William Joppy
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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 occasions. 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 Félix 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 on by a wide points margin on all three judges' cards.
As of December, 2003, Joppy's record stands at 34 wins, 3 losses, and one draw, with 25 wins coming by way of knockout.