12.12.03 – ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.—Boxing media from around the world were asked to pick the winners of three of the eight world championship title fights featured on Don King Productions’ “Night of the Undisputed” at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night. Five of the scheduled 12-round bouts will be available on pay per view at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Over 85 percent of the respondents believe Undisputed Middleweight World Champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins will retain his titles after facing three-time world champion William Joppy.
Emerging boxing superstar Ricarado “El Matador” Mayorga is favored by 83 percent of those polled to become the undisputed world welterweight champion after facing International Boxing Federation champion Cory “The Next Generation” Spinks; however, 30 percent of the same voters give Spinks the highest probability of scoring an upset among the five world championships featured on the pay-per-view telecast.
In a clash of former heavyweight world champions, 78 percent of the panel favors Hasim “The Rock” Rahman to defeat John “The Quietman” Ruiz to become the World Boxing Association interim heavyweight champion.
Dan Rafael USA Today
Hopkins/decision
Spinks/decision
Rahman/KO 9
Tim Smith New York Daily News
Hopkins/decision
Mayorga/TKO 4
Rahman/decision
Michael Katz New York Times
Hopkins/decision
Mayorga/KO 9
Ruiz/decision
George Willis New York Post
Hopkins/KO 9
Mayorga/KO 4
Rahman/KO 10
Kevin Iole Las Vegas Review-Journal
Hopkins/TKO 8
Mayorga/TKO 6
Rahman/u. decision
Carlos Arias Orange County Register
Hopkins/decision
Mayorga/KO 5
Rahman/decision
Calvin Watkins Dallas Morning News
Hopkins/KO 10
Mayorga/KO 5
Rahman/decision
Michael Hirsley Chicago Tribune
Hopkins/KO 5
Mayorga/TKO 9
Ruiz/decision
John Whisler San Antonio Express News
Hopkins/KO 5
Mayorga/decision
Rahman/decision
Franz Lidz Sports Illustrated
Hopkins/KO 6
Mayorga/TKO 9
Rahman/KO 5
Michael Katz Detroit News
Hopkins/KO 7
Spinks/split decision
Rahman/split decision
Lem Satterfield Baltimore Sun
Joppy/decision
Spinks/decision
Rahman/decision
Dave Weinberg Atlantic City Press
Hopkins/TKO 8
Mayorga/decision
Rahman/decision
Ramiro Gonzalez La Opinion (Los Angeles)
Hopkins/decision
Mayorga/decision
Ruiz/decision
Garcia/KO 9
Judah/KO 8
Raul Fernandez Hoy (New York)
Joppy/decision
Mayorga/KO 3 or 4
Rahman/KO 10
Armando Solana Hoy (New York)
Hopkins/by decision
Mayorga/KO 4
Ruiz /decision
Simms/split decision
Judah/decision
Pablo Fletes La Prensa (Nicaragua)
Hopkins/KO 9
Rahman/decision
Garcia/KO 7
Judah/decision
David Avila Riverside Press Enterprise
Hopkins/decision
Mayorga/KO 8
Ruiz/decision
Garcia/KO 10
Judah/KO 5
Butch Gottlieb Boxinginlasvegas.com
Hopkins
Mayorga
Rahman
Mary Ann Owen Boxinginlasvegas.com
Hopkins
Mayorga
Rahman
Pete Spadora Sportsticker.com
Hopkins in 10
Spinks/decision
Rahman in 9
David Gonzalez Sportsticker.com
Hopkins/TKO 9
Mayorga/TKO 6
Ruiz/decision
Bert Sugar Boxing Historian
Hopkins/KO 6
Mayorga/decision
Rahman/KO 10
Doug Fischer Maxboxing.com
Hopkins/TKO
Mayoraga/u. decision
Rahman/TKO
Sean Stowell MaxBoxing.com
Rahman/decision
Hopkins/late stoppage
Mayorga/decision
Scott Shaffer Fightnews.com
Hopkins/decision
Mayorga/TKO 8
Rahman/decision
Patrick Kehoe SecondsOut.com
Mayorga/TKO 10
Rahman/u. decision
Hopkins/decision
Mark Butcher SecondsOut.com
Hopkins/decision
Mayorga/decision
Ruiz/decision
Anthony Evans SecondsOut.com
Joppy/decision
Mayorga/TKO 9
Rahman/KO 6
Thomas Hauser SecondsOut.com
Hopkins/decision
Mayorga/KO
Rahman/KO
Paul Upham SecondsOut.com
Hopkins/KO 10
Mayorga/KO3
Rahman/decision
Huell Washington San Francisco Sun
Hopkins/TKO 9
Spinks/decision
Ruiz/decision
Mike Nosky Realboxing.com
Hopkins/KO 9
Rahman/KO 7
Spinks/decision
Jake Donovan Realboxing.com
Hopkins/TKO 8
Rahman/DQ 5
Spinks/split decision
Kent Appel Eastsideboxing.com
Joppy/split decision
Mayorga/u. decision
Rahman/u. decision
Ron Brashear Insideboxing.com
Hopkins/decision
Rahman/KO
Spinks/u. decision
Moncayo Blackbull Insideboxing.com
Hopkins/u. decision William Joppy
Mayorga/KO
Ruiz/TKO
Rusty Rubin Ringsports.com
Hopkins/late TKO
Mayorga/decision
Rahman/decision
Carlos Guzman Fightworld.us
Joppy/decision
Mayorga/KO 4
Rahman/DQ
Scoop Malinowski Boxinginsider.com
Hopkins/KO
Mayorga/KO
Rahman/decision
Jeff Cox Prizefightnews.com
Hopkins/TKO 8
Rahman/TKO 10
Mayorga/TKO 6
Carlos Alfaro Nuevo Diario (Nicaragua)
Joppy/decision
Mayorga/KO 6
Rahman/KO 4
Garcia/KO 8
Rangel/TKO 7
Ivan Centeno Telenica 8 (Nicaragua)
Hopkins/KO 9
Mayorga/KO 3
Rahman/KO 8
Simms/KO 5
Judah/KO 10