Wright dominated Felix Trinidad Ike Quartey and Shane Mosley(twice),but he had a massive size advantage against all off those guys,also beat other contenders Bronco Mckart(Thrice),Sam Soliman,Jc Candelo,Keith Mullings and Andrew Council sometimes looking impressive but sometimes looking underwhelming.Even though he was pound for pound number 2 in 2005 he is largely dismissed these days and not considered an all time great by very many.What is your take on the southpaw with the awesome jab and airtight defense?.
Having watched almost his entire career, I believe he is overrated. Like Bernard Hopkins, he attained amazing longevity in the sport. And, he does deserve to squeak into the IBHOF based on his late career wins over some over the hill former greats. But, my problem is that at his very best, he was just not quite elite. He was always a level or two below the best fighters in their prime. When you have to list Bronco McCart on your resume, it says a lot. His wins over old and disinterested versions of Quartey, Tito, and Mosley flatter him.
I thought the draw with Jermain Taylor was justified,but if Taylor didn’t spend so time on the ropes he would’ve won because he was outclassing Wright in the middle of the ring.Still a draw against the undisputed Middleweight champion was a good result.I think Wright was better than Kelly Pavlik and that had the makings of an action packed fight if it had ever happened.Wright was more entertaining than he was given credit for.
He was a good fighter no doubt, I seem to think he's rated about right. not the top level but one level down.
Mosley was the same age ,Tito 2 years younger,Quartey about a year and a half older , so you cant put their defeats down to age.
Underrated by today's generation, overrated by guys who started watching boxing when he was around. He was an elite talent but for some reason he always coasted in fights and got too comfortable
He's one of the best 154 lb fighters alongside McCallum, Hearns, and Norris. He's rated appropriately but still gets unappreciated nowadays. He was a great technician with an airtight defense and an ATG jab, very hard fighter to deal with. His fight against Trinidad is still one of the best clinical masterpieces.
He really was a guy that had two careers. In his early days he was much more of a mover and was certainly beatable but once he started training with Quartey and started using that defensive high guard style he was a much more difficult guy to fight. He is definitely a hall of famer but I don't have him on the same level as other 154 pounders like McCallum and Hearns.
