Trinidad Loss Creates Fresh Possibilities

A little after midnight Saturday, Bernard Hopkins lay on his back on the canvas of New York’s Madison Square Garden, staring up at the rafters as he soaked in his glorious achievement, having just pulled off a monumental upset to win the undisputed middleweight title. Across the ring, Felix Trinidad slumped against the ropes, crushed by his first professional loss.

End of story? Hardly. The two fighters may have been immobilized by the moment, but others are already pushing for two exciting possibilities generated by Hopkins’ 12th-round TKO victory:

* Hopkins vs. Shane Mosley.

* Trinidad vs. Oscar De La Hoya.

Hopkins’ advisor, Lou DiBella, wants to see his fighter against Mosley, the World Boxing Council 147-pound champion.

“It would be a chance to see who really is the best, pound for pound,” DiBella said. “They could fight for the middleweight title at a catch weight of 155 or 156 pounds. It’s no great risk for Shane. If he wins, they could hang his picture up there right next to Sugar Ray Robinson. If Shane loses, he lost to a bigger man, but still retains his welterweight title.”

Mosley, however, hasn’t decided if he’ll move up even to 154 pounds.

Richard Schaefer, De La Hoya’s business manager, said his fighter’s first choice would be Trinidad, who beat De La Hoya on a majority decision in 1999. Trinidad, however, is not ready to decide on his future so soon after Saturday’s night’s fight, which was shockingly one-sided.

Hopkins made a mockery of the odds that had him a 3-1 underdog by thoroughly dominating Trinidad from the opening bell to the right-hand cross that put Trinidad down in the 12th.

Trinidad had been ranked by many as the best, pound for pound, but Hopkins punctured the aura of invincibility that had encircled Trinidad as he moved up the weight scale, dispensing with one champion after another, from De La Hoya to David Reid to Fernando Vargas.

There was also another big loser Saturday night: Roy Jones.

Since the morning after Trinidad won a disputed majority decision over De La Hoya at 147 pounds, Felix Trinidad, Sr., the fighter’s father/manager/trainer, had set his son on a course toward 168 pounds and a showdown with Jones, the undisputed light heavyweight king.

At first, such talk seemed fanciful. But as Trinidad added weight, he also added frightening power. Neither Vargas nor Reid have been the same since subjected to Trinidad’s crushing left hook and devastating right hand in fights at 154 pounds.

Moving up to 160, Trinidad was just as overpowering against William Joppy, stopping him in five rounds. All of a sudden, Poppa Felix’s dream didn’t seem so outlandish. Even trainer Emanuel Steward, one of the sport’s most respected figures, began to give Trinidad a real chance against Jones.

And Jones himself began to rub his hands in anticipation. Unlike the fast-rising Trinidad, Jones, was in limbo. His critics yelled that he wasn’t fighting anybody. Jones yelled back that there was nobody left to fight.

But in Trinidad, he saw a chance to prove his worth. And Jones wasn’t the only one rubbing his hands. HBO, Don King, Trinidad’s promoter, and fight fans everywhere were looking forward to a blockbuster matchup.

But it didn’t even take 12 rounds Saturday night to end all hope of a Jones-Trinidad mega-fight. From the minute Hopkins and Trinidad entered the ring, one was struck by the overall difference in size between the two men. Never mind that they weighed nearly the same. Hopkins looked like a middleweight. Trinidad looked like a welterweight.

Perhaps that obvious difference was what crushed Trinidad’s confidence. He appeared to be a beaten man by the third round.

So where does that leave Jones? Still stuck in limbo. He could fight Hopkins, but that’s not going to do much to silence his critics. Jones won a decision over Hopkins eight years ago. Hopkins was 28 then. Why would a Jones victory over a 36-year-old Hopkins be any more impressive?

Hopkins said he wants De La Hoya, another man whose career has been in limbo following a nine-month hiatus from boxing.

But no longer. Suddenly, everybody wants De La Hoya.

“Saturday night’s fight opens up a lot of doors,” Schaefer said. “A lot of people were pressuring us. Why not lock in Vargas when we had the chance, they said. Why not go with Mosley?

“Sometimes patience pays off. Now we have someone else on the dance card with Hopkins at 154 pounds. But the one Oscar really wants is Trinidad.”

Of course De La Hoya wants Trinidad assuming De La Hoya wins his next fight Dec. 8 against lightly regarded Roman Karmazin of Russia. De La Hoya should want no part of Hopkins. If Trinidad looked small against Hopkins, wouldn’t De La Hoya look much the same? Mosley, who showed he was faster than De La Hoya in their meeting in June 2000, would be tough to beat. Vargas, facing at least 60 days in jail on an assault conviction, has an uncertain future.

But in Trinidad, De La Hoya will be facing someone he feels he has already beaten, someone he knows he outmaneuvered and outboxed until, running out of gas, De La Hoya ran for the last three rounds, losing any claim he had to victory.

It won’t be easy. The fight would have to take place at 154 pounds because that’s as low as Trinidad is going to go. But at that weight, Trinidad still has awesome power, not enough to faze Hopkins, but certainly enough to wear out De La Hoya as was the case in their first meeting.

Trinidad-De La Hoya is a fight De La Hoya needs to regain his credibility. The same can be said for Trinidad.

“It makes the most sense,” Schaefer said. “And it should be easier to put together because Trinidad needs us more now.”

Logical and potentially lucrative. It’s a fight that should happen, but then again, this is boxing.