Well, well, well...Hello fellas and ladies, have you had enough boxing for a week at least? This past weekend was certainly action packed, and with it came a changing of the guard in the Middleweight division. Do I gloat now or later? Okay, I'll glow later, but I WILL gloat, make no mistake about that.

My trip to New York was great, it was good to be "home" if only for a few days; although I must confess that by Sunday I was ready to return to the Sunshine State. So many of you have e-mailed asking me about the trip, about my stay, my impressions of the fights, etc., etc. I want to thank you all and rather than address each email individually I decided to do this recap of the weekend experience.

New York City is a very busy place. There always seem to be a buzz in the air. But, folks, let me tell you something. This past weekend was extra special. Madison Square Garden reclaimed its rightful place as the Mecca of Boxing. Felix Trinidad-William Joppy's 18,235 fans marked the largest non-heavyweight gate at the Garden. But let me not get ahead of myself, first things first.

I arrived at Kennedy Airport on Thursday evening, met up with my friend Trimond and proceeded to our hotel in the city. This was Trimond's first trip ever to the Big Apple, and my first trip back in five years. Much has changed, the city seems cleaner now, and that includes the subway stations, if you can believe that. We visited Times Square, which is definitely wholesome. There are many new shops and fine restaurants, "The Lion King" is playing in one of the many legit theaters on the strip, the seedy movie houses and peep shows are all gone. I was impressed with the new look of the Square.

Friday was a special day, interviewed several fighters: Buddy McGirt, Sharmba Mitchell, Chris Byrd and Fres Oquendo. The interviews will be forthcoming, I promise. Buddy looks great, a trainer out of Vero Beach, Florida, working with Johnny Tapia, among others. I did some sightseeing, the obligatory visit to the Empire State Building and I just had to take one more ride on the Staten Island Ferry, which by the way, it's now free.

I saw Tito very briefly on Friday morning. He looked calm and confident. At the weigh in that afternoon, he addressed the crowd of fans that gathered at Bryant Park, in the heart of Manhattan, promising them a victory. He also promised to help the 20,000 families victimized by floods in some parts of his native Puerto Rico. The crowd cheered him wildly, the love fest had begun! Several boxing greats were in attendance at the weigh in. The legendary Roberto Duran was there, Heavyweight Champion Haseem Rahman, Harold Weston, (now a film producer), Juan La Porte, just to name a few. Legal eagle Tony Gonzalez, Bigdogisback, (Butch), Wakapin2, (Angel), Trimond and yours truly walked from Bryant Park towards the Garden along with Roberto Duran. We were stopped by his adoring fans several times; some asked for autographs, some took pictures with "Manos de Piedra". It was an experience in itself, and much to his credit, Roberto obliged them all.

Dinner was at Sylvia's in Harlem. The best soul food in the world! I gave Trimond a quick tour of Harlem and we went back to the hotel to prepare for the big day. By mid afternoon on Saturday we could hear the buzz coming from 7th Avenue, the street directly in front of our hotel. There were Tito fans all over, waving Puerto Rican flags and chanting "Tito, Tito, Tito". By 5:30 p.m. we were at the Garden, ready to witness what promised to be a great night of boxing.

Fights started at 7:00 p.m. and PPV fans guys missed a few good fights. In the first bout of the night, Trinidad charge Daniel Seda, (16-0, 14 KOs), took on Nana Yaw Konadu, a seasoned veteran, (41-4-1, 32 KOs), in a FEDELATIN Featherweight Championship and WBA Championship elimination. Daniel, a NABO and FEDELATIN Champion, showed a great right hand and proved to be a smart, effective fighter. He won by TKO in the 9th round. The official card was 76-73 for all three judges prior to the stoppage. This was a very exciting opening bout, and I am confident that we will see more of Mr. Seda in the very near future.

Following Daniel Seda, was another Trinidad charge, Felix Flores, (16-2, 12 KOs) who fought Gerald Gray, (17-5-1, 9 KOs). Felix seemed very determined, sharp and relentless in pursuit of his opponent whom he TKO'd in 4 rounds. The judges all had it 30-27 at the time of the stoppage. This, too, was an exciting and action packed bout.

Michele Piccirillo, a WBU World Champion from Italy, with a record of 35-1, 23 KOs, fought former FEDELATIN Venezuelan Champion Elio Ortiz, 19-5, 15 KOs. The fight was called early in the 5th round, due to an accidental head butt by Ortiz. The unintentional foul rule applied, and the fight was declared a "Technical No Contest".

Charles Whittaker from Miami, Florida, a former NBAF Champion, (17-11 11 KO's) met Julio Cesar Green, two time WBA World Champion, (25-4 17 KO's). The fight was uneventful and declared a draw.

Then came the ladies, Christie Martin and Kathy Collins, followed by the most boring fight of the night between Vernon Forrest and Raul Frank, followed by the second most boring fight of the night between Chris Byrd and Maurice Harris. Maurice announced his retirement after the fight, and I, for one, was glad to hear it. His performance was lackluster to say the least and with an 18-11-2 record, I think he made the right decision.

Throughout the night the "Tito, Tito, Tito" chants were prevalent. The conga drums, cow bells and "guiros" were loud and rhythmic. The real show was about to begin. The crowd rose to its feet, loudly clamoring for their idol, who emerged from the dressing room, brightly attired in a red robe with the customary Trinidad headband. The place went WILD, words can't even describe what went on. A sea of Puerto Rican flags, the crowd clamoring, a true love festival for this humble young man from Cupey Alto, Puerto Rico.

The cheering lasted for what seemed like an eternity, and then William Joppy's image was captured on the screens high above the Garden floor, as he made his way towards the ring. The cheers turned to boos, very loud boos. They lasted almost as long as the cheers, it was pure madness at the Garden. Joppy circled around the ring, under the watchful eye of Team Trinidad. Followed by a rendition of the Puerto Rican and National anthems, (and what a rendition it was), the bell rang, calling the fighters to the middle of the ring for their instructions by referee Arthur Mercante, Jr. The Garden was rocking, the energy in the air was unmistakably pro-Trinidad and thus the fight started.

"Slow starter" Tito Trinidad knocked Joppy down in the first round, a la Fernando Vargas, and the place exploded. Joppy survived the round and went on to show some grit, even winning the third round in my unofficial card. In the fourth round, Joppy met the canvas again, he was clearly hurt and dazed. Tito's demolition derby was in full effect. The fifth round proved to be more target practice for Felix and finally, and mercifully, the fight was stopped in the 6th round. In stunning fashion, unquestionably, Felix "Tito" Trinidad had answered all the questions that were raised about his ability and his punching power at 160 pounds.

I must confess that most of what happened immediately after the stoppage seems a blur now. The Garden was celebrating Tito's victory, and I was trying to take pictures, to videotape, to take it all in and to capture some of it on film for posterity. I remember Tito in the ring, draped with all the belts, touching his heart with gloved hand, returning the love that his fans were bestowing upon him. A magical moment, a refreshing moment in a sport that many consider brutal and corrupt. There was nothing but love and positive energy flowing in the Garden at this time, and I wanted to bask in it, to etch it in my memory. I thought about many of my AOL friends, the Tito fans, in particular. How I wished they could have been there to witness this scene. I also thought about all the "boxing experts" who had predicted Tito's demise, and I couldn't help but smile. Like I told you many times, Tito would do the talking, and he did, loudly and clearly.

Immediately after the fight, I went backstage to attend the Press Conference. Don King was in rare form as he introduced "his heavyweight champions" Hasim Rahman and John Ruiz. The two sat side by side in the dais, seeming somewhat uncomfortable with the proximity, and neither had anything to say. King acknowledged many celebrities in attendance, even called Zab Judah "an urchin from the ghetto". In between the idle chatter, he also blurted out that "absolute power corrupts absolutely". I couldn't help but wonder if the remark was a subliminal message of sorts, or a flashback. King also spoke of the upcoming Ruiz-Holyfield 3 in China, (who cares?), acknowledging that he has no broadcasting partner for the event at this time, but asserting that the show will go on no matter what. Bernard Hopkins played straight man to Don King for what seemed like an eternity. Tito was in his dressing room, bone dry and attempting to comply with the mandatory urinalysis. It took almost an hour, but finally, he appeared, with don Felix by his side, both waving Puerto Rican flags and smiling proudly.

Tito was told of a Hopkins comment made in his absence, and he didn't take it very lightly. Bernard had stated that on September 16th, (their fight is on for the 15th at the Garden), the Puerto Rican flag would fly at half mast. When told of this, Felix turned to Bernard, and said that on the 15th and the 16th the Puerto Rican flag will soar with pride, celebratory of his victory. He then rapped on the table, right in front of Bernard's place, and said, "on September 15th", and he ran his finger across his neck, the gesture that indicates throat slashing. His demeanor surprised me, I had never seen Tito look so mean. He was not loud or angry, he was just matter of fact about it, it was eerie. I think Bernard is in serious trouble, folks. I think Bernard knows he is in serious trouble, too. Actually, I don't remember him having anything else to say after Tito answered his comments. Oh well, it didn't even matter.

The night belonged to Felix Trinidad and nothing Bernard Hopkins or anyone else had to say could change it. I forgot to mention that I had the privilege and the honor of talking to don Felix Trinidad for over an hour on Friday night, and he told me that he is even less worried about Hopkins than he was about Joppy. I promise to have the interview to you very soon. I think you will enjoy reading his take on Roy Jones, among other topics. He is an honorable, proud man, and I am very grateful to him for having given me such a great interview.

At about 3:00 a.m. I went back to my hotel room. I saw a crowd of people gathered, their demeanor somewhat combative and agitated. I wondered what was going on. Guess who it was? None other than Bernard Hopkins, surrounded by a mob of angry Puerto Rican fans whom he seemed to be agitating. It took several big bodyguards to extricate him from the crowd. Like I said, Bernard is in trouble, and in more ways than one.

During the plane ride home I kept thinking about the events I had just witnessed. I really did keep thinking about all the true Tito fans that I have met online, and I couldn't help but smile. I knew that they were bursting with pride and saying to all who could hear them: "See? I told you so, I told you Tito could do it!"

On the eve of Mother's Day, 2001, Félix "Tito" Trinidad proved to be the baddest mother of them all! Felicidades, Campeón!

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