Melee In Manhattan

What do you get when you combine Trinidad, a bunch of Puerto
Ricans, some crazy-ass hair, the 1990s’ “Fighter of the Decade,” and The World’s
Most Famous Arena? You get a superfight
between Roy Jones Jr. and Felix “Tito” Trinidad, who yesterday
was coaxed out of his two-year retirement by promoter Don King to announce his participation
in the long-awaited bout.

The two titans, considered two of the greatest pugilists of
all-time by the boxing world, were scheduled to collide in 2001 before Trinidad
(42-2, 35 Kos) ran into Bernard Hopkins and got knocked out. Since then, Trinidad, a
Puerto Rican icon, has retired. Meanwhile, Jones (51-4, 38 Kos) moved up to win the heavyweight championship, then fell
from grace after suffering three straight losses only to return to prominence
after two consecutive wins.

Jones and Trinidad have agreed to
fight on Jan. 26 in Madison Square
Garden at 170 lbs., 10 pounds above
Trinidad’s normal fighting weight and 23 pounds less
than the 193lbs Jones weighed when he captured the heavyweight title in
2003 against John Ruiz. Jones, who has struggled in the past when shedding
pounds for his fights, didn’t seem to mind the chosen weight: “I’ll
sacrifice a few pounds to make the fight with Tito,” he said. “Of course it
will be difficult, but I’ll do it. This is a fight worth getting up for.”

As always, however, it was King who stole the show when he and the
fighters met with the media yesterday from his office in Deerfield
Beach, Fla. The only thing
larger than his mouth was his hair. “It’s two titans, two legendary fighters
coming together to fight,” King said. “This is what the public has waited for for a
long time, and now they’re going to have it. So, Tito is saying in the words of
the inimitable and incomparable Cyrano de Bergerac, ‘Don’t bring me no mortal
men, bring me giants.’ And a giant is coming in Roy Jones Jr.” Get the TiVo and
the popcorn ready; this is going to be a good one.