Jones-Trinidad Round By Round
At Madison Square Garden in New York City, Roy Jones won a well-received decision over Felix Trinidad in a battle of certain hall-of-famers. Jones knocked Trinidad down twice and overcame a slow start to win by official scores of 116-110 (twice), 117-109. Fighting at a career-high 170 pounds, Trinidad landed his punches, but did not have sufficient power to hurt the quicker Jones.  HBO will show the bout next week at 10 PM, along with a heavyweight bout between Alexander Povetkin and Eddie Chambers.
Pre-fight: After a rousing rendition of the national anthem by Corbin Bleu, the fight got under way, perhaps six years too late, but welcomed by boxing fans nonetheless. Madison Square Garden isnt as crazy as it was for say, Trinidad-Joppy, but it is abuzz with energy despite reports of bad ticket sales.
Round 1: Referee is Arthur Mercante, Jr. First impression is Roy looks much bigger than Felix, but Felix begins as the aggressor. Except for one combination, Roy's offense is nearly non-existent. 10-9 Trinidad.
Round 2: Felix is concentrating on Roy's midsection with some success. When Roy does let his hands go, it is apparent Roy has the edge in speed. Things open up in the last ten seconds with a good exchange. 10-9 Trinidad.
Round 3: Roy is spending a lot of time with his back on the ropes, which is not a good look for him no matter how much he showboats. 10-9 Trinidad.
Round 4: Roy showed some signs of an offense in the last minute of round four, but for the first two minutes, the he did nothing except continue his clowning act.  10-9 Trinidad.
Round 5: After a low blow to Jones briefly halted the bout, Jones came back with enough activity and jabbing to take the first round on this scorecard. Jones 10-9.
Round 6: Trinidad landed three straight left hooks that may have woken up Jones. Finally, Jones began using his hand speed and awkward angles to his advantage.  Jones 10-9.
Round 7: Trinidad is knocked down courtesy of a Jones right to the top of the head. He was clearly hurt, but Roy didn't go all out to end things, so Felix survived. Jones 10-8.
Round 8: Felix comes out working hard but moving backwards. Roy, though coming forward, is kept at bay by Felix's punches. Felix is digging deep to muster his power, while Roy seems to be fighting effortlessly. Still, Felix won the close round. Trinidad, 10-9.
Round 9: Jones mixed in a left uppercut that snapped Trinidad's head back. Trinidad is throwing combinations with bad intentions, but his power doesn't seem to have accompanied him up to the light heavyweight division. Jones, 10-9.
Round 10: Roy backpedals and feints for the first half of the tenth, but floors Felix with a quick combination in the last ten seconds to claim an important round. The lead left was the punch that caused the knockdown. Now it looks like Roy is on his way to a decision win. Jones, 10-8.
Round 11: Seeing Roy bounce round with fresh legs in the eleventh, it suddenly made sense why he did so little in the early rounds. Roy has executed a game plan that maximized his advantages without requiring to fight three minutes a round, something that not many fighters his age(39) can do. Jones, 10-9.
Round 12: Roy's biggest weakness (his chin) hasn't been a factor and Trinidad lacks the power to knock out Jones in the twelfth, his only chance to win the fight. Jones won the round without stepping on his bicycle. Jones, 10-9.
Decision: Roy Jones won a well-received decision, by official scores of 116-110 (twice), 117-109. [This writer saw it 115-111].
