By Rick Reeno
The FedEx Forum in Memphis will be the stage for the most important battle in the middleweight division. Jermain Taylor (25-0, 17 KOs), the recognized champion of the division and coming off two decision victories over Bernard Hopkins, is challenged by one of the top pound for pound fighters in the game, Ronald “Winky” Wright (50-3, 25 KOs).
After several snags in negotations, lawsuit threats and public arguments over which fighter was scared of the other, the two fighters are prepared for the battle of their lives this weekend.
Taylor, a good boxer with a great left jab, is up against a defensive wizard with a great right jab. The edge in strength lies with Taylor, but he must get past the defense of Wright to land the big shots.
The winner will be dubbed as the undisputed successor to Bernard Hopkins and could very well be the fighter to lead the entire division into the next era.
The staff of BoxingScene comes together to voice their opinions, strategies and predictions for the big fight.
Hank Kaplan - I like Jermain Taylor. He is going to win this fight and I will tell you why. Winky Wright needs a fighter to be in front of him, and Taylor will give him plenty of space, as he did in the two fights with Bernard Hopkins. Taylor is a very good judge of space and will box from a distance, winning a decision in the process. I think the fight has a good possibility of being an uneventful fight because of the clash of styles.
Ron Borges - I see Wright executing a very defensive fight and winning the decision by a lopsided margin. Taylor will have a difficult time hitting Wright in the fight.
Charles Jay - I firmly predict a 12-round draw
Tim Smith - I think Taylor has gained confidence from his two fights against Hopkins and with Emanuel Steward in his corner will be more aggressive. That should be enough to counter act Winky's tough defense. Taylor by decision.
Rusty Rubin - Best bet (maybe only bet) is a decision...Taylor gets the home cooking and the decision here.
Joe Harrison - While Winky Wright has beaten big names such as Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad, Jermain Taylor has close wins over Bernard Hopkins. Those wins look much more impressive now since Hopkins dominated Antonio Tarver, proving that he's not as washed up as people believed. Still though, Wright is a very smart fighter, has great skills and exceptional defense. I'd like to see Taylor win, but I don't think he has the tools to defeat Wright.
Wright by decision
Larry Tornambe - Jermain showed many deficiencies in his style against Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins was so inactive he wasn't able to capitalize on Taylor's mistakes. I see Winky Wright being more active and taking a decision by using superior boxing skills.
Ron Gallegos - Although this should be a very tactical fight, it may not be all that exciting to watch. Jermain will push the action, but Winky will find a way to counter with slick moves and ring savvy. I don't see Winky losing. He should take it by decision, but nothing in this fight will give it consideration for fight of the year. Winky is just a master technician, a real artisan of the pugilistic world, but does that equate to stirring excitement or selling tickets. Winky by unanimous decision.
Paul Gallegos - This is truly a toss up fight. Jermain is the young lion with two wins over a legend on his resume. Winky is the class of the division and a true boxer in every sense of the word. I think that Jermain will try to assert himself early on the inside. Winky is probably too smart to fall for this type of tactic. Both men need to establish the jab early and often if they are going to win this fight. A really difficult fight to call, but I am going with experience over youth in this one. Winky will win a 7-5 close decision.
John Hively - Tough outcome to predict. I can envision Wright boxing Taylor silly. Winky is a great defensive fighter, and has boxed many of his opponents silly. His ring generalship is masterful. On the other hand, I can see Taylor going to Wright's body behind a steady jab, weakening him gradually, and coming out the victor. Taylor's the naturally bigger guy, but I think he has an advantage in hand speed, and that might be the difference. His jab may not be as good as Winky's, but he just may use it enough to partially negate Winky's jab to the degree necessary to come out the victor. I'll go out on a limb and say Taylor by a close decision. But this fight could go either way. Whoever fights their fight, and imposes their style on the other will likely win.
Bradley Yeh - There's no deep analysis to this fight prediction, for me as the only real significant difference that Taylor presents Winky with, compared to that which Winky’s experienced before, is perhaps the true middleweight power derived from Taylor being a fast natural middleweight. Oh, let’s not forget Taylor’s youthfulness either, as Taylor is still quite fresh as he has an odometer reading that’s close to ½ that of Winky. Taylor’s youth or Winky’s experience? Whilst they're diametrically opposed forces and whilst they could play a part, they're just too close in magnitude to plug into the fight equation in a way that would motivate me to deeply consider any serious cancellation effects for me.
In isolation there’s insight to be gained from the exercise though, as the combination of Winky’s experience, particularly that pertaining to the Mosley, Vargas, Soliman, and, Trinidad fights, in my opinion, should allow Winky freedom from any surprise brought about by strategy or speed that Taylor brings to the table.
Whilst I respect Taylor as the undisputed champion that he is, in my opinion Taylor didn’t really show the resolve in the Hopkins fights that is normally associated with unified middleweight showdowns. Assuming all belts are up for grab, there will be no less pressure this weekend and perhaps this is an indicator. Performing at the very top level of championship boxing with seasoned opponents may be something Taylor has yet to completely grow into. If that’s the case, Winky will smell it, and I don’t think Winky will really help Taylor’s cause in that respect this weekend either.
Put simply Winky has been performing at a top level with seasoned opponents for years, and for the most part he has been winning in style against some big names. Now I know Taylor has been winning too, but aside from Hopkins, Taylor hasn’t been winning against the marquee names that the gloved Winklet has played host to. Put simply if Hopkins could make Taylor wait, rethink and reset repetitively, without making him pay too often (which really is what happened), then I believe Winky can do it to Taylor and also make him pay on the score cards for it. Taylor won't be faster than Mosely, but he will probably hit harder than him. Will Taylor hit harder than Trinidad? Perhaps. Will Taylor land more often than Soliman? No way. How will Taylor respond to being closed down if that happens? I’m not sure, it ‘s a big call to predict, but that’s what makes boxing great.
Upper level prizefighting twists and spins around a dynamic center point whose danger is defined by an intoxicating mix of risk and glory. Winky is familiar with the dynamics mentioned and a fight against Taylor, for all the undisputed Middleweight jewelry, is exactly the kind of fight that Winky would have constructed into a “I told you so clinic” had he been given the opportunity to over the last few years that he has campaigned at light-middleweight. Sure, Winky had the unified light-middleweight belts previously, sure he made history, but like it or not, not enough people took notice and Winky didn’t get the big paydays. Winky knows that the middleweight belts can't be denied by the media, not after all the press Hopkins and their current owner have just enjoyed – this really is it. It’s only a few more pounds, or is it? Resembling his performances at light-middleweight, at middleweight also Winky still entertains us with skills rather than power; Winky Wright edges a decision against Taylor.
Jim Cawkwell - At some point, Winky Wright will have to fight. He is the more established boxer of the two, but he still has to come into Taylor's territory and take those titles, nonetheless. I think a very disciplined and active Taylor has had enough of showing respect to aging fighters and will set an early pace that Wright will not like being in his mid-thirties. If Taylor can have Wright trailing after half-way, it will force Wright to open up, and if he does that, he will find a younger, stronger and much more powerful puncher in Taylor ready to overpower Wright.
Taylor by a well-earned decision.
Adam Pollack - Taylor by decision. Bigger, stronger, faster, has the experience now, won't just sleepwalk around like Tito, can fire quick combos, and move in and out. My only concern is how he deals with Winky's right jab, which is excellent, particularly because Jermain likes to keep his left low.
Mike Casey - Jermain Taylor should have the speed and style to beat Winky Wright, but does Jermain have the self-belief?
His wins over Hopkins were an odd combination of excellence and hesitance.
Winky didn't look too hot against the awkward Sam Soliman, but I have a hunch that the old fox still has a few special performances left in him. He is now in the 'Archie Moore' stage of his career where he seems to be able to solve most conundrums with his box of tricks.
Taylor to start fast, but Wright to win a unanimous decision.
JC Casarez - While Taylor is seen to be the bigger and younger man coming into this fight it is Winky who I feel will be the more physical of the two men. The key to victory will be Winky's inside fighting more so than his Southpaw style. While this may start off as a chess match it will soon break into a real fight. It is in Taylor's best interest to keep this fight on the outside where he can try to use his new found tools that Manny Steward has worked on, but 6 weeks is not enough time to completely change a man's style. Taylor is a one-two type guy, but when he finishes this sequence he always looks to clinch. This is where Winky will make him pay. Expect a competitive fight but at the end of the night when the cards are tallied the clear-cut winner will be Wright.
Wright by unanimous decision
TK Stewart - When this fight was first being bantered about I was skeptical of Jermain
Taylor's chances. Now, I like Jermain's chances a lot more. On the heels of Bernard Hopkins' victory over Antonio Tarver, suddenly Jermain Taylor looks like a lot better fighter since he holds two wins (albeit them disputed) over Hopkins.
I think the deciding factor in this fight will be Taylor's size and strength advantages. Winky Wright is not exactly an offensive phenomenon and I don't see that he's going to reach Taylor much with his best weapon - the jab. Taylor demonstrated against Hopkins that he's a good counterpuncher and that he has his a great left jab of his own. Taylor also isn't easy to hit and his power keeps his opponents off balance and on guard.
Working with Manny Steward is only going to make Jermain a better fighter and enhance his already considerable strengths. We've seen the best of Winky Wright and what we've see is what we're going to get from him on Saturday night. Winky isn't going to surprise us by becoming an aggressive puncher and he only has one knockout victory in the past seven years.
Winky is going to do what he has always done - come forward behind the southpaw jab with hands held high. Taylor is the younger, bigger, stronger and arguably hungrier guy. How much more Winky can get out his body is questionable and he's been on a helluva run over these past 16 years. I thought he showed some signs of wear against Sam Soliman and that the signs of the long pro career are beginning to show.
Taylor is confident and he has that youthful exuberance on his side - that swagger if you will. In the end I like Jermain Taylor to emerge with a close decision win.
Richard McManus - I look for Taylor to use his size and strength to pressure Wright, much the way Fernando Vargas did in 1999. Wright will be forced to exchange at times just to win rounds but if Taylor can make the correct adjustments he should have enough to pull it out.
Taylor by close unanimous decision
Dr. Peter Edwards – I don’t think Taylor will be able to deal with a defensive wizard like Winky Wright. I see Wright stealing enough rounds with his jab and defense to win a close decision.
Dan Creighton - I got Taylor in a tight decision, only because he will be viewed by the judges as the aggressor.
Kevin Kincade - This fight is a tough call any way you slice it. Jermain fought one of the greatest fighters of the modern era, Bernard Hopkins, twice and earned questionable decisions both times. Now, he’s facing another defensive wizard in Ronald “Winky” Wright. Winky’s reputation has been elevated sky-high on the basis of two fights: the first Shane Mosley match and the Felix Trinidad clinic. Mosley couldn’t hurt Winky and Felix couldn’t hit him. Taylor is a better technical boxer than “Tito” and hits much harder than “Sugar” Shane. Also, Wright was not that impressive in his last fight, a 12 Round decision over the hyper-active Sam Soliman. Granted, Wright could have underestimated Soliman; but the Winkster is 34 years of age and despite the 41-year-old Hopkins’ recent performance in winning the lineal Light-Heavyweight Championship over 37-year-old Antonio Tarver, boxing is still, by and large, a young man’s game. Jermain Taylor is a young man; and a very talented young man who recently acquired the well of boxing knowledge and strategy that is Emanuel Steward. Manny has had “Bad Intentions” locked up in the legendary Kronk Gym for the past month in preparation for this bout; and I have to believe he has fine-tuned an already impressive boxing machine. If you take Steward’s influence on the naturally gifted Taylor and combine it with the possibility that experts are putting too much emphasis on Winky’s decimation of Felix Trinidad, who had already been exposed as an essentially one dimensional fighter with no Plan B….what you’ve got is a victory for the 27 year old Arkansan.
Taylor by unanimous decision.
Jose Martino – I believe Taylor will win by close decision. Taylor isn't going to stay at the perfect range to get jabbed to death like Tito did and he isn't short like Mosley. Wright isn't a good counter puncher and he doesn't have good movement. He wins his fights with his jab and tight defense. Taylor is quick, aggressive and has a good jab of his own. He's going to pick his spots and will find ways to penetrate Wright's guard to win.
Carlos Irusta - I learned several years ago to always respect Winky Wright. He is smart, intelligent in the ring and durable. I pick him to win this fight.
Tom Donelson – Jermain Taylor is fighting the best available Middleweight for the title and for that he should be honored. Instead of being honored, he has managed to lose some of his sanctioning body titles. And this was his punishment for fighting Bernard Hopkins twice and then Winky Wright.
Wright, like Hopkins, is a crafty fighter and not an easy fighter to hit. He fights defensive first and depends upon his jab to control the pace. Taylor is the quicker and has the bigger punch, but Wright defensive skills can neutralize all of Taylor's advantages. I am going with Taylor by a close decision but I won't bet the farm on it.
Don Colgan - Winky Wright by a majority decision in a bout in which he comes from
behind over the final three rounds to edge Taylor.
Glenn Wilson - This should be a good boxing match. Taylor is coming off of his big wins over Hopkins, even if they are somewhat controversial and Wright didn't have his best showing against Soliman. Taylor should have newfound confidence and Wright is always ready to go, so what I see happening is Wright outboxing Taylor over the first six rounds with Taylor turning up the heat in rounds six through twelve. I think it will be a case of too little too late and Winky will win a close unanimous decision. If anyone goes down I believe it will be Jermain after absorbing too many punches.
George Phillips - Age and experience will once again prevail, as Winky Wright will win by a majority decision.
Keith Terceira - Being as Taylor is from my adopted state, I have to put my money on Jermain. The fact that I consider him to be younger, stronger, slicker, and hungrier also has a lot to do with it.
Wright went too many years being underrated by boxing, just when he finally gets the respect he deserves along comes the next great in the division.
I look for Taylor to win by TKO in 9
Sergio Martinez - Ronald “Winky” Wright has the veteran’s guile and is awkward enough to keep any fighter guessing. The fact is that, although Jermain has been in there with B-Hops, he has yet to face a crafty southpaw the likes of “Winky”. Include another voice in the corner in Manny Steward, and Taylor may find himself just a bit out of his element come Saturday night. I see Wright being awkward enough to keep the young bull off balance. Taylor will have his moments in the contest, but “Winky” will do enough to pull out a unanimous decision victory.
Dave Wilcox - What a tough bout to predict. I love Winky Wright and his sound technical ability. It's very hard for me to pick against him after watching what he has done over the past couple years against Mosley and Trinidad. Having said that, Taylor's a very tough young talent. He beat Hopkins (allegedly) twice, so he must be pretty good.
In the end I 'm going with the more experienced Winky Wright by close decision, but I'm not feeling very confident about it.
Alphonso Costello - Jabs and defense is the name of the game for Winky Wright. However, his skills may be on the decline. Wright showed subtle hints of old age and diminished skills during his last match against Sam Soliman. He inexplicably strayed away from his defensive style and engaged in exchanges with Soliman. Sticking to his defensive scheme is the key for Wright to defeat Jermain Taylor. If Wright strays away from his game plan, Taylor needs to open up and pelt him with a flurry of power shots. Saturday night will mark the end of Winky Wright’s pound-for-pound run.
Taylor defeats Wright by decision.
Eric Rineer - I've got to go with Jermain Taylor in this fight. I've seen Winky Wright give a lot of guys boxing lessons, but I think Jermain has the edge in this one. He's such a natural athlete and physical presence and I think he will penetrate Winky's jabs and score big inside. Jermain twice defeated the man who gave Antonio Tarver a terrible whuppin' last Saturday night. That says a lot to me about the skills of Jermain Taylor.
I like Jermain by 10th-round stoppage.
Mike Indri - A very difficult fight to call. Two great fighters who are in different phases of their respective careers. Wright may be a little past his peak, while Taylor hasn't even reached his zenith. Although Wright has the edge in experience, defense and overall boxing skills, Taylor is bigger, stronger and younger.
As if Taylor's two wins against the legendary Bernard Hopkins weren't impressive enough, Taylor's triumphs prove to be even more significant now, after Bernard's total annihilation of Antonio Tarver. Taylor will stand tall once again, surprising many.
Jermain Taylor defeats Winky Wright by a 12 round unanimous decision victory.
James Blears - The edge in this fight is Manny Steward’s honing of Jermain Taylor. Jermain looks ripped and ready to let rip. He’s naturally bigger and more powerful than Winky, and although Winky’s silky slick southpaw style will be no piece of cake to solve initially, I see Jermain icing him in the latter stages of the fight for a KO between the ninth and eleventh.
Steve Cummings - Taylor's wins over Bernard Hopkins may have put him on boxing's A-list, but I'm not convinced. B-Hop is a forty-something athlete in a tough sport so you can't necessarily hang Taylor's hat on the fact that he beat the all-time great champion. Then Hopkins went and dominated Antonio Tarver and made himself, and Taylor, look much better with a masterful performance.
Winky's a better known commodity. He's a stylistic nightmare of an opponent who has mastered the likes of Shane Mosley, Felix Trinidad, J.C. Candelo and Sam Soliman in recent years, and he also dropped a controversial decision against a young, hard-charging Fernando Vargas in 1999. While this is a tough call, I just think it's way too much to ask of the unseasoned Taylor to solve the crafty and very seasoned Wright at this stage of the game. Winky wins an easy, and most likely boring 12-round decision.
Rick Reeno – Jermain is going to leave enough room between himself and Wright to block most punches that come his way, and at the same time he will pick his shots to break Wright down. Unlike Felix Trinidad and Sam Soliman, Taylor is a very big middleweight and is one of hardest punchers at the weight. Wright will not be able to push Taylor around like Shane Mosley and he will not be able to beat him with a single jab like he did to Felix Trinidad.
I consider Hopkins a much better overall boxer than Wright and he was forced to become the aggressor in order to win several of the rounds in his two meetings with Taylor. I don’t see Wright fighting very well as the aggressor, which he will need to do in order to close the gap that Taylor will create between them. I see the fight being close in the early rounds before Taylor takes over in the second half to win a unanimous decision.
