Puerto Rican Hero Accepts Award
World champion Felix “Tito” Trinidad was recently inducted into the National Boxing Hall of Fame (NBHOF) along with his father Felix Trindad Sr.
The Puerto Rican superstar made a splash in Los Angeles, Calif. as he was ushered into the Class of 2026. The weekend of April 25 and 26 was a knockout as Team Trinidad appeared at several events in and around Southern California. There was a special Meet & Greet at Steven’s Steakhouse in Commerce, a private Inductee gathering at Top Golf, and the awards gala at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello
Tito’s impressive record is 42 victories with 35 knockouts during his illustrious career. With his friendly and down-to-Earth persona, he quickly became a fan favorite to legions of boxing fans all around the world.
Huge crowds came out to see their hero in person and Tito generously signed autographs at no charge for the fans.. And Team Trinidad enjoyed meeting the masses. Father and son were joined by family members, close friends and associates who came out to see Tito accept all the accolades. The National Boxing Hall of Fame’s Bill and Linda Young presented the fighter with his 2026 honors as they celebrated the Class of 2026 which included Timothy Bradley, Chris Byrd, Tracy Byrd, Seniesa Estrada, Wilfredo Gomez, Julio Cesar Gonzalez, Rafael “Bazooka” Limon, Rafael Marquez, Erik Morales, Canto Robledo, Sugar Ray Robinson, Victor Terrazas, Felix “Tito” Trinidad and Paul Vaden. Special category inductees are Max DeLuca, Dougie Fischer, Lita B. Kaufman, Larry Merchant, Mark Relyea, Marvin Somodio, Farzad Tabatabai, Thomas Taylor, Claudia Trejos and Felix Trinidad Sr.
During the Meet & Greet, Tito and his dad shook hands and signed gloves and photos for the fans who began lining up hours in advance. Felix Jr. took time to chat with amateur boxer Daniel “Boone” Moses whose goal is to become the first autistic boxing champion. Tito inspired the young amateur to continue to train and work hard to make his dream come true.
At the invite-only Saturday fiesta, Linda Young, the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Nancy Rodriguez and the City of Azusa’s Miki Carpenter and Mayra Rico presented a beautiful WBC belt that Tito signed. The NBHOF and the City of Azusa are joining forces to open up a boxing museum in the future. And no doubt that this Tito Trinidad autographed strap will be front and center in their museum.
The Pride of Puerto Rico and his family said they had a great and memorable visit to Los Angeles. Their close friend in L.A. Chris Smith enjoyed hosting the family. He mentioned that there were 22 people who traveled to SoCal for the festivities. The Trinidads included his mother Irma, stepmom Nelly, father Felix, wife Sharon, brothers Jonathan and Juan Carlos, sisters Natalie and Luz, plus three of his daughters attended: Alayah, Alondra, Ashley. Plus other friends made sure to be there in person too.
Smith is a best-selling author and boxing historian (Eder Jofre: Brazil’s First Boxing World Champion) and has known the Trinidad familia for several years now.
“I met him at the Tito-Mayorga fight when I was 19,” Chris tells me. “He was my favorite fighter and I traveled to see him fight and he was so nice to me.
I showed him the photo a few years later and we stayed in touch and got closer. He’s an amazing human being.”
During their time in L.A. the group also met with Ring magazine where Tito was presented two retroactive championship belts.
“They all had an amazing time and were made to feel very welcome,” says Chris.
I mention to Chris that every time I saw Tito, his papa and their extended family, they were all so gracious, appreciative and warm to everyone. Tito was always smiling as he tried his best to accommodate everyone who asked for a photo or autograph.
“I’ve been around him so much and in private, etc. and I’ve ever seen him in a bad mood or say a bad thing about anyone,” Chris agrees. “He’s exactly as you see at all times.”
Chris has visited Team Trinidad in Puerto Rico several times. And he was very happy to welcome them during their Cali trip.
“It was such an honor and privilege to host such an amazing bunch of people,” he says. “It’s always special to see how humble such a superstar as Tito is and how he treats the fans but I also want to point out just how much I enjoyed every single member of this large group.”
I agree 100% with Chris. It was a very special weekend with the Trinidads. There was so much joy and positive energy flowing from the whole group that you couldn’t help but smile whenever you were around them!
Congrats again y Felicidades to Tito and Felix Sr. on their well-earned NBHOF honors and check out my snapshots from the KO weekend!
Photos by Michele Chong