Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

No fear in Pendleton camp

Al Bonanni had the ticket right there in his pocket and he didn't hesitate to pull it out for public inspection.

He has $7,500 at 15 to 1 on Freddie Pendleton to upset Felix Trinidad Saturday night at The Mirage. By week's end when the rest of his family gets to Las Vegas from Florida, he predicted each of the Bonannis would put their money where their mouth is.

"I'm not just blowing smoke," Pendelton's trainer said. "You see the ticket. I'll take Freddie any time he's right for a fight, and he's right for this one."

Pendleton vs. Trinidad tops a Don King-promoted card that lost a little of its luster when the co-main event, Frankie Randall vs. Juan Coggi, fell out earlier this week because Coggi is ill. But the singular main event may still appease the fans, particularly if Pendleton musters a great performance.

"I'm in a nice position," Pendleton said. "Even people who've seen me through the years probably don't expect me to win. Everyone says Trinidad is a great fighter, and he may turn out to be a great fighter, but I'm not so sure of that yet."

Trinidad, the IBF welterweight champion, is 28-0 with 24 knockouts in his still-young career. At the age of 23 he is regarded as a potential superstar, a slugger who has knocked out 14 of his last 15 opponents.

Pendleton, 33, is 40-20-4 with 28 KOs, but, of course, his record has long been deceiving. He was 16-16-3 at one time before making steady progress that culminated with a victory in an IBF lightweight title fight with Tracy Spann in 1993. Pendleton also has won his last five fights.

"They're both big bangers," Bonanni said. "Who knows who wins? My feeling is that it's still a little too early to be sold on Trinidad. He's a good prospect with heart and a lot of power, but it's too early to tell if he's really going to be a great fighter."

Can Pendleton provide the ultimate test?

"Nobody can beat me, except me," he said. "I know I drive a trainer crazy because I'm not always that easy to work with, but this is the best shape I've ever been in. I'm confident -- I'm always confident -- and I like cracking guys in the head."

He'll take a shot at cracking Trinidad after feeling he was stagnating at 140 pounds. Although he walks around at 151, this will be his first fight at 147. Naturally, moving up a division is a potential problem in and of itself.

"I don't think it will be, though," Pendleton said. "This is my natural weight. Besides, none of the 140-pound champions wanted to fight me."

That seems to be the real reason he's up to 147.

"We were facing nine months to a year of waiting for one of the 140 pounders," Bonanni said. "Honestly, Freddie was always a big 140, and if he couldn't get a shot at 140, why waste your time?"

Trinidad was agreeable to the fight and undoubtedly comes into it expecting to win and increase his bargaining power for a unification bout with either WBC champ Pernell Whitaker or WBA champ Ike Quartey. He already has commented on his anxiousness for a fight with Whitaker in particular, saying: "I'm hoping for a fight with him at the end of this year or early next year."

At this point, only Pendleton can disrupt those plans.

"Any man that I land a clean shot on will go out," he said, trusting he'll land that shot and allow his trainer to cash in that big-money ticket from The Mirage sports book.

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