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Friday, September 17, 1999
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Trinidad Sr. also fought great Latin
By Kevin Iole
Review-Journal
Felix Trinidad has been in the ring before with a great boxer of Mexican descent.
On Saturday, Trinidad will fight Oscar De La Hoya, a Mexican-American, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center for two-thirds of the world welterweight title.
But the Trinidad who fought the great Mexican was not Tito, and the opponent was not De La Hoya. Tito's father, Don Felix, fought on Aug. 7, 1979, against an up-and-coming young featherweight named Salvador Sanchez, who became one of the great fighters in history before dying in a 1982 auto accident.
Don Felix Trinidad was knocked out in the fifth round of that bout. He recalled Sanchez as "an excellent fighter, truly remarkable," but said it is not fair to draw parallels between that fight and his son's fight Saturday against De La Hoya.
"I was a fighter then and I am a trainer now, and it is two different things," Trinidad Sr. said. "If you want to compare that fight to this one, then you have to say that Tito is Sanchez, and I would be De La Hoya."
Hall of Fame trainer Gil Clancy, one of De La Hoya's cornermen, was the matchmaker at Madison Square Garden and used the elder Trinidad on a number of shows.
Don Felix never became a world champion, but Clancy said he was a respectable fighter.
"He could fight," Clancy said. "He was competitive against some top guys. He wasn't going to scare anybody, but he was a good, solid fighter, a strong opponent."
-- A NEW BABY -- Trinidad has been talking almost daily with his wife, Sharon Santiago. She did not travel to Las Vegas because she is three months pregnant with their second daughter.
The Trinidads also have a 3-year-old named Ashley Nicole.
"Tito is very excited about the new baby, and he can't wait to get back home to see his wife again," Trinidad assistant Jose "Pepe" Ramos said.
-- THE BILLIARDS KING -- Don Felix Trinidad won the billiards competition between members of the Trinidad camp. He beat Ramos in the final match. Tito Trinidad was a first-round loser when he sank the 8-ball too early.
"I thought I was going to get him, but he's tough," Ramos said jokingly of Don Felix. "Don't play him for money, or he will take it from you."
-- BIG BET ON TITO -- Vinny Magliulo, the race and sports book director at Caesars Palace, said he took a large wager Thursday on Trinidad that dropped De La Hoya to a $1.20 favorite and brought Trinidad back to even. Magliulo declined to say how large the bet was, but Caesars often gets several six-figure bets on big fights.
"It's remaining strong two-way action, but we're getting a lot of our bigger wagers on (Trinidad)," Magliulo said.
-- THE VICTORY LAP -- The Trinidads have scheduled a victory party for late Saturday at the Las Vegas Hilton that is being co-hosted by Don King Productions and the hotel.
Nearly 700 guests, including famous Latin singer Elvis Crespo, have been invited to the lavish affair.
It is scheduled win or lose, though Don Felix will hear none of the losing talk.
"This is Tito's fight, and that's the way it is going to be," Trinidad Sr. said. "He will win this fight without a doubt.
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Felix Trinidad Sr. indicates No. 1 while his son, Felix, not shown, raises his fist during a news conference Thursday.
Photo by Jeff Scheid.
De La Hoya - Trinidad Fight
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