If you're a fan of all-out boxing brawls you may want to pass on the Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins vs. Ronald "Winky" Wright bout on Saturday night in Las Vegas. However, if you prefer a well-fought bout between two of the best technical fighters in the world today, you should get yourself a front-row seat.
Hopkins will be defending his The Ring World Light Heavyweight Championship title, which he won by tearing apart Antonio Tarver more than a year ago. The 42-year-old Hopkins said he was retiring as a title-holder after dominating Tarver, but according to Hopkins his boxing skills are just too good for him to quit just yet. To hold onto his title versus Wright, Hopkins will need to outbox his much younger opponent.
Wright, who is 35 years old, last stepped into the ring in December when he won a unanimous decision over Ike Quartey after toying with Quartey for 12 rounds. Wright's easy bout with Quartey came after he could not work out a deal for a rematch with Jermain Taylor. Wright fought Taylor to a standstill in June 2006 in a middleweight title fight that was called a draw. The draw decision enraged Wright, who refused to face Taylor again stating he had been robbed. Another Wright/Taylor battle could be in the future, but first Wright will have to get past Hopkins.
Wright may have one small disadvantage in this fight due to the fact that he must pack on an extra 10 pounds to make the light heavyweight class. Wright fought Quartey and Taylor at 159 ½ pounds, but he'll have to get up to 170 pounds to take on Hopkins. If the added pounds become a burden for Wright, it could give Hopkins a slight advantage.
Most of the experts in the boxing world expect this fight to go the distance with both fighters trading shots throughout the fight, but neither is expected to land a knockout blow. Hopkins has a career record of 47-4-1, with one no-contest and 32 knockouts. Wright is 51-3-1 with 25 knockouts in his career. With both fighters owning a counter-punch defensive style, don't expect a ton of haymakers and power punches.
Wright's southpaw style has been confusing to his opponents in the past (Shane Mosely and Felix Trinidad to name a couple), but Hopkins likely has the experience and the ring smarts to cope with it. Unless one of them lands a lucky punch, this fight should go 12 rounds with both fighters having a chance to come away with a close decision.
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