Bernard Hopkins vs. Felix Trinidad
Photo by Timothy Clary AFP Getty Images
On September 29, 2001, Bernard Hopkins proved to the world why he should never be put as an underdog. He met Felix “Tito” Trinidad in Madison Square Garden in a championship unification bout, the victor walking away with the WBA, WBC and IBF straps.
The first and second rounds followed suit with most of Hopkins’ other fights, opening slow, as both fighters threw jabs and felt each other out. In the third round, Hopkins found his pace and began landing stiff jabs from the outside.
Through the fourth and fifth round, both fighters began to exchange, but Trinidad still found himself getting outboxed and unable to land solidly on Hopkins.
In the sixth round, Trinidad had his best round, as he caught Hopkins against the ropes with numerous power punches.
From the seventh round on however, Trinidad’s conditioning failed him and he was unable to keep up with the energy of Hopkins. In the 11th round, Hopkins landed numerous powerful combinations and by the 12th round, Trinidad was in a heap on the floor.
