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Monday, September 20, 2004
Hopkins KOs De la Hoya
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – American Bernard Hopkins connected with a left hook to the body to knock out compatriot Oscar de la Hoya in the ninth round here yesterday and retain the undisputed world middleweight title.
Hopkins, the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation champion, made a record 19th successful defense of the title and even picked up De la Hoya’s lightly regarded World Boxing Organization belt.
He became the first fighter to knock out De la Hoya, connecting with the left just under De la Hoya’s ribcage in the middle of the ninth.
De la Hoya went down with a groan and couldn’t respond before referee Kenny Bayless completed the 10-count.
“I set him up with a jab, and then I threw the left,” Hopkins said. “Then I heard the ‘uh’ sound, and I knew the wind was completely out of him.”
“He got me right on the button,” De la Hoya said. “I tried getting up, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t breathe.”
The knockout, at one minute and 38 seconds of the round, lifted Hopkins’ record to 45-2-1 with 32 wins inside the distance.
De la Hoya, who has held titles at 135, 140, 147 and 154 pounds before moving up this year to the 160-pound middleweight ranks, fell to 37-4.
At the time of the knockout, judges Dave Moretti had Hopkins ahead 79-73. Paul Smith made it 78-74 for Hopkins, while Keith McDonald had De la Hoya leading 77-75.
“He didn’t run, I give him a lot of credit,” said Hopkins, who expected to have to chase De la Hoya. “He came to box. The struggle was trying to get him to do what I wanted to do - that was hard in the first few rounds.”
But as the fight progressed, the bigger, more powerful Hopkins inexorably took control.
De la Hoya, whose only previous outing in the middleweight ranks was an unimpressive 12-round decision over Felix Sturm in June, said he couldn’t fault his performance, and the small cut he suffered on the palm of his left hand and had stitched on Wednesday wasn’t a factor.
“He’s the middleweight champion of the world,” De la Hoya said. “What can I say?”
De la Hoya, by virtue of his proven drawing power, was to take home 3$0 million, while Hopkins was to make at least $10 million – the bigget pay-day of his career. AFP
(September 20, 2004 issue)
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