Does Mr. Wright have anything left?

On the evening of Saturday, April 11th, fight fans will finally get the opportunity to gauge what's truly left in Mr. Wright. Ronald 'Winky' Wright to be exact.

 

 The path traveled to reach this point in his career wasn't exactly a great one, but as the old street adage states, "it ain't where you're from, it's where you're at". Standing from where he's at, looking in the rear view reflection of a well chronicled 16 year career, the resume he carries says all that needs to be said, having shared close air space with the likes of everyone from Mosley, to Hopkins, to Jermain Taylor. Trouble is, many question whether or not todays version of the superb defender will be anything like the one that laced up in those days.

 

At his best, Wright is viewed by many as perhaps one of the sports most fundamentally sound fighters in recent times, duly equipped with an impenetrable defense and jab that operates fluidly on pure instinct.

 

Wright's best body of work to date arguably came on the night that he stepped in the ring with Felix Trinidad back in May of 2005. Going in, no one knew how things would end up, but by the end of that night Wright would earn the respect of not only those fight fans who remained on the fence, but also many of his biggest critics who felt they'd never cross it. That performance leads many to believe that he still has it, but so often in the fight game we're reminded that yesterdays triumph's mean very little when paralleled against todays best.

 

In Paul Williams, Wright faces a man who will push every ounce of his defensive wizardry to the brink of its very limits. Some feel that physical limitations mean very little in the ring, but despite having youth in his corner by a wide margin, Williams will also be armed with a 3 inch height advantage, and a 10 inch reach advantage. All of that from a man known to throw volume punches that have been known to hit three digits in a round.

 

On paper it would appear that Williams' advantages will be too much for even a seasoned veteran of Wrights caliber to overcome, but if 'Winky' brings the right stuff, we may learn once again that paper burns!

 

Williams has great energy and is a very game fighter, but experience will play a major role in the outcome of this showdown. A key indicator from that perspective is the number of rounds the two men have fought in comparison, with Wright sitting at 382 rounds, while Williams has a mere 153 under his belt. This was a point I raised upon deaf ears prior to the Pavlik/Hopkins showdown, only to be told it was a non-issue. The morning after would yield stunning results as the younger, more energetic fighter learned that there's no skill more valuable than experience when it comes to the fight game.

 

Many different scenario's can play themselves out when it's all said and done, but one thing for sure, it won't be a laydown fight for either man. A loss for Wright - even if controversial - will definitely signal the end, as it would be his third time in recent history coming up on the short end of the stick. Against Hopkins and Taylor he failed to do enough to convince the judges in the end, but that was against a champion and a legend. If he fails to hit the mark against an up and comer, most could reasonably argue that there's simply no avenue left to travel for the veteran. How it'll all end remains a mystery, but in less than 10 days the riddle will be answered....So will the many questions surrounding 'Winky' Wright. The major one to be addressed...How much in the tank does Mr. Wright have left?

 

Soon we'll all find out!