.

Heavy issues

NEW YORK -- When Felix "Tito" Trinidad decided to come out of his second retirement late last year, the one fighter he wanted to face was Roy Jones, so that's who promoter Don King went and got for him.

However, even when the financial terms were worked out for the showdown between the popular future Hall of Famers, who will meet at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET), there was the issue of weight.

Trinidad, after all, began his career at 138 pounds and won championships at 147, 154 and 160. But even when he was a middleweight, Trinidad only weighed the division limit of 160 once, and that was for his last fight, a one-sided decision loss to Winky Wright in May 2005.

Jones, on the other hand, is the bigger man. He dominated during title reigns at 160, 168 and 175 and even claimed a heavyweight title in 2003.

Trinidad (42-2, 35 KOs) proposed that they meet at 170, meaning Jones would have to get down lower in weight than he had been in a decade. Surprisingly, Jones, never known for being a pushover in negotiations, agreed without complaint, even though the last time he had been near that weight was when he was 171 for a 1998 light heavyweight defense against Otis Grant.

Bring on the Titans
TV lineup for Saturday night's (9 ET) HBO PPV card from New York's Madison Square Garden:

• Light heavyweights: Roy Jones Jr. (51-4, 38 KOs) vs. Felix Trinidad (42-2, 35 KOs), 12 rounds

• Heavyweights: Andrew Golota (40-6-1, 33 KOs) vs. Mike Mollo (19-1, 12 KOs), 12 rounds

• Junior middleweights: Roman Karmazin (36-2-1, 23 KOs) vs. Alex Bunema (26-9-2, 14 KOs), 12 rounds

• Junior welterweights: Devon Alexander (13-0, 9 KOs) vs. DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley (31-7-1, 17 KOs), 12 rounds

-- Dan Rafael

"Tito and his people think it's going to hurt me to have to go all the way down to 170 pounds and it's a smart move on their part," Jones said. "But it's nothing I haven't been through before. The big question is: Can Tito bring his punch and take my punches at 170 pounds?"

Jones admitted that getting down to 170 for Friday's weigh-in was going to be hard. Bundled in a sweat suit and heavy winter jacket, Jones was clearly trying to sweat off the last couple of pounds Thursday afternoon.

"It's very difficult, but it has to be done," said Jones, who was in a surprisingly good mood. "I accepted the challenge. You don't accept the challenge and then don't do what you promised. The man challenged to me to a duel at 170 pounds. I accepted the challenge."

Jones, 39, said that Trinidad, 35, was in trouble come fight time because a day before the weigh-in he was feeling OK.

"Believe it or not, I'm happy right now," he said. "I'm not hungry. I'm really not even thirsty."

If there are questions about Jones' ability to be effective coming so far down in weight, the same can be asked about how Trinidad will fare moving up so much. Will the knockout artist carry his power? He's convinced he will.

"I don't think fighting at 170 pounds is going to be a big deal," he said. "The heaviest I've fought has been at 160. I'm a little older now, so I carry my weight a lot better than I used to. I am going to feel very good at that weight and I feel that I will feel great at that fight.

"I will carry my punch to 170 pounds. My hands are ready as they have always been. When I catch him, he will feel my power. I have been training for six months to make sure when I step in the ring I will be at my best. I wanted to fight at this weight and I feel stronger than I have ever felt."

Trinidad's father and trainer, Felix "Papa" Trinidad Sr., agrees: "You will see an identical Tito mentally, physically, and with the punch and the power."

Jones (51-4, 38 KOs) has been down this road before. Dropping weight may have played a major role in his fall from his perch as pound-for-pound best. When he faced John Ruiz for a heavyweight title, Jones bulked up. He was officially 193 pounds, although he insisted the scale was off and that he was really 199.

After that historic victory in which Jones became only the second former middleweight champion to win a heavyweight title a century after Bob Fitzsimmons, he returned to light heavyweight, taking off almost 25 pounds of muscle to do it.

It took its toll. He struggled to win a majority decision against Antonio Tarver and then lost three in a row, including back-to-back devastating knockouts to Tarver and Glen Johnson.

"You have to look at it like this: Superman had to gain a lot of weight to fight at heavyweight," Jones said. "I had to take off a lot of weight to go back down. That was all muscle. It took me a while to get back to where I feel good again. When I added all of that muscle and then had to lose it, I don't think people were paying attention. I won the heavyweight title then came back to win the light heavyweight title."

Jones said after his last fight, a decision against Anthony Hanshaw, that he didn't let himself get too big because he knew he'd get a major fight and have to lose weight.

"After my last fight, I stayed slim because I thought something crazy may come my way," Jones said. "So I am slim. And this fight is worth getting there for."

Jones, who opened his training camp at 188 pounds, gave himself plenty of time to make weight. He's trained for three months, a month longer than usual.

"Right now I feel like my old self. I love it," he said. "I am a true professional and I will be right where I need to be come fight time."

Alton Merkerson, Jones' longtime trainer, said Jones' weight loss is not the issue some have made it.

"I say no problem [but] if there was a problem, I wouldn't tell you," he said with a laugh. "It's all in the job. You do what you have to do. Roy [is] 39 years old. It's a little harder for him to lose weight than it was some years ago. But you know when you get a warrior who's been in combat, he does whatever it takes and doesn't complain about it."

Showtime for cruiserweights

David Haye

John Gichigi/Getty Images

Haye now: Looks like Showtime is starting 2008 on the right foot, beginning with David Haye vs. Enzo Maccarinelli.

Showtime, coming off a poor 2007, seems to be trying to make up for it in early 2008. It has come to the rescue of hard-core fans anticipating the cruiserweight showdown between recognized champion David Haye (20-1, 19 KOs) and titleholder Enzo Maccarinelli (28-1, 21 KOs).

Showtime has secured American TV rights for the March 8 bout at London's O2 Arena and will televise it live on the East Coast (9 p.m. ET/PT). Showtime initially planned to air the bout on same-day tape on both coasts, but promoter Frank Warren agreed to shift the fight to 2 a.m. London time so it could air live in the U.S. Despite the late start, a sellout crowd of 20,000-plus is expected.

"This is a matchup that we simply could not pass up," Showtime boxing boss Ken Hershman said. "Stylistically, this fight sets up to be an all-action barnburner. Add to that the unification of three out of four world titles and you've got a fight fan's dream come true."

Showtime had money available for the fight because it's not doing a major show in February. Instead, it is doubling up March. On March 1, Showtime has the rubber match between junior featherweight champ Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Cintron cleared

Welterweight titlist Kermit Cintron has been cleared by his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. R. Scott Cook, to resume full training in a week to 10 days, Main Events announced.

Cintron suffered severe ligament damage in his right hand during a Nov. 23 title defense against Jess Feliciano. The injury cost Cintron a February unification bout with Paul Williams.

"This week Kermit will begin hitting the speed bag. He is up to speed where he should be and is healing well," Cook said in a statement.

Main Events said it is working on a fight for Cintron in April. One possibility is mandatory challenger Joshua Clottey.

Main Events signs Adamek

Main Events signed former light heavyweight titlist and cruiserweight contender Tomasz Adamek (33-1, 22 KOs), CEO Kathy Duva announced.

Duva said that she is negotiating with Seminole Warriors Boxing to match Adamek with former undisputed champion O'Neil Bell in a title eliminator. The winner would earn a shot at titleholder Steve Cunningham.

"Main Events is proud to sign Tomasz," Duva said. "He is a former light heavyweight champion and soon to be world cruiserweight champion."

Adamek, 31, of Poland, made two defenses of his title before losing on points to Chad Dawson in February 2007. Adamek is best known for his two brutal slugfests with Paul Briggs, title fights Adamek won on close decisions.

Ziggy Promotions will continue to serve as Adamek's co-promoter.

Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com.
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QUICK HITS

Hopkins

• Negotiations for an April fight between light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins and super middleweight champ Joe Calzaghe are expected to wrap up any day and they could yield a sweet bonus for fans. The bout was originally planned for April 12 as a $49.95 HBO PPV fight. However, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaeffer told ESPN.com that the fight could move to April 19 and off PPV. "I am working very hard to try to do the Hopkins fight live on HBO," he said. HBO is interested, offering about $6 million, which is close to what the promotion would net if the fight was on PPV and did 250,000 buys.

Julio

• Joel "Love Child" Julio (32-1, 30 KOs), the 2005 ESPN.com prospect of the year, and James Kirkland (21-0, 18 KOs), both exciting offensive-minded junior middleweight prospects with tremendous power, could face each other on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" in either April or May. The sides are talking and HBO wants the fight, reps for both sides told ESPN.com.

Witter

• Junior welterweight titlist Junior Witter of England is coming to America for his third defense. Witter, coming off a spectacular knockout of ex-titlist Vivian Harris in September, will face Demetrius Hopkins, nephew of light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins, on March 22 (HBO), probably at the Morongo resort in Cabazon, Calif. Witter, chasing a fight with recognized champ and countryman Ricky Hatton, fought once previously in the U.S., outpointing Lovemore N'Dou in a title eliminator in Los Angeles. Witter-Hopkins will be the co-feature on the "Boxing After Dark" card headlined by lightweight champion Joel Casamayor against Michael Katsidis.

Barrera

• So much for retirement. Former three-division champion Marco Antonio Barrera (63-6, 42 KOs) lost both of his fights in 2007, decisions to Juan Manuel Marquez and to Manny Pacquiao in their rematch, and announced his retirement. But Barrera, who turned 34 on Thursday, has had a change of heart. According to a source at Golden Boy Promotions, Barrera told the company that he wants to return "for the right fights."

Mares

• The undercard for the March 15 Juan Manuel Marquez-Manny Pacquiao HBO PPV fight is rounding into shape. One of Golden Boy's televised bouts will be bantamweight prospect Abner Mares against ex-flyweight title challenger Diosdado Gabi. It is also working on a bout that has fight of the year potential: super middleweight Librado Andrade against "Contender" Season 3 winner Sakio Bika. Card co-promoter Top Rank is putting on featherweight titlist Steven Luevano in a mandatory against Terdsak Jandaeng. Lightweight titlist David Diaz's nontitle bout against an opponent to be named likely won't make the telecast, although we could see clips. If Diaz and Pacquiao win, Top Rank is eyeing Diaz-Pacquiao in June. Top Rank's Bob Arum told ESPN.com that he is working on a deal to put the fight in Macau.

Spinks

• Junior middleweight titlist Cory Spinks, whose mandatory defense against Verno Phillips was originally slated for Saturday's Jones-Trinidad card, could wind up in Spinks' hometown of St. Louis in late March, Kevin Cunningham, Spinks' trainer and manager, told ESPN.com. Spinks can generate money in St. Louis on a fight that means nothing anywhere else. King might put Ricardo Mayorga, who lost to Spinks when they met for the undisputed welterweight title in 2003, on the proposed card in order to set up a rematch. King doesn't control Spinks-Phillips just yet. A purse bid is scheduled for Tuesday, but King and Phillips promoter Artie Pelullo can make a deal.

McCline

• Former heavyweight titlist John Ruiz and longtime contender Jameel McCline are finalizing agreements with King to fight on the untelevised undercard of the March 8 Oleg Maskaev-Samuel Peter heavyweight title bout in Cancun, Mexico, representatives for both fighters told ESPN.com. Tony Cardinale, Ruiz's attorney, said Ruiz is prepping for the fight in Las Vegas with trainer Manny Siaca Sr. They'll complete training in Puerto Rico next month. Another fight slated for the card: prospect Tim Bradley vs. former two-time lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo in a junior welterweight eliminator.

• A couple of manager Cameron Dunkin's fighters are making news. He told ESPN.com that flyweight titlist Nonito Donaire (19-1, 12 KOs) is headed to Dubai to make his second defense against Hussein Hussein on March 27. The fight isn't signed but Dunkin said they have received a contract and accepted the bout. Dunkin also said that Philadelphia junior middleweight Anthony Thompson (23-2, 17 KOs), coming off a debatable loss to Yuri Foreman in June, has been released by Top Rank. The Thompson-Top Rank marriage just never got rolling.

Williams

• Welterweight titlist Paul Williams (33-0, 24 KOs) finally knows where he'll make his first defense against fellow southpaw Carlos Quintana (24-1, 19 KOs) on Feb. 9 (HBO). The fight will take place at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. Promoter Dan Goossen's first choice was Quintana's native Puerto Rico, but HBO was reluctant unless Goossen picked up a six-figure tab for additional production costs. Williams ought to feel comfortable fighting in Southern California. He won his belt in July in Carson by outpointing Antonio Margarito.

Berto

• Welterweight Andre Berto (20-0, 17 KOs), the dynamic 2006 ESPN.com prospect of the year, finally has an opponent for his Feb. 9 HBO appearance on the Williams-Quintana undercard (10 p.m. ET/PT). He'll face former European champion Michel Trabant (43-2-1, 19 KOs) of Germany. Trabant, 29, whose only losses are a majority decision to Jose Antonio Rivera in a 2003 world title bout and a split decision to Frederic Klose in a 2004 European title fight, represents the stiffest test of Berto's career. Berto promoter Lou DiBella and HBO discussed numerous opponents who either turned Berto down or were not approved by HBO. Among the names discussed: Steve Forbes, Isaac Hlatshwayo, Jose Luis Cruz, Mike Arnaoutis, Miki Rodriguez, Sebastian Lujan, Oscar Diaz and Vivian Harris.

Abraham

• According to Main Events, which promotes Giovanni Lorenzo (26-0, 18 KOs), negotiations are under way with the handlers of middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham (25-0, 20 KOs). If they make a deal, Abraham would defend his belt against Lorenzo in the spring, probably in Germany.

Lacy

• Contrary to Showtime's announcement, former super middleweight titlist Jeff Lacy isn't moving up to light heavyweight to face Antonio Tarver April 12 in Tampa on a card with Chad Dawson's light heavyweight defense against Glen Johnson. Showtime prematurely announced the fight. It had been in discussion, but isn't happening. Lacy, who had a nasty falling out with promoter Gary Shaw, won't fight on a card he's promoting, and Shaw handles Dawson. Also, Golden Boy, Lacy's promoter, told ESPN.com that Lacy won't be ready to fight on that date anyway.

Hatton

• Junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton (43-1, 31 KOs) is planning a May 24 comeback in his hometown of Manchester, England, according to British media reports. Hatton, coming off a knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather in a Dec. 8 welterweight title challenge, is returning to the 140-pound division, where he's the recognized champion. No opponent has been set, but it won't be titleholders Junior Witter or Gavin Rees, who are from the U.K. Although Hatton's deal with HBO is up, the network wants to continue airing his fights.

• Gotham Boxing promoter Cedric Kushner, K2 Promotions (the Klitschko brothers' company) and Shelly Finkel, adviser for the Klitschkos, jointly announced that they have reached "an amicable settlement" related to the lawsuit Kushner filed against them in early 2007 over a deal they had negotiated for Wladimir Klitschko to defend his heavyweight title against Shannon Briggs, a Kushner fighter at the time. Klitschko, however, wound up fighting Calvin Brock instead. As a sign of goodwill, middleweight prospect Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin, promoted by Kushner, will appear on the undercard of Klitschko's unification fight against Sultan Ibragimov on Feb. 23 (HBO) at Madison Square Garden.

Chambers

• How seriously is Philadelphia heavyweight Eddie Chambers (30-0, 16 KOs) taking his elimination bout against Alexander Povetkin (14-0, 11 KOs) on Jan. 26 (HBO) in Germany? He has brought in trainer Buddy McGirt to work his corner along with his father and trainer Eddie W. Chambers. To get ready for the fight, Chambers trained at McGirt's Vero Beach, Fla., gym instead of in Philly. "Working with Buddy and my dad … has been better than I could have ever imagined. I have the best of both worlds," Chambers said. The winner becomes a mandatory for the Klitschko-Ibragimov winner.

Bute

• Super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute (21-0, 17 KOs) makes his first defense Feb. 29 against faded ex-middleweight titlist William Joppy (39-4-1, 30 KOs). Bute won a belt by viciously stopping Alejandro Berrio in the 11th round in October and returns to the same building, Montreal's Bell Centre, to face Joppy. He has won five straight against low-level opponents since leaving the 160-pound division after lopsided losses to Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor. Joppy takes exception to those who say he's finished. "I'm not coming here to Montreal as a tourist and anybody who thinks I'm a has-been or that I am easy prey better re-evaluate their thinking," he said. "I won my last five fights by knockout and my experience will serve me well against the young champion. Quebec boxing fans will see a great fight but also a nasty surprise."

Salita

• Promoter Lou DiBella and junior welterweight Dmitriy Salita (27-0-1, 15 KOs) have parted ways with Salita buying his way out of their promotional contact. The camps didn't see eye-to-eye on how to move his career along. Salita, an Orthodox Jew fighting out of Brooklyn, N.Y., fought for DiBella for almost three years.

Quotable

Jones

"I love to fight. Tito is a great world champion who loves to fight. We are going to both come to fight. Fans don't want to see a boring fight. They want to see somebody's ass hit the grass." -- Roy Jones, predicting an exciting fight when he meets Felix Trinidad Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.