The Middleweight World Championship Series was a boxing round-robin tournament staged by Don King Productions.
The victor took the WBC, WBA, IBF and vacant Ring Magazine 160-pound belts home, and became the first undisputed middleweight king since Marvellous Marvin Hagler held the distinction from 1979 until 1987.
[2] On April 14, 2001, in Madison Square Garden, New York, Hopkins won a unanimous decision over Keith Holmes to unify the WBC and IBF titles.
[4] After the fight was over, Trinidad explained his strategy by stating: "I knew he wanted to impose his will, his weight, and I wouldn't let him do it".
During promotion for the bout, Hopkins caused huge controversy by throwing the Puerto Rico flag on the floor in press conferences in both New York and Puerto Rico, the latter conference leading to a riot in which Hopkins had to be run to safety from the angry mob.