 With Vargas injured, Trinidad continued connecting combinations, and he ended his combination by putting Vargas down for the 3rd time in the round with a right hand which resulted in the referee waving the fight off, making Trinidad the winner.Following his fight with Vargas, Trinidad moved up in weight – this time to participate in Don King's middleweight unification tournament featuring IBF champion Bernard Hopkins, WBA champion William Joppy, and WBC champion Keith Holmes.Trinidad was matched with Joppy, whom he defeated by technical knockout in the fifth round of a contest that took place on May 12, 2001.