By Dave Sholler
Photo © Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com

Despite announcing his retirement from boxing last June, former middleweight king Bernard Hopkins confirmed last week that he will be returning to the ring on July 21 to face crafty veteran Winky Wright. Even though his defeat of then-IBO light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver last summer meant his legacy was solidified, Bernard Hopkins will lace up the gloves again in pursuit of another big win.

The match was seemingly one the 42-year old couldn’t resist. Many, though, wonder if Winky was the “Wright” opponent.

While no one will deny Hopkins’ ability to defy age and odds, many question the future Hall-of-Famer’s decision based on Wright’s style. After all, Wright is a more complete boxer than B-Hop’s last opponent Antonio Tarver, having pushed current middleweight champion (and Hopkins’ foe) Jermain Taylor to the brink of losing his title last year.

Moreover, at this moment, Wright is one of boxing’s best defensive fighters, breaking down opponents with the purest forms of the sweet science. So the question remains; why in the world would Hopkins come back to fight Wright?

Like it or not, the answer is simple. Bernard Hopkins still believes he is the best in the world and loves when critics think otherwise. He wants to battle the world’s best fighters. After bouts with Roy Jones Jr. and Oleg Maskaev fell through, Hopkins took the next best option. When all was said and done, though, the Germantown, Philadelphia native truthfully saw little threat in fighting Wright.

Even though he is financially secure and a partner in a thriving boxing promotions business, Hopkins looks at this comeback much like a stock broker looks at potential investments. If he believed there were a severe risk of losing to Wright, he would have proceeded with caution and may have stayed retired.

However, Hopkins is so sure he’ll win that he proceeded with furor in making the match. Ever the savvy businessman, Bernard believes the reward is much greater than the risk.

Regardless of how confident and calculated Hopkins is now, the risk of losing is there and he will be put to the test on July 21. Wright is a polished ring general capable of manipulating even the best fighter’s game plan. Wright forces opponents to fight his fight, often baiting in the opposition and swiftly counter punching for 12 rounds.

While it remains to be seen if Wright can knock out a big-named opponent, one-thing is for sure; he will batter unprepared victims with lethal combinations all while maintaining his defensive scheme.

With that said, Hopkins-Wright looks to be a war of attrition. Who will be the aggressor? Can Wright’s defense save him from a Hopkins’ mugging? Will Hopkins’ 42-year-old body be able to handle Wright’s selective peppering? Mysteries like these seem to be part of a lengthy equation both fighters must solve before their bout. Still, though, the methodical Hopkins is confident.

"This fight is based on who can figure out the puzzle and make the other guy do what he don't want to do," Hopkins told Philadelphia Daily News boxing scribe Bernard Fernandez in an exclusive interview. “I know everything that Winky has, and I also know that Winky don't have as many weapons in his arsenal as I do. Winky's going to get hit more in this fight than he's been hit in any fight in his life."

Always a self-promoter, Hopkins may have had other reasons to make this fight as well. Since many have billed the upcoming bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya as the match that will crown’s boxing’s best, Hopkins seems miffed that he was left out of top-fighter consideration. With a win over Wright, he believes he’ll prove that age doesn’t mean a thing.

“Almost everyone has Winky ranked up there among the top three or four pound-for-pound fighters,” Hopkins told Fernandez. “Beating him puts me right back there again, and at 42 years old, too."

Come July, Bernard Hopkins will have the opportunity to prove to everyone that he is still the best. And if he finishes the evening with his arms raised in triumph, Bernard will be the first to remind you that he made the “Wright” choice.

Dave Sholler is a freelance columnist and frequent contributor to BoxingScene.com. Listen to Sholler’s appearances on ESPN Radio 1450 AM in Atlantic City weekdays from 4-7 p.m. Contact Sholler at shollerholla4@hotmail.com