Bernard Hopkins vs. Oscar De La Hoya

Bernard Hopkins 156 lbs beat Oscar De La Hoya 155 lbs by KO at 1:38 in round 9 of 12

• Date: 2004-09-18
• Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Referee: Kenny Bayless
• Judge: Dave Moretti 79-73
• Judge: Keith MacDonald 75-77
• Judge: Paul Smith 78-74

• World Boxing Council Middleweight Title (Hopkins' 6th defense)
• World Boxing Association Middleweight Title (Hopkins' 5th defense)
• International Boxing Federation Middleweight Title (Hopkins' 19th defense)
• World Boxing Organization Middleweight Title (De La Hoya's 1st defense)
  

Notes

• Hopkins and De La Hoya agreed to a catchweight of 157 pounds.
• Hopkins made $10 million and De La Hoya made $30 million.
• Hopkins was a 2 to 1 favorite.
• After a light workout on September 15, cutman Joe Chavez was removing the tape from De La Hoya's left hand when he accidentally sliced him between the second and third fingers. Dr. Biff McCann administered an injection of lidocaine and closed the wound with 11 stitches. De La Hoya informed the Nevada State Athletic Commission in case the substance showed up in his post-fight urine test. De La Hoya did not make an issue of the cut after the fight. He said the hand was "perfectly fine. I was popping him with jabs. I felt fine. He caught me with the right punch, that's it."
• The first eight rounds were mostly tactical.
• Hopkins put De La Hoya down for the count with a left hook to the body in the ninth round.
• The fight produced 1 million pay-per-view buys, generating $56 million.
• The fight was the subject of The Ring Magazine's 2004 "Superfight Collectible."
• Hopkins defended The Ring Magazine World Middleweight Title.

External Link

• "Body Blow" Associated Press, September 19, 2004