Félix Trinidad

Félix Trinidad
Trinidad during a visit to a military facility, 2007
Statistics
Real name	Juan Félix Trinidad García
Nickname(s)	Tito
Rated at	Welterweight Light middleweight Middleweight
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Reach	72 ^1⁄2 in (184 cm)
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Born	January 10, 1973 Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	45
Wins	42
Wins by KO	35
Losses	3

Juan Félix "Tito" Trinidad García (born January 10, 1973), best known as Félix Trinidad, is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history.^[1] After winning five national amateur championships in Puerto Rico, Trinidad debuted as a professional in 1990, when he was seventeen. He would go on to become a three-weight world champion, first by defeating Maurice Blocker to win the IBF welterweight title in 1993. Trinidad holds the record for the second most welterweight title defenses, with fifteen, and also holds the record for longest reign as welterweight champion, at six years, eight months and fourteen days.

As his career continued, he defeated Oscar De La Hoya to win the WBC and lineal welterweight titles in 1999;^[2] Fernando Vargas to win the unified WBA and IBF light middleweight titles in 2000; and William Joppy to win the WBA middleweight title in 2001. Trinidad's first professional loss was against Bernard Hopkins later in 2001, who scored a technical knockout. Following this, Trinidad retired from boxing for the first time. He returned to action by defeating Ricardo Mayorga in 2004 and, after a losing effort against Winky Wright in 2005, retired for a second time. In 2008, he returned to the ring to fight Roy Jones Jr., losing by unanimous decision. Subsequently, Trinidad entered a five-year hiatus without clarifying the status of his career.

Trinidad is frequently mentioned among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time by sports journalists and analysts, along with Juan Laporte, Esteban De Jesús, Miguel Cotto, Wilfred Benítez, Wilfredo Gómez, Héctor Camacho, and Carlos Ortíz.^[3]

On June 4, 2014, Trinidad was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, thus becoming the tenth Puerto Rican to receive such an honor.^[4]

Professional career

Welterweight

Trinidad debuted as a professional on March 10, 1990, when he was 17 years old.^[5] The fight was against Angel Romero, another debuting boxer, in a contest that Trinidad won by knockout in the second round. In the beginning of his career he knocked out nine of his first 10 opponents.^[5] He then competed against more experienced boxers like Jake Rodriguez, whom he fought on December 6, 1991. Trinidad won the fight by unanimous decision but suffered an injury on his right hand. He was then inactive for five months while recovering from the injury.^[5]

Raul Gonzalez fought Felix Trinidad^[6] on May 3, 1992 in Cayey, Puerto Rico. This fight was the main event of the night. Both Gonzalez and Trinidad weighed in at 142 pounds. Gonzalez had a record of 8-2-3 with 5 KOs, while Trinidad had a record of 13-0 with 10 KOs. Gonzalez went down three times, and Trinidad took the victory in round four by TKO. Trinidad would add another victory by KO to his record and would now make it 14-0 with 11 KOs.

Welterweight title

External audio

You may watch Félix Trinidad vs. Maurice Blocker, here

Trinidad traveled to San Diego, California and defeated the IBF welterweight champion Maurice Blocker in two rounds, in a fight card that took place on June 19, 1993, televised by Showtime.^[7] Trinidad spent the first two minutes of the fight analyzing Blocker's style. With 11 seconds left in the first round, one of Trinidad's punches injured Blocker, who barely survived the round.^[8] In the second round, the champion's condition appeared to improve, but after the first 30 seconds, another Trinidad punch injured him.^[9] Trinidad followed with a combination, scoring a knockout at 1:49 in the round when the referee stopped the fight.^[10] Afterwards, tournament organizer Don King's exclusive relationship to stage fights for the cable channel Showtime meant that Trinidad would be showcased regularly on Showtime Championship Boxing.

Trinidad vs. Camacho

Trinidad defended his title for the next three years against several opponents. Trinidad's first fight in Las Vegas was against Héctor Camacho on January 29, 1994.^[11] He was cautious during the first rounds and received a cut over his left eye. In the third round he connected a solid combination that made Camacho change to a defensive stance.^[12] Throughout the fight Trinidad was on the offensive and won the fight by unanimous decision, in what was his first decision since he won the world championship. The scores awarded by the judges were 117–109, 116–110, and 119–106.^[13]

Trinidad vs. Campas

On September 17, 1994, Trinidad traveled to the MGM Grand for a second straight fight to compete in a title defense against Yori Boy Campas, who had a record of 56-0. In the second round Campas scored a knockdown, the second knockdown in Trinidad's career.^[14] Following this Trinidad exchanged several combinations, injuring Campas' face and breaking his nose.^[15] In the fourth round, the referee stopped the fight, the first defeat in Campas' career.^[16]

Trinidad vs. Carr

Trinidad's fourth fight outside Puerto Rico or the United States took place on Estadio de Beisbol in Monterey, Mexico. Trinidad was scheduled to defend his title against the undefeated Oba Carr. In the second round, Carr scored a knockdown, which was the product of a quick right hand punch.^[17] Trinidad continued the fight and pursued the challenger, who displayed a quick pace throughout the fight.^[18] In the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid punch that injured Carr, and in the eighth he scored three consecutive knockdowns before the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.^[19]

Trinidad spent the next four years defending his title against numerous fighters in bouts televised on Showtime. Among these fights was a defense against Mahenge Zulu, the number two challenger for Trinidad's championship.^[20] This fight was part of a card that took place on April 3, 1998 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico and marked the first time that Trinidad had performed in the island in five years.^[20] Trinidad began the first round by cautiously analyzing the challenger's style, but the round ended with quick exchanges after Zulu took the initiative in the offensive. In the second round Zulu was actively pursuing the champion, but retreated when he received a solid jab sequence.^[20] Early in the third round a series of jabs opened a wound on Zulu's mouth, while the challenger's punches were not reaching their target.^[20] Trinidad began the fourth round heavily on in the offensive connecting several combinations which hurt the challenger, using this to land more punches in Zulu's head and body. One punch hit Zulu in the jaw, he fell to the floor and tried to rise, but the referee stopped the fight before he could do so.^[20]

Trinidad vs. Whitaker

On February 20, 1999, Trinidad defended the welterweight championship against Pernell Whitaker, winning the fight by unanimous decision in a contest that marked his thirteenth successful defense.^[21] The fight began with both boxers displaying aggressive styles, which included excessive pushing. In the following rounds both boxers used their jabs most of the time with Trinidad gaining an advantage when Whitaker attempted to attack inside, eventually scoring a knockdown in round two.^[21] In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds the fighters exchanged combinations.^[21] Later in the fight both boxers fell to the floor in what were ruled as "accidental slips."^[21] On the seventh round Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control in the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth, and tenth rounds.^[21] In the last round Whitaker, with a badly swollen right eye, displayed a purely defensive stance, avoiding his opponent throughout the round while Trinidad continued on the offensive until the fight concluded. The judges gave the champion scores of 117–111, 118–109 and 118–109.^[21]

Trinidad vs. De La Hoya

In the spring of 1999, Don King and Oscar De la Hoya's promoter, Bob Arum, agreed to co-promote a mega-fight for the Lineal, WBC and IBF welterweight championships on September 18, 1999 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Early in the fight De la Hoya employed boxing to connect combinations while avoiding Trinidad's attacks.^[22] The second round began with both boxers trading punches but De la Hoya quickly returned to his previous tactic, which he employed in the third round.^[22] In the fourth round Trinidad pressured the offense while De la Hoya tried to avoid his punches by moving, both boxers eventually exchanged punches. In the fifth round Trinidad continued in the offensive while De la Hoya attempted to remain on the outside corners of the ring, Trinidad's eye was swollen following a trade of punches, and his nose was also bleeding. Trinidad was having a lot of problems finding De La Hoya and couldn't connect as flush as usual with his punches, although he scored at times, Oscar's movement was not letting him land in combination and it was proclaimed by many to have been a lackluster fight. In the eighth round the swelling on Trinidad's eye was worsening. Oscar was scoring on Trinidad but halfway through the tenth, De La Hoya stopped sticking and basically disengaged. De La Hoya gassed out and had remained on his toes for the remainder of the bout, and Trinidad won all the final rounds.The judges gave Trinidad a very controversial majority decision, with scores of 115–113, 115–114 and 114–114.^[22]

Light Middleweight

Light Middleweight title

In 2000, Trinidad vacated the welterweight championships and moved to the junior middleweight division, in order to challenge the World Boxing Association's champion David Reid. Early in the fight Trinidad concentrated his punches on Reid's body, connecting hard punches to his ribs and belly.^[23] In the second round Reid connected a solid punch to his opponent's jaw, and in the third round scored a knockdown. In the fourth and fifth rounds Trinidad used his jab consistently, gaining control of the fight's tempo in the sixth round.^[23] The fight's score was close at the beginning of the seventh round but Trinidad opened the second half of the contest in the offensive, scoring the fight's second knockdown.^[23] Controlling the fight in the eighth, ninth and tenth rounds, and opening a cut over Reid's eye.^[23] Trinidad dominated the eleventh round, scoring three consecutive knockdowns. Reid tried to close the fight on the offensive but his opponent boxed and countered his attacks. The judges gave scores of 114–107, 114–106 and 115–106, all in favor of Trinidad.^[23]

Trinidad vs. Vargas

On December 2, 2000, he was scheduled to fight in a unification card against Fernando Vargas, the International Boxing Federation's junior middleweight champion.^[24] The fight began in a fast pace with Trinidad connecting a solid combination that led to his opponent being knocked down. Vargas was able to stand up, but another combination injured him a second time and led to another knockdown. Early in the second round Trinidad was in the offensive but Vargas connected a solid combination at the round's closing moments which opened a cut over Trinidad's right eye.^[24] In the fourth round's opening seconds one of Vargas' punches connected on Trinidad's jaw and he fell, marking the eighth knockdown in his career. In the fifth round Vargas was in control of the fight's offensive, connecting combinations to Trinidads' body.^[24] In the sixth round Trinidad regained control of the fight's tempo that lasted throughout the contest, connecting punches on Vargas' head and left jabs to the ribs. In the eighth, Vargas displayed signs of exhaustion which slowed his offensive while Trinidad then pursued the offense with combinations to the body. This pattern continued throughout the ninth, tenth and eleventh rounds.^[24] Opening the final round Vargas was on the offensive, connecting a solid left hook. Trinidad countered the attack with a left hook that made Vargas collapse; Vargas was able to stand up, but was subsequently knocked down for a second time. With Vargas injured, Trinidad continued connecting combinations, until the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.^[24]

Middleweight

Trinidad vs. Joppy

Promotional poster for Trinidad versus Cherifi

Following his fight with Vargas, Trinidad moved up in weight – this time to participate in Don King's middleweight unification tournament featuring IBF champion Bernard Hopkins, WBA champion William Joppy, and WBC champion Keith Holmes. Trinidad was matched with Joppy, whom he defeated by technical knockout in the fifth round of a contest that took place on May 12, 2001.^[25] Joppy opened the first round on the offensive, but late in the round Trinidad scored a knockdown with a combination of punches that came close to throwing Joppy underneath the ropes.^[25] Trinidad subsequently scored a knockdown in the fourth round, during this stage of the competition he was using combinations of left hooks and right punches to the head.^[25] In the fifth round Trinidad scored another knockdown, Joppy attempted to continue the fight, but while he was using the ropes to help him stand, the referee stopped the fight. When the contest was over, Trinidad explained his strategy by stating: "I knew he wanted to impose his will, his weight, and I wouldn't let him do it".^[25]

Trinidad vs. Hopkins

The middleweight unification fight between Hopkins and Trinidad was originally scheduled for September 15, 2001, at the Madison Square Garden. On the morning of September 11, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center. Following this incident, the fight was postponed indefinitely. After receiving assurances from Madison Square Garden officials and the City of New York, Don King rescheduled the fight for September 29. The pace of the fight in the early rounds was slow, with each boxer studying his opponent.^[26] In the second round Hopkins connected some combinations while Trinidad pursued the offensive in the fourth round and both boxers traded sequences of punches.^[26] This pattern continued in the fifth round with Trinidad showing an aggressive style while Hopkins relied on jabs. In the sixth Trinidad continued an offensive stance and won the round after trading several combinations.^[26] Both fighters continued to exchange punches in the eighth and ninth round with Hopkins connecting three consecutive solid punches.^[26] In the twelfth round Hopkins' scored a knockdown, but before the contest could continue Trinidad's father entered the ring, which led to the referee stopping the fight by technical knockout.^[26]

Next fight

Trinidad was subsequently scheduled to fight against Hacine Cherifi in a contest that he won by technical knockout in the fourth round.^[27] The event was part of a card that took place on May 11, 2002, and was organized in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Early in the first round Trinidad's strategy consisted of using his jab while Cherifi did not try to directly engage in the offensive.^[27] In the last minute of the round a punch by Trinidad hit Cherifi's chin leaving him disoriented, he followed this with a combination and scored a knockdown.^[27] In the second round, Trinidad displayed more boxing and was on the offensive by using combinations to the head and ribs. In the third Cherifi landed more punches than in the previous two, but Trinidad relied on throwing left jabs. One of his punches hit Cherifi's liver, followed by a punch to the jaw, making Cherifi fall to the floor.^[27] In the fourth, a series of combinations injured Cherifi, who collapsed to the floor twice, forfeiting the fight on the second occasion.^[27] Following this contest Trinidad announced his retirement, at the moment leaving the sport with a record of 41 wins, one defeat, and 34 wins by knockout.^[28]

Comeback

Trinidad vs. Mayorga

Trinidad announced a comeback on March 2, 2004. On October 2, 2004 he fought against Ricardo Mayorga, in Madison Square Garden.^[29] Early in the first round Mayorga was on the offensive connecting several combinations, later in the round Trinidad connected some punches to his opponent's face. Mayorga reacted defiantly while lowering his defense, which Trinidad used to continue the offensive during the closing seconds.^[29] In the second round he continued connecting with combinations to Mayorga's face which caused him to bleed from his nose; the round concluded with both fighters exchanging punches.^[29] In the third round Mayorga attempted to counter with punches to the body but did not do significant damage to his opponent, however later in the round one of these punches made Trinidad lose his balance and touch the floor with one glove which the referee counted as a knockdown.^[29] In the fourth round both boxers traded hard combinations. In the fifth Trinidad displayed control of the offense's tempo injuring Mayorga and opening a cut under one of his eyes.^[29] This pattern continued in the sixth and seventh round, and the cut on Mayorga's face began to swell. In the eight round Trinidad scored several knockdowns, Mayorga continued after two knockdowns, but lost by technical knockout following a third knockdown.^[29]

Felix Trinidad throws a punch at Roy Jones Jr.

Trinidad vs. Wright

On May 14, 2005, Trinidad competed against Winky Wright, in a fight where the winner would become the World Boxing Council's number one challenger in the Middleweight division. Wright won the fight by decision, receiving scores of 120–107 and 119–108 twice by the judges.^[30] Trinidad's fighting style appeared to be out of rhythm in the first round, while Wright presented a defensive stance and relied on jabs.^[30] During the first three rounds Wright was in the offensive scoring with jabs.^[30] On the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid combination.^[30] In the sixth, Wright continued the strategy used in the previous rounds while Trinidad employed a strategy where he tried to neutralize his opponent's punches by standing in front of him.^[30] In the later rounds Trinidad tried to take the contest's offensive but his adversary managed to block most of his punches while continuing his previous tactic.^[30] In the twelfth round Trinidad pursued Wright while trying to score a knockout, but his opponent boxed away from him until the round ended.^[30] Following this fight, Trinidad retired temporarily, after his father informed him that he would not continue in his corner.^[31]

Second comeback

Trinidad vs. Jones

Trinidad came out of his second retirement for the fight against Roy Jones, a former four-division champion on January 19, 2008. According to the contract, it was to be at a catch weight of 170 lbs; and was broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View.^[32] The card took place at Madison Square Garden in New York city. Trinidad began the fight on the offensive and won the first two rounds. The third and fourth rounds were won by Jones who relied on the velocity of his punches.^[33] This pattern continued in the fifth and sixth rounds.^[33] In the seventh round, Jones scored a knockdown following a right hand. Following this Jones continued to use his speed while Trinidad pursued the offensive, in the tenth round Jones scored a second knockdown after landing a combination.^[33] The judges declared the fight a unanimous decision in favor of Jones with scores of 117–109 and 116–110 twice.^[33]

Retirement

After this fight, Trinidad was inactive for almost two years, before announcing on October 14, 2009, that he was "between 95 and 98 percent sure (that he would) not do anything more within boxing".^[34] During this timeframe, he made sporadic public appearances, attending boxing cards and participating in public activities, including a ceremony where Juan Manuel López and Iván Calderón received rings for five successful defenses of their world championships.^[34] Beginning in July 2009, Trinidad became involved with the World Wrestling Council, participating as a guest referee at their anniversary show.^[35] Three months later, he was included in a storyline that also included Orlando Colón. In 2010, Trinidad expressed interest in purchasing the Changos de Naranjito.

Controversy

According to an interview with Bernard's trainer Bouie Fisher, prior to the fight members of Hopkins' team visited the Trinidad dressing room in what is considered a normal boxing custom to watch the taping of Trinidad's hands before his gloves were placed on. The Hopkins camp claimed that Trinidad's hands were wrapped in an incorrect fashion, and threatened to cancel the fight unless they were wrapped correctly.^[36] Fisher also stated that the Chief Inspector of the NYSAC insisted to Trinidad's camp that they needed to re-wrap his hands in a correct fashion. Additionally, according to the New York State Athletic Commission, Layering (which is layers of gauze, then layers of tape, then more gauze and tape) is illegal.^[37]

International Boxing Hall of Fame

In 2013, Trinidad became eligible and was voted into the 2014 Class of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He was officially inducted into the hall during a ceremony held on June 4, 2014, becoming the tenth Puerto Rican to receive such an honor.^[4]

Personal life

Félix Trinidad was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, to a Puerto Rican family. During his childhood the family moved to Cupey Alto, a subdivision of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he grew up. His future wife, Sharon Santiago, lived in Cupey and first met Trinidad in the home of her neighborhood friend, a classmate of Trinidad's.^[38] Trinidad pursued a relationship with Santiago, including an attempt to impress her with his red Ford Mustang.^[39] He continued to press for her affection and, with the help of Santiago's neighbor, Trinidad was able to win her over.^[39] Early on, Santiago's mother thought that Trinidad was related to her daughter's friend, but she realized the true situation when she visited the friend's house and he acted nervous in her presence.^[40] Santiago's father objected to the relationship because Trinidad was an athlete; at the time many athletes had a negative public image.^[41] Santiago became rebellious, but Trinidad eventually won her family's trust.^[42] The couple was married four years after they began dating and have had four daughters.^[43] Trinidad has a fifth daughter, named Alondra Nicole, from another relationship.^[44]

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
45 fights	42 wins	3 losses
By knockout	35	1
By decision	7	2

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
45	Loss	42–3	Roy Jones Jr.	UD	12	Jan 19, 2008	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
44	Loss	42–2	Winky Wright	UD	12	May 14, 2005	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
43	Win	42–1	Ricardo Mayorga	TKO	8 (12), 2:39	Oct 2, 2004	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won vacant Native American Boxing Council middleweight title
42	Win	41–1	Hacine Cherifi	TKO	4 (10), 2:32	May 11, 2002	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
41	Loss	40–1	Bernard Hopkins	TKO	12 (12), 1:18	Sep 29, 2001	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Lost WBA middleweight title; For WBC and IBF middleweight titles; For vacant WBA (Super), The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles
40	Win	40–0	William Joppy	TKO	5 (12), 2:25	May 12, 2001	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won WBA middleweight title
39	Win	39–0	Fernando Vargas	TKO	12 (12), 1:33	Dec 2, 2000	Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Retained WBA light middleweight title; Won IBF light middleweight title
38	Win	38–0	Mamadou Thiam	TKO	3 (12), 2:48	Jul 22, 2000	American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S.	Retained WBA light middleweight title
37	Win	37–0	David Reid	UD	12	Mar 3, 2000	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Won WBA light middleweight title
36	Win	36–0	Oscar De La Hoya	MD	12	Sep 18, 1999	Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title; Won WBC and lineal welterweight titles
35	Win	35–0	Hugo Pineda	KO	4 (12), 2:53	May 29, 1999	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico	Retained IBF welterweight title
34	Win	34–0	Pernell Whitaker	UD	12	Feb 20, 1999	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
33	Win	33–0	Mahenge Zulu	KO	4 (12), 2:20	Apr 3, 1998	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón, Puerto Rico	Retained IBF welterweight title
32	Win	32–0	Troy Waters	KO	1 (12), 2:50	Aug 23, 1997	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
31	Win	31–0	Kevin Lueshing	TKO	3 (12), 2:59	Jan 11, 1997	Nashville Arena, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
30	Win	30–0	Ray Lovato	TKO	6 (12), 1:57	Sep 7, 1996	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
29	Win	29–0	Freddie Pendleton	KO	5 (12), 1:30	May 18, 1996	The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
28	Win	28–0	Rodney Moore	RTD	4 (12), 3:00	Feb 10, 1996	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
27	Win	27–0	Larry Barnes	TKO	4 (12), 2:54	Nov 18, 1995	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
26	Win	26–0	Roger Turner	TKO	2 (12), 2:28	Apr 8, 1995	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
25	Win	25–0	Oba Carr	TKO	8 (12), 2:41	Dec 10, 1994	Estadio de Béisbol, Monterrey, Mexico	Retained IBF welterweight title
24	Win	24–0	Luis Ramon Campas	TKO	4 (12), 2:41	Sep 17, 1994	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
23	Win	23–0	Héctor Camacho	UD	12	Jan 29, 1994	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
22	Win	22–0	Anthony Stephens	KO	10 (12), 3:09	Oct 23, 1993	Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
21	Win	21–0	Luis Garcia	TKO	1 (12), 2:31	Aug 6, 1993	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón, Puerto Rico	Retained IBF welterweight title
20	Win	20–0	Maurice Blocker	KO	2 (12), 1:49	Jun 19, 1993	Sports Arena, San Diego, California, U.S.	Won IBF welterweight title
19	Win	19–0	Colin Tomlinson	KO	1 (10), 2:41	Jun 19, 1993	Condado, San Juan, Puerto Rico
18	Win	18–0	Pedro Aguirre	TKO	4 (10)	Feb 20, 1993	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
17	Win	17–0	Henry Hughes	TKO	1 (10)	Feb 13, 1993	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
16	Win	16–0	Alberto de las Mercedes Cortes	TKO	3 (10)	Oct 3, 1992	Cirque d'hiver, Paris, France
15	Win	15–0	Joseph Alexander	KO	1 (10)	Jul 18, 1992	San Juan, Puerto Rico
14	Win	14–0	Raul Gonzalez	TKO	4 (10)	May 3, 1992	Cayey, Puerto Rico
13	Win	13–0	Jake Rodriguez	UD	10	Dec 6, 1991	Sands Hotel, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
12	Win	12–0	Lorenzo Bouie	TKO	1 (10), 2:40	Oct 25, 1991	Mahi Temple Shriners Auditorium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Darren McGrew	UD	10	Jul 10, 1991	Caribe Hilton Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico
10	Win	10–0	Manuel Salas	TKO	5 (10), 2:27	Jun 21, 1991	Tamiami Park, Miami, Florida, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Felix Vasquez	TKO	3 (8)	May 1, 1991	San Juan, Puerto Rico
8	Win	8–0	Noe Rivera	TKO	1 (6), 2:54	Mar 13, 1991	San Juan, Puerto Rico
7	Win	7–0	Luis Felipe Perez	TKO	2 (6), 2:01	Nov 13, 1990	El San Juan Hotel & Casino, San Juan, Puerto Rico
6	Win	6–0	Valentin Ocasio	UD	6	Oct 3, 1990	El San Juan Hotel & Casino, San Juan, Puerto Rico
5	Win	5–0	Jose Vilarino	KO	2 (6)	Sep 6, 1990	El San Juan Hotel & Casino, San Juan, Puerto Rico
4	Win	4–0	Omar Victoriano Alegre	TKO	5 (8)	Jul 27, 1990	Outdoor Arena, Capo d'Orlando, Italy
3	Win	3–0	William Lopez	TKO	1 (4)	Jun 21, 1990	El San Juan Resort & Casino, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2	Win	2–0	Israel Ponce	TKO	2 (4)	Apr 7, 1990	Miramar, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1	Win	1–0	Angel Romero	KO	2 (4)	Mar 10, 1990	Miramar, San Juan, Puerto Rico	Professional debut

Titles in boxing

Accolades

Puerto Ricans in the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Number	Name	Year inducted	Notes
1	Carlos Ortíz	1991	World Jr. Welterweight Champion 1959 June 12- 1960, September 1, WBA Lightweight Champion 1962 Apr 21 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1963 Apr 7 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1965 Nov 13 – 1968 Jun 29.
2	Wilfred Benítez	1994	The youngest world champion in boxing history. WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1976 Mar 6 – 1977, WBC Welterweight Champion 1979 Jan 14 – 1979 Nov 30, WBC Light Middleweight Champion.
3	Wilfredo Gómez	1995	WBC Super Bantamweight Champion 1977 May 21 – 1983, WBC Featherweight Champion 1984 Mar 31 – 1984 Dec 8, WBA Super Featherweight Champion 1985 May 19 – 1986 May 24.
4	José "Chegui" Torres	1997	Won a silver medal in the junior middleweight at the 1956 Olympic Games. Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion 1965 Mar 30 – 1966 Dec 16
5	Sixto Escobar	2002	Puerto Rico's first boxing champion. World Bantamweight Champion 15 Nov 1935– 23 Sep 1937, World Bantamweight Champion 20 Feb 1938– Oct 1939
6	Edwin Rosario	2006	Ranks #36 on the list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time." according to Ring Magazine. WBC Lightweight Champion 1983 May 1 – 1984 Nov 3, WBA Lightweight Champion 1986 Sep 26 – 1987 Nov 21, WBA Lightweight Champion 199 Jul 9 – 1990 Apr 4, WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1991 Jun 14 – 1992 Apr 10.
7	Pedro Montañez	2007	92 wins out of 103 fights. Never held a title.
8	Joe Cortez	2011	The first Puerto Rican boxing referee to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame
9	Herbert "Cocoa Kid" Hardwick	2012	Member of boxing's "Black Murderers' Row". World Colored Welterweight Championship - June 11, 1937 to August 22, 1938; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 11, 1940 until the title went extinct in the 1940s; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 15, 1943 until the title went extinct in the 1940s
10	Félix "Tito" Trinidad	2014	Captured the IBF welterweight crown in his 20th pro bout. Won the WBA light middleweight title from David Reid in March 2000 and later that year unified titles with a 12th-round knockout against IBF champ Fernando Vargas. In 2001 became a three-division champion.
11	Héctor "Macho" Camacho	2016	First boxer to be recognized as a septuple champion in history. WBC Super Featherweight Championship - August 7, 1983 – 1984, WBC Lightweight Championship - August 10, 1985 – 1987, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - March 6, 1989 – February 23, 1991, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - May 18, 1991–1992.

     = Indicates the person is no longer alive

See also

• Lineal championship
• List of lineal boxing world champions
• List of welterweight boxing champions
• List of light middleweight boxing champions
• List of middleweight boxing champions
• List of boxing triple champions
• List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
• List of boxing families
• African immigration to Puerto Rico

References

1. Xochitl Sen (2007-01-10). "Ahora de celebrar para la leyenda" (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
2. "The Lineal Welterweight Champs". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
3. Sánchez, José A. (November 25, 2012). "Entre leyendas Macho Camacho". El Nuevo Día.
4. 2014 Boxing Hall Fame Class
5. "Félix Trinidad's biography". Latino Sports Legends. 2004. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
6. http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=003254&cat=boxer
7. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-05). Rumbo a la Titomanía (in Spanish). El Nuevo Día. Invicto en 19 peleas, con 16 de esos triunfos antes del límite, finalmente le llegó a Tito Trinidad la oportunidad de conquistar un título mundial, cuando retó el 19 de junio de 1993 en San Diego, California, al entonces campeón peso welter de la Federación Internacional de Boxeo (FIB), Maurice Blocker.
8. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-05). Rumbo a la Titomanía (in Spanish). El Nuevo Día. Y tras dos minutos iniciales de estudio, el retador boricua, que subió al cuadrilátero con desbordante entusiasmo, tomó la ofensiva y restando 11 segundos del primer capítulo arremetió con un poderoso derechazo que puso en mal estado a Blocker, quien a duras penas logró completar los tres minutos.
9. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-05). Rumbo a la Titomanía. El Nuevo Día. Una vez en el segundo asalto, Blocker pareció haberse recuperado hasta que, transcurridos 30 segundos, Trinidad le volvió a llegar limpiamente a la cara con un gancho de izquierda que dejó aturdido al campeón.
10. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-05). Rumbo a la Titomanía. El Nuevo Día. Dos golpes similares volvieron a estremecer instantes más tarde a Blocker, quien recibió un decisivo recto de derecha que lo envió de bruces a la lona, procediendo el árbitro Robert Byrd a detener el conteo y la pelea al 1:49.
11. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-07). Rumbo a la TITOMANÍA (in Spanish). El Nuevo Día. Tres meses después de su agónico triunfo sobre Anthony Stephens, llegó la primera gran pelea de "Tito" Trinidad en Las Vegas, defendiendo su título welter el 29 de enero de 1994 frente a su pintoresco compatriota y ex campeón mundial, Héctor "Macho" Camacho.
12. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-07). Rumbo a la TITOMANÍA (in Spanish). El Nuevo Día. Tras un par de cautelosos asaltos iniciales, y una temprana cortadura sobre el ojo izquierdo, Tito comenzó a hacer sentir su pegada en la tercera vuelta con un par derechazos que pusieron al "Macho" en retroceso, aunque la velocidad y experiencia del retador parecían confundir al monarca que a mediados de la reyerta parecía olvidarse de la idea del nocáut.
13. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-07). Rumbo a la TITOMANÍA (in Spanish). El Nuevo Día. Su sistemático ataque, no obstante, fue suficiente para apuntarse el primer triunfo por decisión en su etapa campeonil, por veredicto unánime de los jueces Glen Hamada (116-110), Mike Glienna (117-109) y Darby Shirley (119-106).
14. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-08). Rumbo a la TITOMANÍA. El Nuevo Día. Un corto óper de izquierda de Campas llevó a Trinidad a la lona en el segundo asalto, por segunda vez en su historial, pero se levantó y logró capear el temporal el resto del capítulo.
15. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-08). Rumbo a la TITOMANÍA. El Nuevo Día. De ahí en adelante, Trinidad se fue al toma y dame con el previamente invicto retador mexicano, a quien rompió la nariz y más tarde casi desfigura
16. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-08). Rumbo a la TITOMANÍA. El Nuevo Día. Antes de que el árbitro Richard Steele detuviera el combate en el cuarto asalto
17. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-09). Rumbo a la TITOMANÍA. El Nuevo Día. Esta vez el oponente era otro peligroso retador invicto, el estadounidense Oba Carr y de inmediato demostró sus cualidades con un relampagueante derechazo que derribó a Tito en el segundo asalto, al igual que hizo el azteca Luis Ramón 'Yori Boy' Campas en su combate anterior.
18. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-09). Rumbo a la TITOMANÍA. El Nuevo Día. Y el cuento se repitió. Trinidad se levantó luciendo en perfectas condiciones, y siguió presionando con insistencia a su rival, que exhibió la prometida buena velocidad de manos y un efectivo boxeo, pero sin lograr alcanzar nuevamente con solidez al campeón welter de la Federación Internacional de Boxeo (FIB).
19. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-09). Rumbo a la TITOMANÍA. El Nuevo Día. El monarca boricua dio un anticipo de lo que venía con un fuerte derechazo que tambaleó al retador en el cuarto asalto, hasta que a mediados del octavo capítulo lo tumbó con un óper de derecha y una recta. Carr se reincopró pero volvió a caer par de veces adicionales ante el ataque inmisericorde de rectos y ganchos de Tito, hasta que se produjo la intervención del árbitro Robert González restando unos 20 segundos de acción.
20. Luis Escobar (1998-04-03). "Trinidad Crushes Zulu". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
21. Luis Escobar (1999-02-20). "Trinidad Outduels The Master". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
22. Luis Escobar (1999-09-18). ""Tito" Triumphs". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
23. John Gregg (2000-03-03). "Felix Pounds Out Win Over Reid". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
24. Luis Escobar (2000-12-02). "Relentless Trinidad KO's Vargas in Twelve". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
25. John Gregg (2001-05-12). "Trinidad Triumphs TKO's Joppy". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
26. Steve Gregg (2001-09-29). "Destiny Denied Hopkins Humbles Trinidad". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
27. John Gregg (2002-05-11). "Trinidad Returns TKO's Cherifi". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on April 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
28. Marvin Fonseca (2002-07-02). "'Tito' dice adiós al boxeo profesional" (in Spanish). Terra. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
29. Luis Escobar (2004-10-02). "Trinidad Returns To KO Mayorga". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
30. John Gregg (2005-05-14). "All Wright All Night Over Trinidad". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
31. "Trinidad se retira por segunda ocasión" (in Spanish). El Porvenir S.A. 2005-05-17. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
32. Dan Rafael (2007-08-22). "King: Jones Jr.-Trinidad fight about 'two legendary fighters'". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
33. Lester Jiménez (2008-01-20). Pierde "Tito" Trinidad. Primera Hora.
34. Jorge J. Muñiz Ortiz (2009-10-14). "Tito Trinidad está entre "95 a 98 por ciento" decidido a retirarse" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
35. McGyver (2009-07-11). "Resultados WWC Aniversario 2009" (in Spanish). Puerto Rico Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
36. Ike Enwereuzor. "The Man Who Trains Bernard Hopkins: Interview With Bouie Fisher". Eastside Boxing. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
37. http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/bygeorge/item_032wSJjKbCjalA2UsCZfNJ#axzz2duFUZkEy
38. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-07). Está regresando porque es su pasión. El Nuevo Día. Soy también de Cupey y mi vecina se graduó con Tito, de cuarto año. Mis papás me dejaban estar mucho en casa de mi vecina y así fue que nos conocimos, aunque mi mamá creía que Tito era novio de mi amiga, de mi vecina.
39. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-07). Está regresando porque es su pasión. El Nuevo Día. Él fue el que me 'sonsacó'. Yo lavaba el carro de mi mamá y él pasaba acelerando y tocando bocina. Tenía en aquel momento un Mustang rojo. Yo miraba así bien inocente (risa), pero nada que ver, hasta que él siguió insistiendo con ayuda de mi vecina y después estuvimos casi cuatro años de novios antes de casarnos".
40. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-07). Está regresando porque es su pasión. El Nuevo Día. Mi mamá se dio cuenta un día que, casualmente, fue a la casa y se le sentó al lado a Tito, que empezó a sudar y se puso bien nervioso. Ahí, mami se dio cuenta que había algo raro y después, al tiempo, todo el mundo se enteró.
41. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-07). Está regresando porque es su pasión. El Nuevo Día. Al principio fue difícil. Primero porque Tito era deportista y papi me decía que no quería que yo me casara con un deportista por la mala fama que tienen muchos deportistas.
42. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-07). Está regresando porque es su pasión. El Nuevo Día. Yo me puse un poquito rebelde, hasta que por fin, Tito se ganó a toda la familia y todo salió bien".
43. Luis Santiago Arce (2008-01-07). Está regresando porque es su pasión. El Nuevo Día. Dentro de ese contexto, y sumado el acuartelamiento del 'Team Trinidad' hace un par de semanas en un hotel fuera del área metropolitana, han dejado otra vez a la ex empleada del sector turístico y de una agencia de publicidad a cargo de un sinfín de tareas hogareñas, en especial del cuido de sus cuatro hijas (Ashley, Leysha, Alayah y Larysha), sin olvidar las visitas en vacaciones de Alondra.
44. "Miguel Cotto combatirá contra Branco" (in Spanish). El Diario. Archived from the original on April 25, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-09.

External links

• Professional boxing record for Félix Trinidad from BoxRec
• Boxinginsider.com profile interview with Felix 'Tito' Trinidad