William Joppy
William Joppy is an American
middleweight boxer. Born in
Washington, D.C on
September 11,
1970, he has held the
WBA middleweight title on two occassions. He is considered a very tough journeyman fighter, who has lost only to first-class opponents. Joppy first became champion - WBA middleweight title holder to be exact - 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 Cesar Green. Joppy's very next fight, on
January 31 of the next year, saw him avenge that loss with a decision win by 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 impressive defenses. Joppy lost the title a second time, however, on
May 13,
2001, to
Felix Trinidad. 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 declared a "super champion," Joppy had the chance to fight for it again. He claimed the title from
British contender Howard Eastman in a majority decision, giving "The Battersea Bomber" his only loss so far.
On December 14, 2003, Joppy lost his title to Bernard Hopkins, losing a one-sided twelve round bout.
As of December, 2003, Joppy's record stands at 34 wins, 3 losses, and one draw, with 25 wins coming by way of knockout.