May 12th, 2001, Felix Trinidad destroyed William Joppy in five rounds at Madison Square Garden to claim the WBA middleweight title in a legendary performance.
On May 12, 2001, at Madison Square Garden, Puerto Rican superstar Felix Trinidad announced himself as a true middleweight force with a dominant fifth-round stoppage of William Joppy to capture the WBA middleweight title. The bout served as the second half of Don King’s middleweight championship tournament, designed to crown boxing’s first undisputed middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler.
Trinidad entered the fight undefeated at 39-0 with 30 knockouts and was coming off the greatest year of his career. In 2000, he moved up from welterweight to junior middleweight and unified titles with major victories over David Reid and Fernando Vargas. His dramatic win over Vargas earned him Fighter of the Year honors, while his father and trainer, Felix Trinidad Sr., was named Trainer of the Year.
Already one of boxing’s biggest stars, Trinidad sought to join legends such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Emile Griffith as champions at both welterweight and middleweight. A victory over Joppy would make Trinidad the first fighter since Leonard to win a middleweight title in his debut at 160 pounds.
Trinidad carried enormous expectations from Puerto Rico, where he had become a national icon. Alongside fighters like Roy Jones Jr. and Shane Mosley, Trinidad sat near the top of boxing’s pound-for-pound rankings. His aggressive style, knockout power, and charisma made him one of the sport’s premier attractions.
Joppy, however, was far from intimidated. A longtime middleweight champion, he viewed the fight as his chance to gain recognition among boxing’s elite. After surviving serious injuries from a 1999 car accident that fractured vertebrae in his neck, Joppy rebuilt his career and entered the bout determined to prove Trinidad was too small for the division.
The atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden was electric, fueled by a passionate pro-Puerto Rican crowd. When Trinidad entered the arena, chants of “Tito” echoed throughout the building.
Once the fight began, Joppy came forward aggressively, but his willingness to trade played directly into Trinidad’s hands. Late in the first round, Trinidad caught Joppy with a sharp left hook that stunned him before following with another hook and a right hand that dropped the champion hard to the canvas.
Although Joppy showed tremendous toughness and continued throwing punches, Trinidad’s accuracy and timing were overwhelming. In the fourth round, another left hook sent Joppy down again. By the fifth, the end was near. Trinidad landed two crushing right hands inside, leaving Joppy badly hurt and forcing referee Arthur Mercante Jr. to stop the fight at 2:25 of the round.
Trinidad delivered one of the finest performances of his career, landing 108 of 191 punches while showcasing not only his famous power but also his precision and ring IQ. The victory elevated him to three-division champion status and solidified his place among boxing’s elite.
Though Trinidad’s run at middleweight would end four months later against Bernard Hopkins in the tournament final, for one unforgettable night in New York, Trinidad stood atop the boxing world as the pride of Puerto Rico.