By Mark Vester

In the latest chapter of the Winky Wright chronicles, the pound-for-pound middleweight tells The Tampa Tribune that he is leaning towards staging a bout in his hometown of Tampa, Florida, rather than face WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito in in the main event of an October pay-per-view at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

"My next fight probably will be in Tampa. I can make the kind of money people are offering me just by fighting here, so I'd rather do that. We're working right now on trying to make that happen," Wright said to The Tribune.

It appears that Wright is a bit annoyed that Top Rank offered Floyd Mayweather, Jr. $8 million dollars to face Margarito, and only offered him $4 million. Although Wright can earn between $5-6 million when considering the pay-per-view revenue, he still insists the the offer is too low and he can make the same amount of money by staging a fight in Florida.

"People can say I don't want the fight, and hell no I don't want the fight. If you're going to offer Floyd Mayweather $8 million and offer me $4 million, I don't want the fight. I can make $4 million fighting here in Tampa. Why should I take that fight? I don't need Margarito. He needs me. That's the difference, and that is what his people will have to learn. Offer me $8 million and I'll take the fight," said Wright

Bob Arum on the other hand, said the reason he made a much lower offer to Wright is because Wright would be a much bigger favorite to beat Margarito than Mayweather. Arum feels that if Wright does not take the fight, his name can be added to the list of fighters ducking the tough fighter from Mexico. Arum did not say who Margarito would face if Wright officially rejects the offer, but the list of pay-per-view opponents is growing thin.

"It's the biggest guarantee Winky has received. It's a hell of a deal. If he doesn't take it, he's just another fighter who has Margarito-phobia. If Margarito fights Floyd, it's probably 8-to-5 in Floyd's favor. If he fights Winky, it's probably 4-to-1 in Winky's favor. It would be viewed as much more of a one-sided fight, and that's the reason for the [lower] offer," Arum said.

After he stages his next bout, which appears likely to land in Tampa, Wright seems to have set his sights on 168-pound champion Joe Calzaghe. The bout could take place by the end of the year and there are plans for negotiations to start as early as next week.