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Bronx Bull tips Trinidad

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By Paul Upham: Jake “The Bronx Bull” LaMotta (left) is tipping Felix “Tito” Trinidad to defeat Bernard Hopkins in this Saturday night’s middleweight unification bout at Madison Square Garden in New York. LaMotta spoke with HBO analyst Larry Merchant in a conference call with the boxing media regarding this weekend’s clash.
LaMotta, 83-19-4 (30) and the world middleweight champion from June 1949 to February 1951, believes that former welter Trinidad, in only his second fight at middleweight, will have the better movement to trouble Hopkins. “I had difficulty making 160lbs. I was always weak and the smaller guys were so fast I couldn’t catch them. But when I fought the bigger guys it was a different fight,” said LaMotta.

“If he (Trinidad) can take a big punch, the bigger the guys he fights, the easier they are. If you are able to take a good punch, (and) I was able to take a good punch, all the big guys I fought, they were easy. In fact, I knocked out most of the big guys I fought.”

“What you are saying is that they key to the fight may very well be what happens when Hopkins hits Trinidad, if Trinidad can handle it then he’s got the fight?” asked Larry Merchant.

“Yes. If he (Trinidad) can take a good punch and he throws a lot of punches. Therefore, he has the confidence that he can take it and he can take chances, and I’m pretty sure he will come out victoriously,” said LaMotta.

Fighting in front of what is expected to be a large Puerto Rican crowd at The Garden is definitely an advantage for Trinidad, according to LaMotta.

“That is always an advantage, that is always a plus. When you have got guys rooting for you, that’s always an edge. That gives you an advantage,” he said.

In regards to the well-publicised flag throwing incidents by Bernard Hopkins in July, which seemed to incense Trinidad so much, LaMotta suspects that it was put on for show.

“I think it is all a big act. Most of the times these guys are doing it for publicity and show business. Most of that stuff is all a big act. Don’t believe what you read or what you see when it comes to things like that. That’s showmanship and trying to hype up a fight. I don’t know if that’s for real or not.”

Felix Trinidad seemingly gets stronger during his bouts and LaMotta can see similarities to his own style and training that he used throughout his career. “That’s me. I kept getting stronger as the fight went on because I always said if it was set for a 15 round fight, I’d be training for a 25 round fight.”

When asked how Hopkins could win the fight this weekend, LaMotta does not believe that he can. “How does he win this fight? I don’t think he is going to win.”

“I don’t know too much about him, but the little that I have seen and the little that I’ve heard I don’t think that he is going to win. He could win, I’m not always right. I pick them wrong sometime,” said LaMotta.

“They both have great punching power. They both have pretty good knockout records. In this fight whoever is better conditioned and whoever has more determination will win.”

When asked to compare Felix Trinidad to the great fighters of the past, LaMotta was in no doubt that his six-time opponent Sugar Ray Robinson (pictured right) was the best boxer that ever lived.

“There is no question about it. It is very, very obvious. You don’t compare a guy with 30 or 40 fights with a guy that had over 200 fights and fought for 25 years. There is no question about it and there is no comparison. Whether he is Sugar Ray Leonard or Sugar Ray anyone else. There is no comparison because Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest fighter pound for pound that ever lived. There is no question about it,” said LaMotta.

“He fought for most of his career with one loss and that was with me. I think he had around 131 fights with one loss. There is no comparison with either Sugar Ray Leonard or any other Sugar Ray.”

LaMotta recalled his series of fights with Sugar Ray Robinson. “I fought Sugar Ray so many times it’s a wonder I don’t have diabetes,” said the Bronx Bull, making special reference to his final fight with Robinson when he lost the world middleweight title in February 1951.

“The referee stopped the fight in the 13th round while I was still on my feet with Robinson pounding me up against the ropes. If the referee had held up another 30 seconds, Robinson would have collapsed from hitting me!” laughed LaMotta, who lamented the removal of 15 round championship fights.

“They don’t have 15 round fights anymore and I don’t think they should have cut it down to 12 rounds. Fifteen rounds was a limit that you had to go and really test yourself, go all out and become a champion.

“Today they make it a little more easier for fighters. I don’t know whether it is good or bad. They make it for a fighter to live to fight another day. It may be cruel the way I say it, but the guys that don’t have any talent, count them out, let them quit the game if he hasn’t got the stamina.

“Make the guys retire quick instead of prolonging his agony,” LaMotta said.


Paul Upham
Contributing Editor
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