TalkingBoxing Articles
Is Wright all wrong for Taylor?
WED December 21, PHILLIP DIAZ - Only two years ago Ronald “Winky” Wright was considered to be the odd man out in the Jr. Middleweight division, a division that at the time was considered to be one of the hottest in all the sport. But while superstars such as Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley, were all mixing it up with each other, Wright found himself on the outside looking in, facing the likes of Bronco McKart, J.C. Candelo and Angel Hernandez.
At the time Wright was the reigning 154-pound IBF champion, however, whatever leverage that trinket brought to the bargaining table was offset by Wright’s biggest problem; he’s too darn good. If De La Hoya, Vargas and Mosley were the Supermen of the division, than Winky Wright was the kryptonite that they avoided.
That all changed on March 13th, 2004, when Wright finally got the opportunity he had longed for as he faced the than reining WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine Jr. Middleweight champion Shane Mosley.
That night Wright reaffirmed why he was the most avoided fighter in the sport, as he befuddled, dominated and outclassed Mosley in route to a rather one-sided unanimous decision. Later that year Wright rematched Mosley only to win another (albeit not so one-sided) unanimous decision.
Two years later, different weight class, different fighters, yet it’s the same old story, as Wright once again finds himself on the outside looking in.
After utterly humiliating Felix “Tito” Trinidad earlier this year, and fresh off a victory over tough but rugged Sam Soliman, Wright is now ranked # 1 by the WBA, WBC and the IBF in the Middleweight division. When you also consider that Wright was involved in the year’s biggest PPV Event (Wright Trinidad had 520,000 PPV buys), than it seems as if Wright would the next logical opponent for undisputed Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor, right? Well apparently not. And not only is Wright not next, but it’s possible that he’s not even on the radar for the foreseeable future.
I mean after all according to Lou DiBella, “it would be a crime to put Jermain Taylor into another tough fight without a breather after going 24 rounds with Bernard Hopkins."
According to an article written by Maxboxing’s Steve Kim, Wright is just one option team Taylor is considering for later this year. The other option being the winner of the upcoming bout between Fernando Vargas and Shane Mosley, which at this point may not even make more sense financially. From a competitive standpoint it hardly makes any sense.
But in the sport of boxing, it’s not about sense; it’s all about cents and more importantly dollars. Even if a Wright-Taylor bout makes more sense competitively and perhaps even financially over the short term. It looks less and less likely that Taylor Wright happens this year, if it even happens at all.
The same reason Wright was avoided a couple of years ago is the same reason he’s avoided today. No it’s not money, or lack there of, it’s not that he’s a Southpaw, it’s just that he’s so darn good, maybe the best P4P fighter in the game today.
Yes a Taylor-Wright fight would be big, but a Taylor loss at this point would be even bigger, especially when you consider that Taylor is coming off of two consecutive controversial decisions over a 40-year-old Bernard Hopkins. From a career standpoint for Taylor it would be disastrous.
So although Taylor Wright makes cents, looking at things from a broader perspective does it really make any sense? More importantly does it make enough cents, not the fight itself, but from a career standpoint for Taylor. Whether we care to admit it or not an undefeated fighter is more marketable than a fighter with an L on his record. Especially if it’s a humbling defeat, which we all know Wright is capable of dishing out. So for Winky Wright it’s the gift and the curse, he’s just too good for his own good?
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