NEW YORK - The stage couldn't get much bigger for two fighters who have been considered past their prime for several years.
Four-time world champion Roy Jones Jr. and five-time champion Felix "Tito" Trinidad were looking to recapture past glory at Madison Square Garden in a fight that should have happened years ago.
Jones captured that glory in dominating fashion as he scored a unanimous decision victory over Trinidad in front of 12,162 on Saturday night. The win put an exclamation point on the career of a fighter who many view as an all-time great.
Jones won easily on all three scorecards, 116-110, 117-109, 116-110. Trinidad was game, landing several body shots early in the fight. But Trinidad, who fought in the welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight divisions for most of his career, didn't have the power to hurt Jones.
Jones didn't have any issues showing his power as he knocked down Trinidad in the seventh and 10th rounds. The knockdowns notwithstanding, Jones credited Trinidad for being a hard puncher and being able to take punches.
"He's got a hard head and I jammed a knuckle," said Jones, who landed 147 power punches compared to 101 for Trinidad. Jones said to Trinidad after the fight: "I can't believe you stayed in there 12 rounds with me."
Jones, who viewed the fight as a stepping stone, was hoping to land a big-money bout with Joe Calzaghe. "As soon as I knock out Trinidad, I'm going to Wales," he said at his media workout.
With Calzaghe recently signing a deal to fight Bernard Hopkins April 12 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Jones will have to look elsewhere for his next opponent.
Jones didn't seem too broken up about it at his media workout when told Calzaghe inked a deal with Hopkins. "I would fight Glen Johnson, Antonio Tarver, Chad Dawson - I don't care," Jones said. "Let me tell you one more time, my time, my probation period is over. I don't care who he is."
He reiterated that stance after the fight. "I don't care who you bring next," Jones said. "I'll fight anybody, anywhere, anytime."
As for Trinidad, he gave Jones credit for his speed and strategy. "Roy was very fast and strong," Trinidad said. "And he threw great punches."
Trinidad, whose last fight was nearly three years ago and thought he could've won the fight if not for the knockdowns, said he will talk things over with his father before making any decisions on his future.
Jones landed 172 of 482 punches in the fight, compared to 160 of 552 for Trinidad. But Trinidad landed 59 jabs, compared to just 25 for Jones. Still, it was the power punches that won the fight for Jones.
BY MARCUS HENRY | marcus.henry@newsday.com
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