Trinidad Cruises Past Whitaker
Dateline: 02/21/99After years of waiting, the stage is finally set (hopefully) for a fight to determine the world's best welterweight. One week after Oscar De La Hoya earned a split-decision over Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad (34-0, 29 KO) did his part by posting a surprisingly easy win over Pernell Whitaker (41-3-1, 17 KO). Whereas some De La Hoya detractors will argue (incorrectly) that the Golden Boy was the beneficiary of yet another gift decision, the same can not be said of Trinidad after the way in which he took care of Sweet Pea.
While there is no doubt that Whitaker's age (35), long layoff (first fight in 16 months) and wreckless lifestyle (stints in drug and alcohol rehab) have done nothing to improve his skills, those are not the reasons that he was decisively beaten for the first time in his long career. In fact, Pernell looked much better and provided a tougher test for Trinidad than many expected. The story of this fight was Trinidad's ability to step up and perform impressively in by far the biggest fight of his career. Felix used his reach and power advantages to offset Whitaker's huge edge in experience; knocked Sweet Pea down with a right to the chin late in the second round; and cruised to a unanimous decision victory that should finally lead to a long-awaited bout with De La Hoya.
The final scores (118-109, 118-109, 117-110) were a mere formality as everyone in attendance (with the predictable exception of Whitaker himself) witnessed Trinidad's sheer domination of the fight. In the past, no fighter has ever looked good against Pernell Whitaker -- Felix Trinidad looked VERY good.
Undercard: Terronn Millett (21-1-1, 16 KOs), who still has a bullet in his back (shot while being robbed back in 1991), knocked champion Vince Phillips (39-4, 28 KO) down twice and stopped him at 1:58 of the fifth round to take his IBF junior welterweight title. The stoppage may have been a bit premature, but after dropping nearly 50 pounds to make the 140-pound weight limit, referee Jim Santa most likely just saved Phillips from taking additional punishment.
