By Chris LaBate
Former undisputed junior middleweight champion Ronald "Winky" Wright is not buying Bernard Hopkins' side of the story, where the veteran claims to have been pleading with the referee to continue fighting on Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Chad Dawson (31-1, 18KOs) stopped Hopkins (52-6-2, 32KOs) in the second round to capture the WBC light heavyweight title.
During the second, Hopkins leaned over on Dawson, who used his shoulder to push him off. Hopkins went down near the ropes and told the referee, Pat Russell, that he suffered a shoulder injury. Because there was no foul involved, Russell ruled the fight in favor of Dawson and made him the TKO winner.
After the fight was over, Hopkins told reporters that he wanted to continue fighting and still could have won with only one arm. He blamed the referee for stopping the contest early. Wright, who Dawson's team brought in to assist trainer John Scully, told reporters "Bernard Hopkins quit."
Wright was branded as a "loser" by Hopkins in the pre-fight hype. The two boxers have held a rivalry since their 2007 clash, where Hopkins won a twelve round unanimous decision. Wright has always accused Hopkins of using dirty tactics, especially head butts, to win their fight.