As was written by scribes on the time, Felix and Oscar made up no ‘odd couple.’ Nonetheless, after the 12 rounds Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya boxed on the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, there was a lot written about how odd the scorecards have been. To at the present time, 1 / 4 of a century on from the monstrously hyped welterweight unification showdown, followers argue about who actually received, whereas some followers say De La Hoya was simply plain robbed on the night time of September 18th, 1999.
Going into the super-fight, Mexican-American celebrity De La Hoya was 31-0(25), he was in his prime, and “The Golden Boy” was the reigning WBC welterweight champion. Puerto Rican celebrity Trinidad was additionally in his prime, he was additionally unbeaten, at 35-0(30), and he was the reigning IBF champ at 147 kilos. This was a real decide ’em battle, and battle followers, together with consultants and historians, anticipated a traditional battle.
As an alternative, we obtained a chess match. Each males have been very cautious early, and De La Hoya constructed up a lead along with his sensible boxing. This was no Hagler-Hearns-type slugfest the way in which some had anticipated and hoped it might be. De La Hoya was in management, he was piling up factors, whereas Trinidad was rising annoyed as he was handed a veritable boxing lesson. It could possibly be argued that De La Hoya deserved the entire first 9 rounds of the battle. De La Hoya positive felt he was comfortably forward, but as we later realized, it was shut on the playing cards after 9 rounds – with one choose having it 86-86, and the opposite two having Oscar main however solely simply, at 87-84 and 86-85.
Then De La Hoya stopped preventing, and he stopped punching as he tried to field his strategy to the end line. Trinidad got here on robust, sweeping the ultimate three rounds of the battle. De La Hoya was later criticized for “operating” within the championship rounds. However De La Hoya felt he had executed sufficient, so why combine it with a banger as harmful as Trinidad and run the chance of getting tagged when drained?
On the bell, each males claimed victory, however the determination, a majority determination, went to “Tito.” To at the present time, these 115-113, 115-114, 114-114 scores stay the topic of fierce debate. Mike Tyson on the time mentioned that “the choice stunk,” with Tyson, together with so many different folks, feeling De La Hoya had been robbed of his belt and an unbeaten file. Amazingly, there can be no rematch.
De La Hoya was down after developing brief, along with his temper made even worse because of the mauling he was given by a lot of the media. This battle will not be fairly as debated and ceaselessly argued as is the Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvelous Marvin Hagler battle and its divisive break up determination, however, boy, it’s fairly shut.
All these years on, and who do YOU suppose received the Trinidad-De La Hoya battle?
