Hopkins vs Trinidad: The Countdown Begins!

By Phillip Przybylo

3 world titles. 2 warriors. 1 unified middleweight champion. No one can wait.

When September 15 rolls around, the boxing community will stop and watch the
biggest fight of the year and the biggest middleweight one in fourteen years. Bernard Hopkins and Felix Trinidad will walk through the ropes in Madison Square Garden knowing a win is not just a win. A win is the unified championship, a shot at Roy (or maybe even Oscar in Bernard's case) with plenty of leverage in negotiations, and the chance to be the best fighter of an era, possibly any era. A win is immortality, which is fitting for two fighters who have fought like heroes and whose careers have read like epics.

This is the climax. Their fight is what boxing is all about. Anticipation is through the roof and fans are loving it (Hopkins or Trinidad will love it a lot more if they leave with three belts). But the bottom line is that no matter how big I can tout this match as being, it is even bigger for the two fighters. This is what their careers have led them to. If they lose, it will not be the end, but it will be the beginning of it.

A Look at Trinidad

The kind of pressure that faces both men would crack most others. But pressure is a kind-hearted joke to Felix "Tito" Trinidad, a man who has averaged two "superfights" a year for the past two and a half years. Felix not only knows big fight pressure, he owns and controls it. He has been a champion since he obliterated Maurice Blocker in 1993. Eight years is a couple of lifetimes in boxing years. He has never been in real trouble during that span either, showing Jordan-esque composure through it all.

The handsome assassin from Cupey Alto, Puerto Rico, is trained by his father, Don Felix Trinidad, Sr. They are perhaps the prototype of what a father-son/trainer-boxer relationship should be. They have done a beautiful job in shaping a truly great career. Turmoil with Don King, three American gold medalists and champions, and constant doubters have not been able to stop the duo.

Felix has amassed a perfect 40-0 record with 33 KO's. His two-fisted punching power used with marksman-like precision has nearly ruined his last four opponents. He bounced Reid around like a yo-yo, disfigured Thiam, shortened Vargas's career, and beated Joppy into the ground until a merciful stoppage. No hyperbole could outdo the truth of Trinidad's recent history in the ring.

Scandals

As if preparing for the toughest fight in his career is not enough, the pre-fight buildup has been mired in scandal. Bernard, reacting to several factors, threw down a miniature Puerto Rican flag twice, testing Felix's pride. Also, the media learned that Felix has done something wrong outside the ring, testing Felix's patience. These distractions, combined with the fact that Felix may be adapting a different style, could cause a less than stellar performance. Although, the only major cause for a poor performance would be a certain executioner looking to take Trinidad's heart and soul.

A Look at Bernard Hopkins

Is Trinidad worried? He should be. Bernard "the Executioner" Hopkins is a hard fighter. He has a hard body, chin, style, and mentality. Their is nothing soft and easy about Bernard. Once a boxer has been in the ring with the Philadelphia native, he knows he has been in a fight. Mills Lane, an excellent judge of character and skill, billed Bernard as one of the best fighters in the sport as far back as 3-4 years ago.

Yet, he was only a blip on the radar when a disappointing loss to Roy Jones occurred. The setback early in his career only seemed to inspire Hopkins. By April of 1995, he was IBF middleweight champion. His classic resilience and perseverance through 13 title defenses, an incredible number, has providing some genuine moments throughout his reign. Like Trinidad, his most recent wins have been some his best. Since the bizarre incident with Mills in the first Robbie Allen fight, he has disposed of Allen the second time around, made a nice comeback and domination of Echols, beat and frustrated Vanderpool, schooled Echols again (with one hand for a few rounds), and outclassed titlist Keith Holmes from beginning to end. He still has not garnered as much press as he deserves, despite being the most outspoken (and maybe likeable) personality since Ali.

Hopkins has always shown a hint of bitterness of no receiving enough respect, which is reminiscent of another middleweight champion in Marvelous Marvin Hagler. He always has his head on straight, though. Bouie Fisher, his trainer, has helped keep it that way. Although not related by blood, their trust in one another is like that of a father and son. They even go by a handshake agreement. The underrated Fisher has aided Hopkins in more ways than one over the years. He's a solid trainer with a few tricks up his sleeve for a solid fighter who always has a few tricks up his sleeve.

The tandem will have to be more than solid, though, when September 15 arrives.

Other Factors

As we enter the home stretch to the road for a unified middleweight champion, there are certain points about the fighters and the fight that will make an impact and have either been ignored or not quite hammered home yet by the rest of the media.

1. Even with all the tough talk, is Hopkins out of sync? This is the first time he has been a pay-per-view attraction. There's a lot of pressure on him stemming from fans and media alike (take this column/preview for instance). He may be his own worst enemy, too. He has said that if he loses, his career will have meant nothing. That is more pressure than anyone else could possibly put on him.

2. On a related note, Trinidad has been in the limelight for the past three years. He has been in many big, draining fights. And if the ultimate plan is to fight Roy, could there be a tiny sense of oversight and/or overconfidence? It would be a huge mistake by "Tito" to think of Hopkins as some type of setup, in any form whatsoever, for Roy Jones, Jr. One would be insane to bet against Bernard Hopkins.

3. Hopkins, at 36, is the oldest and most experienced legitimate threat to Trinidad's reign of terror. He knows his way around and has proven it on many occasions. He's had plenty of mistakes to learn from of other Trinidad opponents, and he's had a pretty nice playbook laid out for him by Oscar De la Hoya in "The Fight of the Millennium." The fact of the matter is that Hopkins is going to come out with a really good gameplan.

4. Hopkins is no Trinidad.

The Fight

Unified champion is a nice title to have and these guys will do anything to attain it. This is going to be one of the most intense fights ever. It may get ugly or even dirty, but will it ever be intense. The diverse crowd at the Garden will be at the edge of their seats or off of it the entire time.

Some people are comparing it already to Hagler-Hearns. A young champion and knockout artist moves up in weight to fight a stalwart, long reigning champion who has never gotten the respect he deserves. That may be the biggest compliment of their careers, thusfar.

Will it be a Hagler-Hearns? Bernard does have incentive to push the action early and Felix would react to that. So, it could be a war from the start. But I do not believe it will be like that. Both men know what's at stake and want the win more than the knockout. They know that they cannot out-will the other and overpower from the start. Felix intends to box and move more. Bernard also intends to box circles around and tie up Felix whenever possible. There will be very fine lines for Bernard between staying out of too many exchanges & essentially laying down and also between taking the fight to Trinidad & trading with him too much. Look for a tentative fight early on not just from Hopkins, but from Trinidad, too. I think he'll be just as timid as he was in the beginning for his fight with De la Hoya.

I do think that the fight will get a little rough and heated in the middle rounds. We have all seen Felix use elbows and low blows and Bernard use everything but the kitchen sink. That is not to say that they're dirty because all great fighters use "tricks" once in a while. Sometimes, that's what makes them great.

I think there will be a Hagler-Hearns -like exchange somewhere in rounds 7 through 10. Felix likes to assert his dominance around that period of the fight, and Bernard will be stubborn. That will be the ultimate struggle. I feel the championship rounds will provide its fair share of fireworks, too. But I believe one of them will be in survival mode by then. Look for a knockdown or two early or in the middle of the fight; just not one that closes the deal because they both have great endurance and survival skills, which are always good things to have when war breaks out.

Buy the PPV

If you don't buy this PPV but have the means to, you are either a complete fool or selling Hopkins short, which would mean you are a complete fool.

Prediction?

This is a very close one to call. Most have jumped on the Trinidad bandwagon, but some always call for an upset when it concerns him. Personally, I wouldn't place money against either fighter. I believe Bernard, the underdog, will be there until the end (unless he "gets old in a day"). But I think Trinidad will win by a close and very controversial decision.

Predicition: Trinidad W12 Hopkins. Why? Because one would be insane to bet against Don King.