William Joppy

Infobox Boxer


name=William Joppy
realname=William Torelle Joppy
nickname=
weight=Light heavyweight
nationality=Flagicon|USA U.S.
birth_date=Birth date and age|1970|9|11|mf=y
birth_place=Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
death_date|=
death_place|=
style=Orthodox
total=42
wins=38
KO=29
losses=5
draws=1
no contests=0|

William Torelle Joppy is an American middleweight boxer. Born in Silver Spring, Maryland on September 11, 1970, he has held the WBA middleweight title on two occasions. Joppy first became the WBA champion in June 1996 by stopping defender Shinji Takehara in Japan with a flurry of punches in the ninth round. He then would make a couple defenses of his crown. However, on August 23, 1997, Joppy lost a controversial decision to Julio César Green. Joppy's very next fight, on January 31 of the next year, saw him avenge that loss with a decision win by a wide margin. This fight won Joppy the WBA title for the second time. After recovering from a neck injury, Joppy stopped Green on cuts in the seventh round in a rubber match (Green had been the interim champion while Joppy recovered), and made a few more defenses, including a 3 round KO of a nearly 50 year old Roberto Duran.

Unsuccessful unification

Joppy lost the title a second time, however, on May 13, 2001, to Félix Trinidad in the middleweight unification tournement. Joppy was knocked down in rounds one and four before finally being stopped in the fifth; this was Joppy's first and only loss by knockout. After the WBA title was vacated due to Bernard Hopkins being very dubiously declared a "super champion," Joppy had the chance to fight for it again. He claimed the title from British contender Howard Eastman in a close majority decision where he was knocked down by Eastman in the final few seconds.

On December 14, 2003, Joppy lost his title to Bernard Hopkins, losing by a wide points margin on all three judges' cards. A year later, Joppy lost another lopsided unanimous decision against Jermain Taylor.

Joppy returned as a Super Middleweight on July 29th 2005 knocking out journeyman Rashaan Blackburn in the third round. Joppy said then that he hoped to have one final title run as a Super Middleweight before retirement. After a string of five victories against lesser opponents, Joppy obtained a title fight against the new IBF champion Lucian Bute on 29 February, 2008. Bute won by way of technical knockout in round 10.

As of March, 2008, Joppy's record stands at 39 wins (29 by way of knockout), 5 losses (2 by way of knockout), and one draw.

External links

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