Hopkins Exercises His Right to Title

A quick right hand, and it was over.

In an upset only he might have predicted, Bernard Hopkins handed Felix Trinidad his first defeat, winning by technical knockout 1:18 into the 12th round Saturday to claim the undisputed middleweight crown.

Hopkins, booed throughout by the vast majority of the 19,075 spectators at Madison Square Garden, had Trinidad wobbly in the 11th round and finished him off in the 12th with a short right hook.

Trinidad, heavily favored, sagged into the ropes and tried vainly to gather his faculties. Referee Steve Smoger counted to nine before Trinidad’s father climbed into the ring to signal his son was beaten.

An elated Hopkins rolled onto his back, spent several moments staring up at the ceiling in disbelief, then hopped up on a turnbuckle and began a “USA! USA!” chant.

Trinidad, who had beaten some of boxing’s biggest names, was considered by many to be the world’s best boxer, pound for pound.

But he couldn’t handle Hopkins, who becomes the sports first undisputed middleweight champion since “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler in 1987.

“I knew in Round 4 when he said, ‘Umph!’ that he was in trouble,” said Hopkins, who connected on 40% of his 653 punches. “I just needed the opportunity. I don’t think anybody can handle my power.”

Hopkins, who infuriated Puerto Ricans when he twice threw down their flag at news conferences, apologized for those incidents after the fight.

“I want to go back to Puerto Rico,” he said. “I love the Puerto Rican people. They’re my people; they’ve got black in them.”

Trinidad had been knocked down several times in early rounds of previous fights but always came back to win. His best round Saturday was the sixth, when he landed several shots. The two men went toe-to-toe on several occasions, with Trinidad having the best of it most often.

In the end, though, Hopkins took control.

“I’ve always said Bernard Hopkins was a great fighter,” Trinidad said. “He beat me tonight and I accept that.”

Others could not believe their eyes. Said former heavyweight champion George Foreman, working as a commentator: “I’m shocked. I didn’t think Hopkins could handle his punches.”

In a way, Hopkins and Trinidad were fighting even before they reached the ring. James Fisher, a member of Hopkins’ team, noticed Trinidad had an extra layer of tape over his right hand, giving it a cast-like appearance.

Fisher asked that Trinidad have the hand rewrapped, and Trinidad refused, saying he wouldn’t fight if he had to rewrap. A member of the New York state athletic commission called Trinidad’s bluff, threatening to call off the fight. At last, Trinidad agreed.

Hopkins made his way to the ring wearing a red-leather executioner’s hood and a red-white-and-blue scarf around his neck. The crowd booed so loudly, it drown out “America the Beautiful.”

When Trinidad emerged, thousands of fans leaped to their feet and roared their approval. He wore a short robe styled after the flag of Puerto Rico and a New York policeman’s hat.

New York City is home to 1 million Puerto Ricans, equal to one-quarter the population of Puerto Rico.

The bout was postponed for two weeks in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Hopkins returned to Philadelphia to train, Trinidad stayed in New York after his flight home was canceled. Before the fight, Hopkins said he was at an advantage because of that.

More than an hour before the fight, a large group of New York firefighters entered the arena and some people in the crowd began to clap.

Soon, it was a deafening standing ovation. The crowd chanted “USA! USA!” and the honored guests hugged and pumped their fists in approval.

Among the celebrities watching from ringside were Donald Trump, Michael J. Fox, Spike Lee, Denzel Washington and Matt Damon.

*

On the undercard, Ricardo Lopez, small in stature but very big in talent, knocked out Zolani Petelo of South Africa in the eighth round, retaining the IBF light-flyweight championship.

The 35-year-old Lopez knocked down Petelo in the second round and then finished him at 1:32 of the eighth for his 50th victory against one draw. It was his 37th knockout.