Omar Trinidad’s quest for focus as the wildfires rage

As wildfires rage around Southern California, the “King of Los Angeles” is doing his best to keep his focus on business, as difficult as that may be.

“I’m not too far away, but I’m not too close to get affected by it,” said featherweight contender Omar Trinidad, who faces Mike Plania this Friday at the Commerce Casino. “The only way I am getting affected is just the air, but now it kind of cleared out. So I feel we’re good on this side.”

There will be no last minute roadwork outside as he makes weight for Thursday’s weigh-in; everything will be in the gym for the 28-year-old from Boyle Heights, who has had his LA neighbors on his mind as he prepares for his 20^th professional fight.

“It’s unfortunate because a lot of people got affected by this and they lost their homes,” he said. “They lost everything and I actually knew a couple people that got affected by it and it’s really unfortunate.”

With winds continuing to be an issue as firefighters try to get everything under control, many wondered whether this week’s 360 Promotions card would be canceled or moved, but everything is a go, and that’s one less thing for Trinidad to think about, even though he admits it was on his mind.

“Oh yeah, that was on my mind,” he said. “Because of the air quality and the conditions and a lot of people being affected by it, I really thought they might cancel the fight. I know there’s bigger things to worry about, like people’s health and everything, but us, as boxers, we’re putting in work for this big event and we wouldn’t want an event like that to fall through.”

It is a big one for Trinidad, who enters 2025 on a 17-fight winning streak that has landed him in the number two spot in the IBF’s featherweight rankings, perilously close to champion Angelo Leo.

“It’s getting there,” Trinidad laughs. “I could already smell the world championship around the corner.”

He’s come a long way from an 0-1-1 start to his pro career, and while he’s had to learn on the job without the benefit of a long amateur career, now that he’s here, he feels like he’s ready for anything he might face in the ring.

“I know I’m here because of a lot of hard work,” Trinidad said. “That’s what goes into this and ranking up and getting those names that I’ve been wishing for. I want to put myself in that position where I can’t be avoided. And yeah, I feel like I graduated. I feel like I’m in the rodeo already and as soon as I got that WBC (Continental Americas) belt, I knew that was going to be my catapult to put me in the rodeo, and it is doing just that.”

Trinidad has shown the power to get where he wants to go, and he’s got the style that packs Commerce Casino and makes him a headliner on those 360 Promotions shows. But it was in his most recent bout against Hector Andres Sosa in October that Trinidad showed the ability to go 12 strong rounds and box as well as bang.

“Leading up to the fight, everybody thought that I was going to be going toe-to-toe because that’s what I’ve been doing; just going forward and going head-on in that Mexican style,” he said. “But me and my coach had a plan, and we knew he was going to come forward. So I thought it would’ve been easier to work my natural ability, which is technical, and flip it on him because he probably wouldn’t expect it for me.”

Sosa didn’t, and, aided by a second-round knockdown, Trinidad cruised to a 118-109, 119-108, 119-108 decision win. It was good for the record, and good for the confidence of the up and comer.

“I’m built for 12 rounds, and I just wanted to prove to myself that I was going to be strong in the championship rounds because I was strong in the 10 rounders,’ Trinidad said. “And yeah, I did perfectly fine. My coach was happy, and I felt like I could have gone another three if it was another time in boxing where we did the 15 rounds. I feel like I would’ve done them comfortably.”

Omar Trinidad is a throwback fighter in attitude, and talking about 15 rounds proves it. So, if there’s the possibility that he might be looking too far into the future, disregard it, because he’s dialed in on the task at hand.

“I’m just keeping my eye on the prize,” he said. “I don’t overlook my opponents, and Friday is my main objective. I know the world titles are going to come, but that’s not going to happen until I win this fight on Friday. So I stay grounded, and I stay focused and motivated with my team behind me.”