BOXING : Whitaker and Trinidad Score KOs

Pernell Whitaker knocked out Jake Rodriguez and Felix Trinidad knocked out Larry Barnes on Saturday night, then the two talked about fighting each other in a battle of welterweight champions.

“I am very interested in fighting Whitaker, and he is very interested in fighting me,” Trinidad said after he stopped Barnes in the fourth round in defense of the International Boxing Federation 147-pound title at the Convention Center. He then watched Whitaker give a boxing lesson to Rodriguez before knocking him out in the sixth round in a World Boxing Council title defense.

“Everybody wants a Trinidad fight, so let’s do it. Let’s do it right now,” said Whitaker, who said he didn’t watch Trinidad’s victory. “I’m sure my wife, Von, watched it and she’ll give me a report when I get home [to Norfolk, Va.].”

To make such a fight, an agreement would have to be reached between Dan Duva, Whitaker’s promoter, and Don King, Trinidad’s promoter. Trinidad fought Barnes on a Duva card Saturday night because the Duvas won a purse bid for the mandatory defense.

Rodriguez (28-4-2) had sparred with Whitaker before, but those sessions did not prepare Rodriguez to fight him for real. Whitaker outboxed Rodriguez for five rounds, then knocked him out in the sixth before 5,112 to retain the WBC’s 147-pound title.

Whitaker, a former lightweight, junior-welterweight and junior-middleweight champion, ran his record to 37-1-1 with 16 knockouts.

Trinidad, the 22-year-old champion from Puerto Rico, hurt the 30-year-old Barnes with a crunching hook midway through the fourth round, then knocked him down with a left hook to the body. The referee stopped the fight with six seconds remaining in the round.

Trinidad scored his 23rd knockout in running his record to 27-0. Barnes is 39-2.