King: Trinidad Eyes De La Hoya

Is Felix Trinidad coming out of retirement?

Promoter Don King says yes.

Trinidad won’t say.

Oscar De La Hoya has been trying to lure the Puerto Rican fighter back into the ring, trying to get Trinidad to agree to a rematch of their 1999 fight, which Trinidad won in a majority decision. De La Hoya has taken Trinidad to dinner, been his host at fight shows promoted by De La Hoya and made repeated phone calls.

But Trinidad, who turned 31 on Saturday, has refused to commit to a comeback. His last fight was in May 2002.

On Monday, King phoned a Times reporter, asking him to alert Richard Schaefer, De La Hoya’s business manager, that Trinidad was ready to get serious.

“I have been authorized by Tito [Trinidad] to begin negotiations,” King said. “If Oscar really wants this fight, we can get it on. If we can put them in the same room, I think there’s enough money out there to satisfy both of them.”

King estimated each fighter could make $15 million in Trinidad-De La Hoya II.

Schaefer wasn’t convinced.

“Oscar is still waiting for Tito to contact him,” he said. “We’ve heard a lot of rumors. Oscar wants to hear from Tito himself that he is back and that Don King is his promoter, and that he has given his promoter the right to pursue a fight with Oscar De La Hoya. There were rumors that Tito was waiting for his contract with Don to expire. We need to know he still considers Don his promoter.”

Said King, when informed of Schaefer’s remarks: “I got a full-fledged contract. I don’t need to prove anything. I don’t need that. This is an insult, all this game playing. How do I know Richard Schaefer really represents Oscar?

“It’s just common courtesy for them to take a phone call, especially if someone is offering you $15 million. I’d stay up all night long to take a damn phone call for $15 million.”

By Tuesday, the two sides still hadn’t talked.

“Why is everyone so worried about Oscar and Tito sitting down face to face without anybody else involved?” Schaefer said. “Both Oscar and Tito are very smart. Let them negotiate the fight. It will shift power from the promoters to the fighters, and that’s how it should be.”