14.11.07 – By Coach Tim Walker – tpwalker@hotmail.com – Boxing is quoted as being the theatre of the great unknown. It is filled with villains and heroes, good guys and bad guys, those we love and those we love to hate. Jones and Trinidad is all that and possibly more.
There are those who praise Trinidad for walking thru divisional champions on his way to the hall of fame. Many of those same people loath Jones for the perception of brilliant talented not fully taken advantage of…on the way to the hall of fame.
Trinidad is the warrior-like fighter who ducks no one. He has taken on champions, contenders and Olympians alike and battered them into submission. Jones is criticized for not crossing the pond and contesting Joe Calzaghe. Many also feel that rematches with Bernard Hopkins and James Toney were warranted though those fights never materialized.
The drama continues with Trinidad ’s following, which blindly follows him in and out, and in and out of retirement. It then jumps over to Jones’ obvious reduction of speed and unwillingness to retire following three consecutive losses.
Fight fans should remember though that styles make fights. Since being beaten into retirement by Bernard Hopkins, Trinidad mounted a comeback that included wins over Hacine Cherifi and Ricardo Mayorga, and a thrashing at the hands of Ronald “Winky” Wright. Trinidad will hit the 35 years of age mark 9 days prior to this fight. Couple rust with age and you seem to get a fighter without the legs to move around the ring. Factor in his heart and maybe that outweighs everything else.
Jones, on the other hand will be one year shy of 40 only a few days after Trinidad celebrates his birthday. He has been more active than Trinidad but has suffered three losses in his last five fights. His hand speed isn’t what it used to be, his body speed isn’t what it used to be, and his chin as of late is a little suspect. Still Jones swears that he has re-invented himself. With wins over the younger Prince Badi Ajamu and Anthony Hanshaw maybe there is life left in Jones. Maybe he has come up with a way to overcome his losses and found his passion for the sport again. Or maybe he is finally listening to what fight fans have said for years…mandatory challengers aren’t enough.
Don’t be deluded, neither guy is what he used to be and I type this fully realizing that I like both fighters. Still, in the theatre of the great unknown, the unknown may be enough to offer fight fans an entertaining match. Maybe the four year age difference is enough to make up for Trinidad’s lack of size and activity. Maybe Roy is truly on the cusp of doing something great. Maybe this is the beginning of something significant or the end of something hoped for. Thus…the drama!