by James Slater: One of the most defensively savvy boxers of the past ten years or so, Ronald “Winky” Wright has been avoiding ring action of any kind for the better part of one year now. Last seen losing a competitive fight up at a catch weight of 170 pounds with Bernard Hopkins last July, the 36-year-old southpaw has been almost completely off the boxing radar since.
Finally breaking his silence whilst being a guest on ESPN last night, Wright stated how he wants to get back in the ring this September, but only against a big name opponent who is sure to motivate him. Winky mentioned both Oscar De La Hoya and Kelly Pavlik. What are the chances of either fight happening, and who would Wright be better off facing?
A De La Hoya fight, something Winky has craved for the longest time, looks almost certainly never to ever happen. With “The Golden Boy” concentrating on his rematch with Floyd Mayweather in September and then his farewell fight three months later, it is extremely unlikely Oscar would entertain Wright. But what about Pavlik? Wright can operate effectively as a middleweight, as his draw with then world champion Jermain Taylor, for one example, proved. But would “The Ghost” relish the idea of a fight with such a gifted master of the art of avoiding and blocking punches?
Chances are, Wright would give Pavlik fits. With Pavlik’s straight ahead attacks and reachable chin, Winky would have a good chance at getting his right jab off to good effect, while being able to avoid at least most of the middleweight’s offence coming back at him. Indeed, unless his reflexes have faded at age 36 (a possibility) the likelihood is Wright would, in a fight with Pavlik, have a very good chance at putting on one of his frustratingly best performances. It’s hardly an original line, but Wright would be all wrong for Pavlik.
It’s not too tempting a fight for the middleweight champ to take, is it? In fact, Wright may find himself with a recurring problem whenever he calls for a big name to share a ring with him. With a title-less Winky proving way too risky and offering little in the way of a reward for a potential opponent, why would any fighter on the top of his game – with many other, more lucrative options available to him – want to risk being embarrassed by Wright?
This is nothing new to Wright. Throughout the majority of his long career he’s been avoided. Finally getting some big names interested in fighting him, Winky got some well earned good paydays – against top guys like “Sugar” Shane Mosley (twice) and Felix Trinidad, both of whom he out-pointed. But then came the draw with Taylor and then the loss to Hopkins. Winky fought well in both winless fights, but it seems he is now back where he was in 2003 – or before “Sugar.” Back on the outside looking in as far as the really big fights are concerned, Wright is, once again, a guy no-one wants to get it on with.
Unless he’s extremely lucky and a guy like Pavlik suddenly gets the unlikely urge to prove himself against a master of the defensive, it seems Winky Wright’s days as a pay-per-view performer may well be over. Wright isn’t a guy who will make do with anything less than stellar opposition, as he’s said he needs the motivation that only the big fights and the big stage can give him. Therefore the boxing world may have seen the last of the best of the former light-middleweight champ.
Simply put, if he cannot get exactly what he wants, Winky may well retire from fighting and concentrate on being a promoter.