Give me props for typing this **** out (from the Ring Mag). Great interview that covers a ton of **** but thought this was worth sharing....please excuse any typos.
To me, Trindad's situation was much, much different than Margarito's. What Trindad did was actually legal in some places. It just wasn't legal in New York. I had the rulebook with me right there in my hand.
The Ring: What happened in Trindad's locker room?
NR: When I came into the room, I think it was his left hand that was already wrapped. I asked for the bylaws about hand wraps before the fight. I didn't see the hand get wrapped. Someone from Hopkins' camp had to be there to witness the hands being wrapped. I spoke to a commissioner about it. he said that he was there to watch his hand get wrapped. Then I asked him, "Do you work for the Hopkins camp??" I think I asked him twice. He said, no, so I told the commissioner I wanted to see Trinidad get his hands wrapped again - both of them.
Before you know it, Papa Trinidad flipped out and went off, and people in the room started threating me (laughs). They said I was scared. I told them I don't have to fight Trinidad tonight, what do I have to be scared about (laughs)? They were telling me Bernard was going to get knocked out. I didn't want to budge from what I knew was right. If something happened to Bernard, and something came out later about Trinidad's hand wraps, I would have blamed myself. It would have been because I didn't do my job.
The Ring: How crazy did it get?
NR: Real crazy. The Trinidad people brought in the HBO people and the Trinidad people were yelling that the fight was off. Then they went over and they got Donald ***** to come into Trinidad's locker room. Was I supposed to be impressed by Donald ***** and roller over? I didn't even acknowledge him (laughs). Then they called for Don King to come in. Don King came back yelling, what does he have to do with hand wraps (laughs). It was all crazy. I remember the Trinidad people went over and got Bouie, because I was causing such a ruckus. The Trinidad people pulled Bouie aside and brought him into a little room. They tried to talk him into getting the fight moving and how I was holding up a multi-million dollar fight (laughs).
I was supposed to look at Donald ***** and Dong King and be over-whelmed. They thought I was going to fold. I wasn't budging on what I knew was right. I had the bylaws with me right there in my hands. pointing to them what was right in the rulebook.
I had to see the hands get wrapped!
Finally, the commision said that I was right. The thing that got me was Trinidad's pop said the fight was off, and the joint went crazy. None of that impressed me. Trinidad had to re-wrap in front of me. Papa unwrapped the left hand and starting re-wrapping the left again.
The Ring: What did you see?
NR. I noticed that Papa was layering too much tape and gauze on Tito's hand, and that wasn't allowed. It was amazing. The commision was there, watching and no one said anything. Papa Trinidad said that every time they fought at MSG, that's the way he wrapped his hands. I told him, "Not against my guy."
The athletic commision told him the proper way to wrap the hand and he wrapped it the right way. Watching another fighter get his hands wrapped, which would normally take 10, maybe 15 minutes, took an hour to get resolved. I wasn't budging from my stands. That's because I was right, backed by fact. I had to say something. There were no doubts whatsoever. There's nothing I would change from that night. I can smile, because I like being in position to protect my guy. The rest is history.
Think about this: No one before or since stopped William Joppy the way Trinidad did to him. I don't know and I can't say if Trinidad wrapped his hands a certain way or not in any of his previous fights. All I can say is what I saw that night with Bernard. I watched Bernard beat Joppy to death, but no one put him down like Trinidad did. That's all I can say.
The Ring: How was Trinidad different than Margarito?
NR: Trinidad was an abrasion against the rules. Margarito downright had a weapon. There is a difference when you say you're playing chess and have your men lined up differently, as opposed to having extra men on the board. Margarito tried to bring extra men. He had a knuckle pad. Margarito had a strip over the back of his hand, around his thumb and wrist. They told me it was because of a previous injury was why they wrapped it that way. One look and you could tell it wasn't right.
To me, Trindad's situation was much, much different than Margarito's. What Trindad did was actually legal in some places. It just wasn't legal in New York. I had the rulebook with me right there in my hand.
The Ring: What happened in Trindad's locker room?
NR: When I came into the room, I think it was his left hand that was already wrapped. I asked for the bylaws about hand wraps before the fight. I didn't see the hand get wrapped. Someone from Hopkins' camp had to be there to witness the hands being wrapped. I spoke to a commissioner about it. he said that he was there to watch his hand get wrapped. Then I asked him, "Do you work for the Hopkins camp??" I think I asked him twice. He said, no, so I told the commissioner I wanted to see Trinidad get his hands wrapped again - both of them.
Before you know it, Papa Trinidad flipped out and went off, and people in the room started threating me (laughs). They said I was scared. I told them I don't have to fight Trinidad tonight, what do I have to be scared about (laughs)? They were telling me Bernard was going to get knocked out. I didn't want to budge from what I knew was right. If something happened to Bernard, and something came out later about Trinidad's hand wraps, I would have blamed myself. It would have been because I didn't do my job.
The Ring: How crazy did it get?
NR: Real crazy. The Trinidad people brought in the HBO people and the Trinidad people were yelling that the fight was off. Then they went over and they got Donald ***** to come into Trinidad's locker room. Was I supposed to be impressed by Donald ***** and roller over? I didn't even acknowledge him (laughs). Then they called for Don King to come in. Don King came back yelling, what does he have to do with hand wraps (laughs). It was all crazy. I remember the Trinidad people went over and got Bouie, because I was causing such a ruckus. The Trinidad people pulled Bouie aside and brought him into a little room. They tried to talk him into getting the fight moving and how I was holding up a multi-million dollar fight (laughs).
I was supposed to look at Donald ***** and Dong King and be over-whelmed. They thought I was going to fold. I wasn't budging on what I knew was right. I had the bylaws with me right there in my hands. pointing to them what was right in the rulebook.
I had to see the hands get wrapped!
Finally, the commision said that I was right. The thing that got me was Trinidad's pop said the fight was off, and the joint went crazy. None of that impressed me. Trinidad had to re-wrap in front of me. Papa unwrapped the left hand and starting re-wrapping the left again.
The Ring: What did you see?
NR. I noticed that Papa was layering too much tape and gauze on Tito's hand, and that wasn't allowed. It was amazing. The commision was there, watching and no one said anything. Papa Trinidad said that every time they fought at MSG, that's the way he wrapped his hands. I told him, "Not against my guy."
The athletic commision told him the proper way to wrap the hand and he wrapped it the right way. Watching another fighter get his hands wrapped, which would normally take 10, maybe 15 minutes, took an hour to get resolved. I wasn't budging from my stands. That's because I was right, backed by fact. I had to say something. There were no doubts whatsoever. There's nothing I would change from that night. I can smile, because I like being in position to protect my guy. The rest is history.
Think about this: No one before or since stopped William Joppy the way Trinidad did to him. I don't know and I can't say if Trinidad wrapped his hands a certain way or not in any of his previous fights. All I can say is what I saw that night with Bernard. I watched Bernard beat Joppy to death, but no one put him down like Trinidad did. That's all I can say.
The Ring: How was Trinidad different than Margarito?
NR: Trinidad was an abrasion against the rules. Margarito downright had a weapon. There is a difference when you say you're playing chess and have your men lined up differently, as opposed to having extra men on the board. Margarito tried to bring extra men. He had a knuckle pad. Margarito had a strip over the back of his hand, around his thumb and wrist. They told me it was because of a previous injury was why they wrapped it that way. One look and you could tell it wasn't right.
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