Let Dormant Dinosaurs Rest!

By Felipe Leon

As the “Golden Boy” OScar De La Hoya announced his retirement a couple of weeks ago, I believed that we were ushering in a new era in boxing.

I was wrong.

After the exciting wins this weekend of two relative new comers to the professional ranks and the boxing radar in Juan Manuel Lopez and Carl Froch, two dinosaurs of years past are threatening to lace up the gloves and try to reacapture their now long lost glory and not to mention plenty of sheckles in their coffers.

It has been reported over the internet that former welterweight, super welterweight and middleweight champion Felix “Tito” Trinidad will try to avenge his 2001 loss to former undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins later this year.

Their first bout was mirred in controversy. Hopkins desecrated the Puerto Rican flag by ripping it from Trinidad’s hands and throwing it on the ground at the actual bout had to be pushed back because of the 9/11 tragedy.

Hopkins won the first fight with via 12th round TKO when “Papa” Trinidad threw in the towel to save his son.

It seems as if the bout is just about signed, sealed and delivered with minor details being worked out between Don King and Golden Boy Promotions.

Nobody can argue what the careers of both men have meant for the sport of boxing. While Hopkins at 44 years of age continues to school fighters young and old inside the ring as was the case in his last bout when he exposed Kelly Pavlik at a catch weight of 170 lbs, Trinidad has been content in fighting every couple of years for major paydays as he is considered one of the top PPV draws because of his loyal Puerto Rican following.

But is this fight really necessary?

Unlike the two exciting fights over the weekend, the Hopkins-Trinidad will not reveal anything about either fighter or the division.

First of all, we are not sure they will be fighting within a division since it is rumored that they will be meeting at a catch weight.

Although Hopkins did look as sharp as the Hopkins of his middleweight run in his last bout, it does not seem as he is interested in pursuing a belt besides the Ring Magazine strap at super middleweight or light heavyweight and instead just picks and chooses the biggest money fights within those ranks.

Trinidad has not been a player in any division since he announced his retirement.

More than likely I will watch this fight but I believe the result will not surprise anyone. Despite Hopkins looking all of his middle aged years against the slightly younger and more active Calzaghe in April of 2008, he shocked the boxing world when he neutralized the current middleweight champion of the world Kelly Pavlik late last year.

Trinidad is 1-3 since taking a two year exodus from the ring. He announced his retirement in May of ‘05 but returned to the squared circle early last year to another member of the senior citizen tour, Roy Jones Jr.

For boxing to regain its luster that so many have said it has lost, it must move away from these type of fights. The public is not a foolish one and anybody that can fog up a mirror can see that this is purely a money grab.

Although it might be hard to argue that any fight that is broadcast by HBO, Showtime and even ESPN has some type of meaning for the division or the fighter, and argument can still be made, no matter how delicate it might be.

There is no viable reason why this fight should be made.

The pockets of Trinidad, Hopkins, De La Hoya and King might want to rebutt that statement.