Saturday, May 14, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Roar of crowd calls 'Tito' back

Fighter says he missed his fans in retirement

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Felix Trinidad Boxer is a 9-5 betting favorite tonight, and a big crowd favorite, too

Anyone who wants to know why Felix Trinidad chose to end a 29-month retirement last year and return to boxing needs only to be in the MGM Grand Garden tonight as he makes his way from the dressing room to the ring for his middleweight bout with Winky Wright.

Trinidad figures to be an overwhelming favorite with the crowd, as usually is the case. The crowd probably will be chanting "Tito! Tito! Tito!" as he comes to the ring.

Trinidad said the rush that comes with the walk to the ring is one of the main reasons he is back.

"When I retired, it was for good," said Trinidad, who is about a 9-5 favorite. "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 to (Bernard) Hopkins and nothing else was important at that time in my career.

"(But) 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 in general."

• CHECKLIST -- Dan Birmingham has been Wright's trainer from the first day he walked into a boxing gym in St. Petersburg, Fla., as a teenager until today and, according to Wright, they will be together until the end.

"We have been together for 17 years, almost 18 now, and not once have we ever discussed money," Birmingham said. "We don't have a contract. We have something more binding: a handshake."

Birmingham is so thorough in his preparation with Wright that he makes a checklist of things Wright needs to do and hangs it on the wall of the locker room. They go over it before they walk to the ring.

Veteran trainer Jesse Reid, who is working with WBO heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster, got a chance to see close up how Wright and Birmingham work together as both trained at Barry's Boxing Center.

"Winky really listens to him and you can tell he's trying to learn," Reid said. "That's very gratifying to see. It's obvious they have a great partnership."

• KING IRKED -- Don King co-promoted the April 30 WBA heavyweight championship fight in which James Toney won the title from John Ruiz in a unanimous decision.

But King wanted no part of Toney this week when it became known that the boxer had failed his post-fight drug test.

Toney tested positive for an anabolic steroid, but King wouldn't acknowledge it.

"I'm not into Toney; I'm into Tito," King said.

• NO BLACKOUT -- HBO Pay-Per-View lifted the pay-per-view blackout from Cox Communications this week, so local subscribers to Cox can order the fight. The price is $49.95.

King said he expects at least 700,000 in pay-per-view sales.