Challenger Felix Trinidad of Puerto Rico stopped champion William Joppy in the fifth round to win the World Boxing Association middleweight championship in New York yesterday.
Trinidad landed with a right cross that felled the American for the third time in the fight. Joppy got up, staggered and then fell against the ropes. Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the bout with 35 seconds left in the round.
Joppy, who also was knocked down in the first and fourth rounds, was no match for his stronger and faster 28-year-old opponent.
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| That sinking feeling: Felix Trinidad puts William Joppy to the canvas to end the fight |
Trinidad, who has won world titles as a welterweight and a super welterweight, knocked Joppy down late in the first round with a left and followed up with a right as he was falling. The round ended with the challenger pummelling Joppy, who was desperately hanging on as the bell rang.
In the fourth round, Trinidad landed with a left hook to send Joppy to the canvas. The punch caught Joppy as he backed away, appearing to run into the referee.
"Trinidad's a great champion," Joppy said. "I never thought he'd be able to hit like that."
"I always knew I was a middleweight and you guys saw it tonight," Trinidad said through an interpreter.
The new champion said he eventually wanted to move up to the 175-pound (79 kg) light heavyweight division to take on its undisputed champion Roy Jones Jr.
Reuters