William Joppy vs Roberto Duran

William Joppy retained the World Boxing Association middleweight championship with a third-round stoppage of Roberto Duran at the Las Vegas Hilton on August 28, 1998. Referee Joe Cortez intervened at 2 minutes 54 seconds, with Duran trapped under a succession of unanswered punches and no longer capable of defending himself adequately. There were no knockdowns, but the superiority of the champion was complete from the opening bell.

Joppy, 27, entered with a record of 25 wins, one defeat and one draw. He was making the first defence of his second reign, having regained the championship from Julio Cesar Green on a unanimous decision in January. Green had taken the title from him five months earlier, also on points. Joppy weighed exactly 160 pounds and received a purse reported at $270,000. Duran, 47 and weighing 159 pounds, was paid $250,000 for an unlikely attempt to regain a recognised world championship nine years after defeating Iran Barkley for the WBC middleweight crown.

Approximately 2,000 spectators attended, many drawn by Duran rather than the defending champion. The Panamanian came to the ring with a record of 101 wins and 13 defeats accumulated across more than 31 years as a professional. His victories over Ken Buchanan, Esteban De Jesus, Sugar Ray Leonard, Davey Moore and Barkley had made him a champion in four weight divisions. More recent results had been uneven, although a 1997 points victory over former WBA middleweight champion Jorge Castro had helped him obtain another championship opportunity. His experience remained, but the speed, balance and reflexes which had once allowed him to dominate younger men were greatly diminished.

Joppy established the difference immediately. He worked behind a quick left jab, remained beyond Duran’s comfortable punching distance and brought the right hand across whenever the challenger attempted to advance. Duran tried to move his head and edge forward in the old-fashioned way, looking for an opportunity to work the body, but his feet were too slow to carry him safely through the champion’s jab. Joppy could strike, move away and reset before Duran was in position to reply. The challenger was neither floored nor badly hurt in the opening round, but he absorbed clean punches without producing enough work of his own to trouble the champion.

The second followed the same course. Joppy’s speed permitted him to attack without taking serious risks, while his natural strength as a middleweight prevented Duran from imposing himself at close quarters. The Panamanian attempted to draw him into exchanges, but Joppy refused to stand unnecessarily in front of him. When Duran did close the distance, he was met by short punches and then left behind as the champion moved off. Judges Duane Ford, Derek Milham and Cesar Ramos each awarded both opening rounds to Joppy, making their scores 20–18 when the fighters came out for the third.

Joppy increased the pressure early in that round. A heavy overhand right disturbed Duran’s balance and left him slow to respond. The champion followed with hooks, uppercuts and further rights, attacking from several angles while Duran retreated across the ring. Duran remained upright, but his defence began to disappear. His hands dropped, and he relied increasingly upon instinct and toughness, turning with the punches without being able to avoid them. Joppy’s greater hand speed gave the challenger no interval in which to recover or answer.

For more than a minute Duran was driven from one position to another as Joppy landed repeatedly to the head. The old champion’s resistance prevented a knockdown, but it could not make the contest competitive. Joppy continued with both hands as Duran staggered and blinked under the accumulation. With six seconds remaining in the round, Cortez stepped between them and ended the punishment. Duran did not protest with any conviction. He had been decisively beaten by a younger, faster and physically stronger middleweight.

The victory advanced Joppy’s record to 26 wins, one defeat and one draw, with 20 stoppages. He described the result as a sad victory, having watched Duran while growing up, but there had been no reasonable alternative once the contest began. Duran announced immediately afterwards that he was finished, although he would return the following year and continue boxing until 2001. The result did nothing to diminish his standing among the finest fighters of his generation, but the contest itself was an unhappy spectacle. Joppy performed his duty efficiently; Duran’s reputation had secured the opportunity, but at 47 his body could no longer carry out the instructions supplied by one of boxing’s most experienced minds.

I remember thinking how sad it was to watch the once-great Roberto Duran be easily defeated by somebody who, as good as William Joppy was in his time, never would have stood a chance against the Duran of the 1970s or early ’80s. Age waits for no man, especially in a boxing ring.

At 47, Duran could still see what needed doing, but his body could no longer react. Joppy’s jab, hand speed and movement left him stranded. By the third round, Duran was taking clean hooks, uppercuts and right hands without offering meaningful resistance, and Joe Cortez was right to stop it.

Joppy did his job professionally, but this victory told us nothing about how he compared with Duran. The lightweight who dismantled Esteban De Jesus and beat Sugar Ray Leonard in Montreal would have taken Joppy apart. This was not greatness being conquered. It was greatness staying far too long.