Finally.....The Wright article.
I usually don't like this guys articles but he is for once IMO Wright on point about last Sat fight between Winky and Taylor.
Boxing
Don't buy the argument Wright gave away the fight
By JOHN C. COTEY, Times Staff Writer
Published June 20, 2006
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Whether Winky Wright won Saturday's fight with middleweight champion Jermain Taylor has been a source of sizzling debate in the boxing world.
There's an argument for everyone who wants one.
So I'll make one: If you're buying the story that Wright gave the fight away in the 12th round, don't.
Somewhere between the start of that round and its end, a talking point was created by the HBO announcers and fiercely spun a million times since: that Wright danced and ran from Taylor and let the the fight slip away.
Even worse, they compared it to Oscar De La Hoya's track meet in giving away his 1999 fight to Felix Trinidad, perhaps the standard bearer for all fights in which the guy leading blows it.
The comparison is ridiculous, unfair and a complete distortion of what happened Saturday night.
But first, my mea culpa. I scored the final round for Taylor (writing on deadline took most of my attention) until I watched it on tape. Today, I would score it easily for Wright. (I also would change my fourth round and give it to Taylor, however, leaving me with the same 116-112 score.)
The HBO announcing team jumped all over Wright in the final round for his supposed inactivity, and that became the story. It gained immediate traction. It was repeated enough times and written in enough places it became accepted fact.
But it's fiction.
Wright changed his game plan in the final round. He thought he was ahead, so he was careful. He never ran, never danced and decided to wait on a reluctant Taylor instead of coming forward. Maybe that confused the judges after 11 rounds of Wright walking Taylor down. Maybe it was a bad decision by Wright.
All things equal (and in boxing things never are), Wright did what he had to do to win the round.
After re-watching and re-scoring the round, here's what I saw:
Wright threw 37 punches, Taylor 36. Wright landed 11 punches, Taylor 4.
And with six seconds left in the fight, Taylor ducked as he came inside and caught the best punch of the round, a hard short left, right on the kisser.
So continue to argue about the draw. Fight over who really won Saturday night. Debate the merits of both boxers.
Just don't build your argument about the myth of the 12th round.
COOLING OFF:
Wright has always said it's all about the money. But is it?
If it is all about the money, then Wright will cool off and come around to the idea of a rematch. HBO would likely put it on pay-per-view, and it could make each fighter upwards of $5-million.
Unless it's not really all about the money. For Wright, this time it may be more a matter of pride.
In 1999, he was upset about the decision he lost to Fernando Vargas. That was minor compared to the anger he feels about Saturday's draw.
He would love to fight Floyd Mayweather or De La Hoya next, but don't be surprised if Wright pursues a match-up with super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. It is already a known fact that British promoter Frank Warren wants it, and with Calzaghe now lined up with HBO, it makes perfect sense.
Wright was upset he had to fight Taylor so near his hometown of Little Rock, Ark., and feels he lost a hometown decision. So Calzaghe, who is from Wales, may have to be talked into fighting for the first time in the United States.
John C. Cotey can be reached at cotey@sptimes.com
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