William Joppy vs. Félix Trinidad
William Joppy vs Félix Trinidad was a boxing match held on May 12, 2001, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The bout was for the WBA middleweight title and was part of Don King’s History in the Making series, which aimed to crown the first undisputed middleweight champion since 1987.
William Joppy entered as the WBA middleweight champion, with a 32–1–1 record, while Félix Trinidad moved up from welterweight to challenge for the title with a perfect 39–0 record. Trinidad was the clear favorite at about 3–1.
In the ring, Trinidad showed his power, knocking Joppy down in the 1st, 4th, and 5th rounds. With about 30 seconds left in the 5th round, the referee stopped the fight, awarding Trinidad a fifth-round technical knockout and the WBA middleweight title.
The victory advanced Trinidad to the final of the series to face Bernard Hopkins, making him the first former welterweight champion to win a middleweight title since Roberto Durán in 1989. Joppy, for his part, praised Trinidad’s power, while Trinidad stated he had proven himself as a true middleweight.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:30 (CET).