Moving up ten pounds over his good fighting weight and fighting Hopkins who can make anyone look bad was a big mistake on Winky's part:-( if Winky had stayed at middle and fought a few med level contenders and looked good while winning everyone would talking about Winky fighting Pavlik right now.:bart
Winky is pretty much like the rest of the older fighters. He's only looking for the biggest payday to end his career. That's why he keeps talking about Oscar and how he'll move all the way down to 147/154 to make the fight. As good as Pavlik is - he still can't pull in numbers for PPV, cause outside of the Boxing community he's barely even known. Wright would feel that he doesn't really have anything to prove fighting Pavlik on HBO - the money wouldn't be right for him. Remember - he turned down a 45/55 split with JT for a rematch. So, sometimes it's not about the money either - some of these guys pride get in their way. Examples: Mosley vs. Dela Hoya 3 - Shane was mad cause he beat Oscar twice and was still taking the short end of the stick - Wright vs. Taylor - felt that he should get a 50/50 split and nothing less.
Taking the Hopkins fight hasn't hurt Winky. Wright went up in weight to meet the Ring champ and performed well. No one would hold that against him as he returns to middleweight. Plus, he made a nice payday against Hopkins, and that money was there NOW as opposed to a future payday against someone else.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Winky had to move up in weight, but Benard was a newbie to 175 as well.It just must have seemed like a well paying calculated risk to Winky and his management.
I completely agree. Hindsight is 20/20. Had Wright won, they would've just said Hopkins was old and that he shouldn't have fought a defensive wizard in Wright. It is what it is. Hopkins got it done and made Wright look like a lower level fighter. You gotta give credit to Hopkins. He's also the guy who made the supposed class of the LHW look old in Tarver. You gotta give the man credit. He makes people look bad.
Wrights a tough fight for anyone, yeah he wont knockout but he will make you look lesser oppenent in there, similiar to Hopkins does. I thought Winky was going to win that fight because hes usually active throughout the entire fight, at first he was proving me right and then in the 5th round Hopkins started picking up the pace and was able to win out the rest of the fight. It was a nice payday for Wright, he will get a couple more probably before he retires.
Bernard makes everyone look bad? I thought that was one of Winky's assets but what do I know?... Winky didn't make a bad move, could have won, came short but was not knocked out or anything like that, he's still a top P4P fighter and a top middleweight contender or am I wrong and this is this obsolete? Winky didn't want the rematch with Taylor so how come people believe he'd have the guts to challenge Pavlik?...I believe Winky can frustrate and out-witt Kelly at his best, that's what I really feel but he has to come forward first, nobody will do him any favours cause there are no Tito Trinidads to beat anymore.
I actually thought Winky would win that fight against Hopkins, I really believe Hopkins rough house tactics really took Winky out of his game plan. Winky lost because he lost his focus, and allowed Hopkins too bully him in the ring.
Winky took a challenging fight with a certain HOF that he thought he could have pulled off, nothing wrong with that considering these day's some fighter's avoid risks, like a root canal.. I thought it was a DAMN close fight and actually thought a draw wouldn't have been a bad call, a lot of those rounds were so close it was tough to score... A Wright-Pavlik match would be a BIIIIIIIIIIG DRAW... :happy
I have said too many times by now, Bernard frustrated the man known to frustrate others, took away his right jab by staying at long range, stepping in fast and closed the distance between his left and Winky's right and nail him with right uppercuts and hybrid uppercut/hooks inside moore than Winky could unleash the left counter of his... Finally, used his legs to get away from that lead right points scorer and roughed him up inside pretty good, one final attack and a coupla bursts and money in da house baby! Mind over matter, but I recognize Winky was not loose at 170 and the gash in his eye troubled him, he can definitely school Kelly and win another title, whether Kelly is there for him is another question...
