JO Sports, Inc.
HISTORY: On September 18,2004 Bernard Hopkins met Oscar De La Hoya for the unified World Middleweight Title. Hopkins would win the bout by KO in the 9th round to become unified champion. 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. Presented here is an original, on site poster to the bout.
FULL DESCRIPTION: This is an original, on site, paper poster which names and pictures both fighters as well as the date and venue. Bold color and print. Bold, clear images. Clean front and back. No tack holes. Some mild creasing at bottom portion. Minor edge wear. No tears. 27" x 36."
