Born With the Wright Stuff: The Gift of the Jab.

I was way off with my prediction on the Trinidad-Wright fight. I did not think it was possible for “Winky” Wright to box so effectively for all twelve rounds, especially when matched up against such a devastating puncher like Felix “Tito” Trinidad. I figured that somewhere down the line, as the fight progressed into the later rounds Winky catch a big shot. However, what we witnessed was one of the most dominating performances we have seen in some time. Tell me, when was the last time you have seen a fighter win all twelve rounds on of his jab? Felix Trinidad was a no show at the post-fight news conference late Saturday night. No exact reason came for his absence, but you can surmise one of two things. Either he was suffering from the complications of a broken nose and went to the hospital, or his ego was simply shattered. And in all efforts to avoid all questions on why was he so easily dominated, he opted not to show up. But who knows?

With the loss, Felix Trinidad has pretty much fallen from contention. As well as relinquishing all claims as being the best pound-for-pound. On May 14th, 2005 a crowd of over 14,000 combined with a pay-per-view audience all saw first hand, Tito get exposed as a one-dimensional fighter who can be toyed with by a good jab, slick footwork and good defense. That is the game plan Winky executed in winning all twelve rounds. According to his head trainer Dan Birmingham, “The idea was to reenact the first six rounds of the Oscar de la Hoya fight, then finalize it by implementing the final six rounds of the Bernard Hopkins fight.” This resulted in him pitching a shutout on my scorecard. One of the judges at ringside saw it the same way. Winky told the press after the fight, “ I told you I was going to win every round one-by-one and that’s what I did. I didn’t deviate from my plan. Once I saw the jab working and that I could hit him and hurt him with it, I just kept using it and trying to put the punches behind it.”

Wright now stands 49-3 with 25 KOs. Wright, an undisputed champion at 154-pounds found himself stripped of those titles and moved up to 160-pounds to fight Trinidad. Many people felt (including myself) that Trinidad was the bigger man naturally. All of us failed to realize that Trinidad started his career at 140-pounds. From 140 he went to 147-pounds. From 147 he went to 154-pounds. From 154 he went to 160-pounds. Winky fought his entire career at 154-pounds. Now you tell me which weight is closer to 160-pounds, 140 or 154? So now you know why Winky looked like the much bigger and stronger of the two. Wright’s dominance left many wondering if it is necessary to exercise the clause for a rematch.

Tito’s flat footedness allowed him to be an easy target for Winky’s stiff right jab. His piston like jab landed 185 times, nullifying Trinidad’s offense along with Wright’s incredible defense out of the southpaw stance. His defense was impregnable; he was like a turtle in his shell. He protected his face with his gloves while his arms and elbows shielded his body. This was the personification of perfection. You could not touch him. Trinidad landed fifty-eight punches in the entire night. Do the math: in a twelve round fight that averages out to almost five punches a round. Nothing in this fight indicated that the outcome would be any different in a rematch.

Winky’s rationale for his dominance was simple. In his words he stated, “He underestimated me because he thought since I was moving from 154 to 160, I wouldn’t be strong enough to keep him off. Now he sees he is going to have to go back to the basics and train hard and I expect the next fight to be a tougher fight.”

Don’t be surprised if there isn’t a rematch. It was not close and the public would not be interested in it. In the meantime, Wright can wait on the sidelines and face the winner of the Bernard Hopkins-Jermain Taylor bout set for July 16. Now the question that remains is, with three consecutive impressive outings (twice against “Sugar” Shane Mosley and now Felix “Tito” Trinidad), how many of the “elite” boxers are willing to step in the ring to fight Wright after observing such a boxing clinic?

It is not a coincidence that Winky Wright’s resume is a tad bit short on “A’ level fighters. But I have come to find out that that is what happens when you are able to utilize a piston-like jab with pinpoint accuracy. Certain “gifts” come with very expensive prices. Ronald Winky Wright is one of the best “pure boxers” in the game today. He made many new believers. He sure as hell made one out of me.

Edwin Gonzalez can be reached at prpapa427@aol.com