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Mayweather Jr. willing to make date with Wright
WBC champ says risk would be worth it
By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Winky Wright plans to fight in November, but the former undisputed super welterweight champion doesn't have a logical opponent for a major bout.
Wright, whose 154-pound belts were stripped from him by the sanctioning bodies, hopes to fight Nov. 5. And Las Vegan Floyd Mayweather Jr., the WBC super lightweight champion, said he would accommodate Wright. Mayweather has a Nov. 12 pay-per-view date against an undetermined opponent.
"I would fight Winky Wright and could make it happen for November," said Mayweather, who won the WBC 140-pound title last month by stopping Arturo Gatti. "I'm a risk-taker. All that has to happen for the fight is for HBO to come to the table. I respect Winky Wright, and he's the best 154-pounder in the world, but I'm the best fighter in the world.
"I want to be the best ever, and to do that, you have to take risky fights, fights people think you can lose. Well, after everyone saw how he dominated Felix Trinidad, that would be a risky fight for me, wouldn't it? But I'll still take it."
Wright laughed when Mayweather was suggested as an opponent. But when told Mayweather is serious, Wright turned serious. He praised Mayweather for his willingness to move up and said he would take the fight if contracts can be made.
Mayweather said he is confident he can beat Wright, who last fought as a middleweight and won all 12 rounds against Trinidad.
"What makes Winky such a great fighter is that he is a good boxer," Mayweather said. "But he's not a big, big puncher. He should have stopped Trinidad. That's how I feel. When you dominate a guy like that, and he was extremely impressive, the fans want to see you step up and finish the job and stop him."
• NO OPTIONAL -- The WBC sided with promoter Don King on Friday, forcing heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko to next fight the winner of the Aug. 13 interim championship between Hasim Rahman and Monte Barrett.
Klitschko had a $4 million deal in place to fight Calvin Brock on Sept. 24 with a promise he would fight the Rahman-Barrett winner after that. Klitschko petitioned the WBC for an extension to make his mandatory so he could meet Brock, an unbeaten former U.S. Olympian.
Klitschko hasn't fought a mandatory defense since he won the title 15 months ago. His only defense, an eighth-round stoppage of Danny Williams at Mandalay Bay in December, was an optional.
Three times, a fight between Klitschko and Rahman, the WBC's mandatory challenger, had to be postponed because of injuries to Klitschko.
Klitschko has been criticized for appearing to want to duck the Rahman-Barrett winner, but said in a statement that is untrue.
"There has been a lot of criticism of me lately, but now that I am healthy and able to fight and know when my next fight will be, I am keen to go forward and show the critics and especially my fans who the real heavyweight champion of the world is," Klitschko said. "Whoever I fight next, I will be ready. I will not be rooting for either Rahman or Barrett, but Rahman has been talking so much and saying so many bad things about me, I think I would love to personally shut him up once and for all."
King, who promotes Rahman and Barrett, hopes to convince HBO to stage the Klitschko fight Sept. 24. But HBO Sports vice president Kery Davis wasn't optimistic.
"To me, it is doubtful you could do a fight on Aug. 13 and have enough time to promote a fight of that caliber on Sept. 24," Davis said.
Klitschko adviser Shelly Finkel, who laughed at the suggestion Klitschko was ducking any contender, also said it's unlikely the fight could happen in September.
"What is HBO supposed to do, print two guides, one if Rahman wins and one if Barrett wins?" Finkel said. "You have to be realistic when you're looking at this kind of a fight. There are too many variables to take that kind of a risk."
• ALMOST DONE -- Promoter Gary Shaw said the proposed Oct. 8 rematch between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo is almost finalized. Shaw said there are "a few loose ends to tie up," but he saw no impediments that would prevent the bout.
The two met in one of the greatest brawls ever, when Corrales got up from two knockdowns to stop Castillo in the 10th round May 7 at Mandalay Bay.
Negotiations are so far along that Shaw is planning with Top Rank for news conferences this week in Las Vegas and Los Angeles to formally announce the bout, which will be at the Thomas & Mack Center.
• MORALES AFRAID? -- Sharp words have flowed between former world champion Oscar De La Hoya, now a fledgling promoter, and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, one of boxing's most powerful promoters, since their breakup last year.
De La Hoya, who promotes Marco Antonio Barrera, said he tried to work with Top Rank to arrange a fourth fight between Barrera and his archrival, the Top Rank-promoted Erik Morales. Their first three fights were among the best in history, with two having been named Fight of the Year. Many analysts have called Morales-Barrera the best trilogy in the sport's history.
De La Hoya said Morales doesn't want a fourth fight with Barrera, who won the second and third bouts after losing the first.
"Just like (Shane) Mosley has my number, Morales knows Barrera has his number and so he doesn't want the fight," De La Hoya said.
Morales will fight Zahir Raheem on Sept. 10, sharing a date at the Staples Center in Los Angeles with Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao will fight unheralded Hector Velazquez, with the intention of fighting a rematch with Morales in December.
Morales and Pacquiao engaged in a memorable March 19 slugfest at the MGM Grand.
Arum said a Morales-Pacquiao pay per view is a much better business proposition than Morales-Barrera and that De La Hoya was lying when he said Morales didn't want the fight.
"Oscar is flat out lying," Arum said. "But that's nothing new. He should know. The Pacquiao fight did 20 percent better on pay per view than the (last) Barrera fight, and it cost us less. That's why we want that fight.
"Would Morales fight Barrera again? Of course he would. It's absurd to even ask me that. Who in his right mind would think Erik Morales is afraid to fight anyone?"
Barrera will fight Robbie Peden on Sept. 17 at the MGM Grand on a card that will include Mosley.
WBC champ says risk would be worth it
By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Winky Wright plans to fight in November, but the former undisputed super welterweight champion doesn't have a logical opponent for a major bout.
Wright, whose 154-pound belts were stripped from him by the sanctioning bodies, hopes to fight Nov. 5. And Las Vegan Floyd Mayweather Jr., the WBC super lightweight champion, said he would accommodate Wright. Mayweather has a Nov. 12 pay-per-view date against an undetermined opponent.
"I would fight Winky Wright and could make it happen for November," said Mayweather, who won the WBC 140-pound title last month by stopping Arturo Gatti. "I'm a risk-taker. All that has to happen for the fight is for HBO to come to the table. I respect Winky Wright, and he's the best 154-pounder in the world, but I'm the best fighter in the world.
"I want to be the best ever, and to do that, you have to take risky fights, fights people think you can lose. Well, after everyone saw how he dominated Felix Trinidad, that would be a risky fight for me, wouldn't it? But I'll still take it."
Wright laughed when Mayweather was suggested as an opponent. But when told Mayweather is serious, Wright turned serious. He praised Mayweather for his willingness to move up and said he would take the fight if contracts can be made.
Mayweather said he is confident he can beat Wright, who last fought as a middleweight and won all 12 rounds against Trinidad.
"What makes Winky such a great fighter is that he is a good boxer," Mayweather said. "But he's not a big, big puncher. He should have stopped Trinidad. That's how I feel. When you dominate a guy like that, and he was extremely impressive, the fans want to see you step up and finish the job and stop him."
• NO OPTIONAL -- The WBC sided with promoter Don King on Friday, forcing heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko to next fight the winner of the Aug. 13 interim championship between Hasim Rahman and Monte Barrett.
Klitschko had a $4 million deal in place to fight Calvin Brock on Sept. 24 with a promise he would fight the Rahman-Barrett winner after that. Klitschko petitioned the WBC for an extension to make his mandatory so he could meet Brock, an unbeaten former U.S. Olympian.
Klitschko hasn't fought a mandatory defense since he won the title 15 months ago. His only defense, an eighth-round stoppage of Danny Williams at Mandalay Bay in December, was an optional.
Three times, a fight between Klitschko and Rahman, the WBC's mandatory challenger, had to be postponed because of injuries to Klitschko.
Klitschko has been criticized for appearing to want to duck the Rahman-Barrett winner, but said in a statement that is untrue.
"There has been a lot of criticism of me lately, but now that I am healthy and able to fight and know when my next fight will be, I am keen to go forward and show the critics and especially my fans who the real heavyweight champion of the world is," Klitschko said. "Whoever I fight next, I will be ready. I will not be rooting for either Rahman or Barrett, but Rahman has been talking so much and saying so many bad things about me, I think I would love to personally shut him up once and for all."
King, who promotes Rahman and Barrett, hopes to convince HBO to stage the Klitschko fight Sept. 24. But HBO Sports vice president Kery Davis wasn't optimistic.
"To me, it is doubtful you could do a fight on Aug. 13 and have enough time to promote a fight of that caliber on Sept. 24," Davis said.
Klitschko adviser Shelly Finkel, who laughed at the suggestion Klitschko was ducking any contender, also said it's unlikely the fight could happen in September.
"What is HBO supposed to do, print two guides, one if Rahman wins and one if Barrett wins?" Finkel said. "You have to be realistic when you're looking at this kind of a fight. There are too many variables to take that kind of a risk."
• ALMOST DONE -- Promoter Gary Shaw said the proposed Oct. 8 rematch between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo is almost finalized. Shaw said there are "a few loose ends to tie up," but he saw no impediments that would prevent the bout.
The two met in one of the greatest brawls ever, when Corrales got up from two knockdowns to stop Castillo in the 10th round May 7 at Mandalay Bay.
Negotiations are so far along that Shaw is planning with Top Rank for news conferences this week in Las Vegas and Los Angeles to formally announce the bout, which will be at the Thomas & Mack Center.
• MORALES AFRAID? -- Sharp words have flowed between former world champion Oscar De La Hoya, now a fledgling promoter, and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, one of boxing's most powerful promoters, since their breakup last year.
De La Hoya, who promotes Marco Antonio Barrera, said he tried to work with Top Rank to arrange a fourth fight between Barrera and his archrival, the Top Rank-promoted Erik Morales. Their first three fights were among the best in history, with two having been named Fight of the Year. Many analysts have called Morales-Barrera the best trilogy in the sport's history.
De La Hoya said Morales doesn't want a fourth fight with Barrera, who won the second and third bouts after losing the first.
"Just like (Shane) Mosley has my number, Morales knows Barrera has his number and so he doesn't want the fight," De La Hoya said.
Morales will fight Zahir Raheem on Sept. 10, sharing a date at the Staples Center in Los Angeles with Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao will fight unheralded Hector Velazquez, with the intention of fighting a rematch with Morales in December.
Morales and Pacquiao engaged in a memorable March 19 slugfest at the MGM Grand.
Arum said a Morales-Pacquiao pay per view is a much better business proposition than Morales-Barrera and that De La Hoya was lying when he said Morales didn't want the fight.
"Oscar is flat out lying," Arum said. "But that's nothing new. He should know. The Pacquiao fight did 20 percent better on pay per view than the (last) Barrera fight, and it cost us less. That's why we want that fight.
"Would Morales fight Barrera again? Of course he would. It's absurd to even ask me that. Who in his right mind would think Erik Morales is afraid to fight anyone?"
Barrera will fight Robbie Peden on Sept. 17 at the MGM Grand on a card that will include Mosley.
...Thats what I am saying...this crazy but if Floyd were to take it and win DAMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNN! 
I think Floyd just wants a big challenge.
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