No sooner heard the reports from all precincts following the Trinidad - Mayorga
barn burner and the first reaction was to quickly circle the calendar date for
the taped replay.
No surprise as to the outcome … and already knew it was a fast and furious
action affair … still, the pace is what first grabbed me. Am sure most watching
it live, and over PPV, expected things to settle down after them furious opening
three-four stanzas - not to be, if anything the fistic flames continued growing.
And them early rounds of constant pitch & catch began to show wear & tear on the
Nicaraguan tough guy. Never had the clout to swap shots with the bigger punching
Trinidad - and the quick, sharper Tito combinations resembled dart shooting at
the local pub … and all on target.
But it’s old news now … Trinidad is back, his fans were always in waiting, and
the post-fite party still going on - but then, music of a different kind.
Brought me a flashback to a daughter’s school graduation song, "We’ve only just
begun" was the opening - now the lyrics relate to a Tito- Hopkins repeat.
Maybe, with luck, Trinidad & Co. will parry the offering once the euphoria
settles, for it makes little sense … and there’s more than a few others out
there at 155-60 for Tito until them fistic embers cool.
As it stands, the Mayorga fight clearly showed Trinidad can maintain a rapid
paced affair … never once over non-stop action was he seen taking so much as a
deep breath. On that score he is anything but slowed with age - and noticeably
became sharper round after round.
And the chin factor? Never really was one … the knockdown was as big a stretch
as it gets in the flash knockdown category … touches glove to canvas to retain
balance is all that one was.
Only legit thrashing Tito has had in entire career arrived late in Hopkins fight
… and while the heart wanted to continue the only move was the stoppage.
On that note, permit me to echo the refrains of past special one Roberto Duran,
who once shouted "No Mas"- and truly hope the Cupey Alto, Puerto Rico fan
favorite applies the cliché to any proposed repeat with Bernard Hopkins.
