HOPKINS PLAYS BODY DOUBLE TWO SHOTS BELOW RIBS FLOOR DE LA HOYA, UNIFY TITLE.

Byline: Robert Morales Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS - Just when it appeared Saturday night's fight for the undisputed middleweight championship between Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya could go the distance, it was over.

Hopkins knocked out De La Hoya with a pair of vicious left hooks to the body at 1:38 of the ninth round in front of about 17,000 at MGM Grand.

Hopkins retained his three titles, and took De La Hoya's belt to unify the middleweight crown.

Although Hopkins was ahead on two of the three scorecards, he was not exactly dominating De La Hoya, who did not run the way many thought he would.

But when Hopkins landed the second big shot to the liver, De La Hoya went down in a heap. He was in obvious pain. After Kenny Bayless counted to about five, De La Hoya rolled over on his left side near the ropes. It was his right side that took the blow.

De La Hoya pounded his fist on the canvas after being counted out. When he got to his feet, he stalked around the ring, as if he was mad at himself for letting Hopkins catch him like that.

``It was a well-placed body shot,'' De La Hoya said.

Hopkins made the 19th successful defense of his IBF belt. He said he wasn't sure he was winning heading into the ninth round. He was leading 79-73 on Dave Moretti's scorecard and 78-74 on Paul Smith's. Keith Macdonald had De La Hoya winning 77-75.

The Daily News had Hopkins ahead 77-75 at the time of the knockout.

``To be honest, I did feel the urgency in the eighth and ninth rounds,'' Hopkins said. ``I didn't know if I was winning the fight. It was hard to get inside because he fought such a great fight.

``He fought straight up. He came to fight and he didn't run. I was surprised.''

Hopkins, who improved to 45-2-1 with 32 knockouts, explained his latest knockout blow.

``I set him up with the jab, leaned to the left and hit him in the liver,'' said Hopkins, 39, of Philadelphia. ``When I hit him in the liver, I heard him say, 'Aggh.' And the wind came completely out of him.

``It was chopped liver with Hopkins sauce.''

De La Hoya, 31, of East Los Angeles, is 37-4. He had suggested he might retire if he were to beat Hopkins. Immediately after the bout, he said he had ``no game plan'' in that regard.

The first round was the typical feeling-out process. The only telling punches were a left by Hopkins early, a right by Hopkins late and a jab by De La Hoya late.

Not much happened in the second round either. The few punches that were landed in the first 2:30 of the round were weak, and then De La Hoya landed a nice right hand to Hopkins' head that was the best punch of the round.

Through the first two rounds, Hopkins was moving more than De La Hoya. He continued to move in the third and with a minute gone, landed a right to De La Hoya's head. It was the best punch of the fight to that point.

Hopkins landed a nice medium-strength double left hook to the body and head in the fourth, and De La Hoya landed a couple of good jabs, but Hopkins came back with a double jab.

It appeared Hopkins had won three of the first four rounds.

There were only pockets of activity in the fifth round. Fans began to boo the lack of activity with 2 minutes gone. De La Hoya slipped and nearly fell into the ropes near the end of the round, and then Hopkins charged him and landed a right.

De La Hoya also landed a low blow in the round.

The sixth round also lacked many landed punches. De La Hoya appeared to connect on a few more, however, and two of the judges gave him the round.

When the seventh round finished, the crowd showed it was not thrilled. There was a smattering of boos, but there was little applause. Hopkins did land a couple of nice right hands, and De La Hoya found the mark with a light left jab-right hand.

The eighth was one of those rounds where, whoever landed one good punch, could win the round. De La Hoya landed a nice left hook to the head of Hopkins at the bell, but Hopkins carried the round on all three cards.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Oscar De La Hoya writhes in pain after being knocked out to lose the middleweight championship unification bout Saturday in Las Vegas.

Laura Rauch/Associated Press

(2) Bernard Hopkins raises his fist triumphantly as Oscar De La Hoya goes down in pain Saturday.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News