KEY POINTS:
NEW YORK - Roy Jones Jr eased to a unanimous points victory over Felix Trinidad in a high-profile light-heavyweight boxing non-title contest between two veteran ring greats at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Jones put his Puerto Rican opponent on the canvas in the seventh and 10th rounds on his way to a comfortable decision by scores of 116-110, 116-110 and 117-109 on the judges cards.
"I can't believe you stayed in there twelve rounds with me," Jones told Trinidad after improving his record to 52-4 with 38 knockouts.
"It was a great night. We put on a great fight."
Trinidad saw his record drop to 42-3 but was full of praise for his opponent.
"Roy was very fast and very strong," the 35-year-old told reporters after his first bout in almost three years.
"I have no excuses. He demonstrated speed and took my body punches."
Trinidad, a former welterweight, super welterweight, and middleweight title holder, was fighting for the first time at light-heavyweight.
He began the bout as the aggressor, launching flurries of punches to Jones' head and midsection as the American lay against the ropes.
However, Jones blocked most of them and from the third round began to score with counterpunches.
By the sixth, Jones was landing blurring combinations and in the next round, a short counter right hand landed flush on Trinidad's temple.
The Puerto Rican slumped to the canvas and stumbled as he tried to rise to his feet. However, he beat the count and survived the round.
"I tried to put him away a few times but he was slipping some really good punches," Jones said. "I was missing knocking him out by about an inch on those shots."
Jones was dominant over the final half of the contest.
A straight right hand knocked Trinidad on to the seat of his pants in the 10th and over the final couple of rounds, a relaxed and smiling Jones was able to pick off Trinidad at will.
After the bout, the 39-year-old Jones insisted he would "fight anybody, anywhere" adding he would "even go to Wales and fight (super middleweight champion) Joe Calzaghe".
- REUTERS
