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The middleweight division, thought of as a dead division for many years. The last fight prior to Trinidad-Hopkins that got any press was Roberto Duran's final effort at a recognized title as he challenged William Joppy for a piece of the middleweight crown. Bernard Hopkins is only being recognized now because for years, most fans kept their eyes on weight classes below 160 and only the heavyweights above 160.
The division has only exploded due to two fighters who were originally welterweights, moving up to 160 pounds to challenge Bernard Hopkins. The long win streak of Bernard Hopkins and his many title defense did little to get the middleweight division on the map. Even after Hopkins defeated Trinidad in the finals of the middleweight tournament, the hot streak of the division died down pretty fast. The middleweight division cooled off after only several months beyond the tournament due to the retirement of Felix Trinidad and poor quality of challengers to the crown of Hopkins. [details]
The division has only exploded due to two fighters who were originally welterweights, moving up to 160 pounds to challenge Bernard Hopkins. The long win streak of Bernard Hopkins and his many title defense did little to get the middleweight division on the map. Even after Hopkins defeated Trinidad in the finals of the middleweight tournament, the hot streak of the division died down pretty fast. The middleweight division cooled off after only several months beyond the tournament due to the retirement of Felix Trinidad and poor quality of challengers to the crown of Hopkins. [details]
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