Retirement is final Trinidad

Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press, Las Vegas, Nevada

Felix Trinidad will watch Saturday night as two fighters he has beaten, Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas, meet in a 69 kilogram showdown.

There will be no winner for Trinidad, though. The former three-time champion and Puerto Rican hero says his decision to retire is a permanent one.

"It's a real retirement. I'm retired, it's in cement," Trinidad said Monday. "I've done well in this business and I'm walking away healthy. I'm happy and that is really what is important."

Trinidad, who stunned his fans in July by announcing his retirement, said through an interpreter that he wants to set an example by being able to walk away from the sport of boxing.

"I want to be the first fighter to retire ahead," he said. "I'm firm in my retirement and I want to be an example."

Trinidad was fresh off his first comeback fight since losing last year to Bernard Hopkins in a middleweight unification fight when he made his decision to retire.

He said in a conference call Monday that he will relax for awhile and then plans to go to school.

"The same way I used trainers to prepare for fights I will use tutors for college," Trinidad said.

Trinidad's father, Felix Trinidad Rodriguez, said his son made the decision to retire after Hopkins let a deadline pass to make a rematch and promoter Don King told him there was little chance he would get to avenge his only defeat.

Trinidad Rodriguez said he was also retiring as a trainer, a decision he said Monday was also final.

Trinidad was trained by his father for all his fights, including his two wins over De La Hoya and Vargas.

The 29-year-old Trinidad was 41-1 with 34 knockouts, and won 20 of his 21 title fights. He earned tens of millions of dollars while winning titles at welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight.