Was felix trinidad a natural middle weight?

Question

There has been alot of discussion in the press in the run up to Calzaghe v Hopkins on their perivious fight record. Hopkins has stated that he has fought a higer level of opposition where as Calzaghe fans claim that his best wins were against blown up welterweights. I think we can all agree that De La Hoya was blown up at middleweight but was Trinidad? Please give an answer to settle this argument. I personally think he was not really a comfoertable middleweight as he performed best at welterweight and light middle clocking up great wins agaisnt good opporstition. However when he moved above this weight has always stuggled. Some may say he destroyed William Joppy but Joppy was only 5"9 tall, a small middleweight where as Hopkins towers at 6"1. I personally believe Hopkins cant credit his record too much in beating Trinidad.

Answer 1

He was definately not a natural 160 pounder.  He was clearly at his best at 147 - his destruction of Joppy (who Hopkins was not nearly as impressive in beating) is just proof positive of his great punching power and technique.

I give Hopkins credit for the win (Trinidad is always dangerous) but not as much as if Hopkins had beat oh, I don't know, James Toney back in 1996 or something, even a Montell Griffin around that time.  

The Trindad critisim is the same with Winky, De la Hoya, and Tarver, none of them came in, physically, at their best.  Hopkins takes great care of himself and is always able to take advantage of that type of leverage - for that I do give him a great deal of credit, like Mayweather, you will never hear about Hopkins coming into the ring at anything less than the best shape possible (age maybe a factor, but it won't be laziness between fights leading to huge weight gains, etc.).

Answer 2

Nope, Hopkins made his biggest paydays of smaller men. Trinidad was struggling at 147 to make the weight, but I feel he looked his best at 154!

Answer 3

Yes he was a blown up Welterweight. He moved up fast to get to Hopkins. He only took two fights at 154 before going to 160.

Answer 4

Trinidad's best weight was at welterweight. Still you really can't take too much from Hopkins beating Trinidad, because as a middleweight champion, Hopkins did what he was suppose to do against a smaller man coming into his division. Just imagine how it would make Hopkins look, if he had lost to Trinidad, the smaller man.

Answer 5

I only disagree with your last statement, in that "Hopkins can't credit his record too much in beating Trinidad".  Beating Trinidad at ANY weight when Tito had never tasted defeat is a huge accomplishment.  But honestly, Bernard doesn't need that win (big as it was) to base his record on.  He has many, many wins over very good fighters, and a few great ones.  

As far as Trinidad being a natural middleweight, I don't think so.  His best work was at welter, and it's where he was during his comfortable prime years.  His showdown with Oscar was a fluke win, since the judges all needed corneal transplants that night.  Beyond that, he won every other fight easily.  Until he moved to middleweight, and was exposed as a tremendously powerful WELTER puncher. . . .a rather powerful JR. MIDDLE puncher. . . .but merely sorta-powerful at MIDDLE.   I think Tito was a natural jr. middle who fought in a lower weight class.

Answer 6

YES, he was a blown up middle weight, he actually started his career at 138,

Answer 7

By the time of the Hopkins fight, yes I think he had filled out to be a natural middleweight. At the time his trainer said that he could no longer make 154 in a healthy way. That said, I think he was more effective when he was at welterweight.

Answer 8

Nope just as his buddy Oscar they both were blown up. Tito was a natural Welterweight.

Answer 9

You are correct. Beating Trinidad out of his 90's welterweight prime doesn't get you a feather in your cap.

Answer 10

trinidad was a natural welterweight who moved up ,but was still too good for most of the average middleweight contenders. hopkins even though he could make the middleweight limit always seemed to a natural lightheavy or supermiddleweight at the least.but i do give hopkins alot of credit for beating trinidad,at the time trinidad was looking awesome and was still undefeated.