Question for Papa Trinidad, What did you see in Jones that you picked him as a comeback fight?
PAPA TRINIDAD: “A long time ago, we had been thinking that this would be a good fight for Tito. And now that Tito had a willingness to return, and Tito could make the weight, we saw that it was convenient to do a fight against Jones..”
Does Papa Trinidad see any weaknesses in Jones that you are looking at, or aiming out or training for?
PAPA TRINIDAD: “To the contrary, we have nothing… Jones is a very talented fighter. We want Tito to fight at his very best all the time, and this is why this is the fight of the Titans.”
Father and son training doesn’t normally work out, what is your magic formula?
PAPA TRINIDAD: “I have respect, since he has been my son and I’ve been his father; since he was kid. I taught him to be respectful, as he has been respectful to me; he respects me as a neighbor and if you have that, then everything flows.”
Much has made of the fact that Tito’s previous highest weight has been 160, and he is moving to 170. Much has been made of “will Tito carry his punch’ and” this will be his first time fighting at 170”. Can Papa explain in detail what training regime he has put him through in Puerto Rico? Why will Tito be at his best on Saturday night?
PAPA TRINIDAD: “The feeling has been that as Tito has been changing from weight to weight that all his skills have been there. For this time, you will see an identical Tito mentally, physically, and with the punch and the power. And you will see when he fights Roy Jones that the power will be there.”
Is Papa happy with his conditioning and is he at his best weight right now?
PAPA TRINIDAD: “I am at peace. I feel happy that Tito has so much support. And we are very confident that when the fight day comes Tito will do well.”
The question has been, some people are saying that he will not knock out in 4 and he will knock out in …
PAPA TRINIDAD: “Tito is prepared to go all the way. He will win by any means. He can knock him out at any time, or he is prepared to win by decision.”
What level do you think Tito going to be at with time off; as you know, there is always a problem with ring work on the one hand, and on the other hand, it means he has not been and is not used to being hit as often and has been preserved a little? Can you tell us how the layoff is going to affect Tito?
PAPA TRINIDAD: “In regards the layoff, Tito has been training hard for six months, so he is prepared. Regarding the physical condition and his health, Tito is in excellent physical condition. All the medical exams have been done, including MRI’s and all other tests that are required. They have all been filed before the New York medical commission, so Tito is ready and the best fighter will win, and I have no doubt that who will win is my son.
It’s been a while since Tito has been an underdog going into a fight, how does it feel to be the underdog?
PAPA TRINIDAD: “That gives us motivation, motivation to train and to work hard. Tito has the skill, the motivation, the condition and that adds up to Tito winning this fight.”