Boxing News: Felix Trinidad on Saturday’s Middleweight Fight

Felix Trinidad spoke with members of the press about this Saturday's middleweight fight with Winky Wright. This is what he had to say.

Do you wish you were fighting for a title?

Trinidad: “I feel great leading up to this fight. My plan has always been to fight the best possible opponents. This has been our plan since I returned and Winky was the only one brave enough to challenge me and I give him credit for calling me out. A championship fight will come as a result of my victory Saturday night.”

What do you think about Winky Wright saying you can’t take his punch?

Trinidad: “I challenge Winky to test my chin. If he believes that I have a weakness, I hope he tries to find it. Maybe that would open up the fight.”

How do you feel after your time off?

Trinidad: “I feel great. I think the time off was good for me. I want to make myself clear and let everybody know that I did not take time off. I was retired from the sport because there was nobody out there to fight. I returned to the sport because of my fans. I feel the same as before, I work very hard and I live a clean and healthy life. That’s why I looked so sharp against Mayorga [on Oct. 2]. I still have all the desire to do my job as a professional boxer.”

Why did you return to boxing?

Trinidad: “I returned to the sport because of my fans, they always asked me to come back and told me that the sport was not the same without me. I spoke with my parents, my wife, my brothers and sisters, and my close friends, and I knew that if I returned to boxing it had to be now. I feel great, maybe I’m sharper. I feel like a kid having the time of my life.”

What did you miss most about boxing?

Trinidad: “When I retired it was for good. I was not taking a break. I was done with boxing. I did not do it to go on vacation, I could not avenge my loss against Hopkins and nothing else was important at that time in my career . . . I missed the fans when I was away and those special moments like walking into the ring and hearing the crowd roaring and chanting ‘Tito, Tito, Tito.’ I also missed the celebration after all my victories; the big parades when I returned to Puerto Rico and all my Puerto Rican fans and all my fans in general.”

Do your fans tell you they would like to see a rematch with Hopkins?

Trinidad: “Almost all the people I talk to are happy to see me back in the ring, but they always ask me to get my revenge and to please beat him the next time around.”

Do you think you need to beat Hopkins to be the best Puerto Rican fighter in history?

Trinidad: “I think I have my place in the history of the sport. I know I would defeat Hopkins if I had the opportunity to fight him again.”

What went wrong in the Hopkins fight?

Trinidad: “I honestly don’t know.”

If you had to point to one thing, what would it be?

Trinidad: “I went in there to knock him out, to do what I always do against all the guys I fight. I believe my stamina went down and Hopkins’ seemed to stay the same. He beat me and I have no excuses.”

Did the postponement of the Hopkins fight effect you in any way?

Trinidad: “I felt sorry for all the innocent people that died during 9/11. The delay in the fight effected me. I think that if the fight took place when it was originally scheduled to happen the result would have been different.”

What was your greatest victory?

Trinidad: “All of them.” [Trinidad was pressed to give a specific fight] “Believe it or not, it was my first world title fight against Maurice Blocker back in 1993. If I had not won that fight, I would not have been here. I wouldn’t have the chance to fight De La Hoya or Vargas.”

How hard do you think it will be for Winky to move up in weight to 160 pounds?

Trinidad: “He is a solid 154-pound champion. He has proven himself. It is easy to move up in weight but it’s not easy to win world title fights when you move up. Only a few boxers are able to do that and I am one of them.”

Is Winky making a mistake moving up in weight?

Trinidad: “I have power in both hands and I would like to knock Winky out. I will not go in the ring to play games and Winky knows it. I know he is ready for a fight, but he is not ready to fight me. I’m a different fighter that any other he has faced before.”

Will you ever move up in weight?

Trinidad: “Yes, I would consider moving up to super middleweight and even light heavyweight but I am young and I am fine as a middleweight.”