God Help Trinidad Says Winky.

God Help Trinidad If He Calls Winky Wright "Ronald" By Michael J. Woods (April 13, 2005) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winky Wright is one of the three best technical fighters in the sport today, and beyond that, he has the estimable Dan Birmingham working his corner to fill in whatever minute gaps exist in his game. Wright and his team know damn well that his technically precise style, his tight guard and his impeccable footwork are beyond exemplary. They know this with such certainty that they have to believe that any oddsmakers who see Tito Trinidad as a 4-to-1 favorite for the May 14 Trinidad/Wright showdown are in dire need of an educational seminar on the finer points of the brutal science that is boxing. Or glasses. Or both. But just in case Wright needs a wild card infusion of motivation when he steps in with Trinidad for a WBC title eliminator, Birmingham or promoter Gary Shaw could whisper in their man's ear prefight. "Pssst, Winky. Listen up," team Wright could say, in a conspiratorial tone. "I didn't want to tell you this, because I know how you feel about it, but I have it on good authority that Tito went over the line, trash talking you behind your back. He called you...now steady yourself, you're not going to like this...Tito called you Ronald." As of today, I like Wright, comparatively rust-free, having taken far less punishment compared to others who have fought at his level at age 33, in this matchup. I give Wright a 60-40% shot at confounding Trinidad, using the Bernard Hopkins blueprint to steer himself to victory. But if someone whispers in Winky's ear that Tito called him "Ronald," then I can see Wright unleashing a version of himself that he rarely lets out of the cage, and inflicting an Ali-on-Ernie Terrell type walloping on the iconic Puerto Rican, Trinidad. "Don't call me Ronald," Winky, I repeat, Winky Wright corrected a writer on a Tuesday afternoon conference call to begin the hype process for Trinidad/Wright, which will unfurl at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. That writer, hearing the tonal difference in Wright's voice, backed down immediately, and addressed the fighter as "Winky." It goes without saying that Trinidad will do no such backpedaling when he meets the 48-3 (25 KOs) southpaw, perhaps the most avoided fighter in the last 10 years, a man who hasn't lost in five years. So why is Wright now fighting his third-straight ultra high profile prizefight after campaigning for much of the 90s in France, which is fine for an aspiring novelist or walking mannequin, but not ideal for a boxer looking to make maximum splash and cash? Wright explained that his recent rise in visibility and prior anonymity isn't due to a recent spike in his skills, or a funny first name, but rather by the choice of TV networks to finally embrace him as a player in the middleweight/junior middleweight classes. "The problem was if the networks market you, you become big, if the networks don't then you're not going to become big," he said. "The networks choose who to promote." The name "Winky," he said, hasn't hampered his rise in the fight racket. "My grandmother gave me the name, I love the name," he said. "Once people hear it they never forget it." The "lack of fame because of a name" theory discounted, Wright addressed the extra six or so pounds he will be carrying when he meets Trinidad, 42-1 (35 KOs), who began his pro career 15 years ago as a 140-pounder. "At 160 pounds, I feel great," Wright said. "I don't have to lose that extra six pounds." Taste-testing Trinidad's power to prove a point, as Ricardo Mayorga did disastrously on Oct. 2, 2004, won't happen, Wright promised. "I'm not trying to test his power, how hard he hits," he said. "I'll just beat him round by round and if I get inside, I'll hurt him." Wright also derided Mayorga as a blown up welterweight without the muscle mass to test Trinidad's chin. "Mayorga was too small at middleweight," he said. "But Tito looked great. He did get hit more (than he typically does) because he was more offensive." Wright admitted that there have been times when he has operated almost on autopilot, that his superiority in skill level caused him to coast. "To win I knew I could beat you with a jab and movement," he said. "I didn't feel I had to pull out all the tricks in my bag." Wright seemed to indicate that he'll need all the tricks in his arsenal to down Trinidad, 32, who he says is of such caliber that he's immune to rust. "People should stop criticizing him and give him credit for his heart," he said. "He can fight anybody he wants to, he wants to fight the best and I take my hat off to him. We should've fought a while back, he moved to middleweight and the time is here." With the surety that comes from being on a five-year winning streak, Wright predicted that he'd best Trinidad and immediately offer Tito a rematch. "If I lose he ain't gonna give me no rematch," he said. "I'm happy to give Tito a rematch. After that, we'll see. Bernard, De La Hoya, it'll be who the fans want to see, not who the promoters want. I've fought all the rest, now it's time to fight the best." I like his attitude. Borikua will be owing me and Jack some points. Excellent arcticle, and well said by Winky. Tito is going to get outclassed, clowned, and made silly by the crafty southpaw. I would like to see him pull out some stops, and maybe knock Tito out. Unlikely though. 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