The Neutral Corner

BY MIKE ROSE

Roy Jones Jr. fighting Felix Trinidad in a 12-round bout in Madison Square Garden on Jan. 19.

Why doesn't that sentence excite me?

I covered Trinidad and Jones when they were both world champions and in their primes. But this isn't 1997 and both fighters are not what they used to be.

That's why I'm having all sorts of trouble getting pumped for this fight. I simply don't see this fight being very good.

Big names. Big hype.

Big deal? No.

Trinidad turns 35 on Jan. 10. He hasn't fought since May 14, 2005, when he lost a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision to Winky Wright in Las Vegas. So this will be Trinidad's comeback fight. Actually, this will be his first fight as a light heavyweight. Trinidad weighed 160 when he fought Wright, the heaviest he's been for a fight. Trinidad apparently has tacked on an additional 15 pounds to fight Jones. I'm not looking forward to a heavier Trinidad.

Jones, who turns 39 on Jan. 16, has lost three of his last five fights. Jones, however, has won his last two fights, most recently beating Anthony Hanshaw for the IBC light heavyweight title in July.

You can't blame MSG or Don King for hyping a Jones-Trinidad fight. That's their job. But seeing a preview show on MSG and then hearing commercials on 1050 ESPN promoting this fight is a bit excessive. My favorite radio commercial is the one where the guy describes being in the Garden for Ali-Frazier I and how Jones-Trinidad will be another great chapter in boxing at MSG. Those aren't the exact words, but that's the tone of the message.

Wow!

Oh, I'll watch this fight and I'll be interested in who wins, simply because I'm a boxing fan.

But I won't get excited until Feb. 16 when Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor have their rematch.