HBO Boxing: Jermain Taylor – Winky Wright

HBO Sports presents a major Middleweight showdown when World Championship Boxing: Jermain Taylor vs. Winky Wright is seen live Saturday, June 17 exclusively on HBO.

Two of boxing’s most accomplished competitors meet in a major middleweight title showdown when World Championship Boxing: Jermain Taylor vs. Winky Wright is seen live from the FedEx Forum in Memphis on Saturday, June 17 (9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT). The HBO Sports team of Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Lennox Lewis will be ringside for the event, which will be closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

HBO2 playdates: June 18 (9:00 a.m., 5:30 p.m.) and 20 (11:30 p.m.). Times are ET/PT.

For the past few years, Little Rock native Jermain Taylor (25-0, 17 KOs) has been a rising star. With two victories over middleweight legend Bernard Hopkins in 2005, Taylor, a bronze medalist on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, has arrived as one of the sport’s most accomplished fighters. How far can the 160-pound world champ take a pro career that has been letter-perfect to date?

Taylor’s 26th pro fight just might turn ou! t to be his most difficult challenge. St. Petersburg, Fla. resident Winky Wright (50-3, 25 KOs) has emerged as a top performer in the past few years, soundly defeating, and in some cases demoralizing, his ring opponents. His most recent triumphs include wins over Shane Mosley (twice), Felix Trinidad and Sam Soliman. Wright has double the pro experience of Taylor and was once the undisputed champ at 154 pounds.

The Taylor-Wright showdown will be complemented by the half-hour special “Countdown to Taylor-Wright,” which debuts Friday, June 3 at 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT), on HBO, followed by subsequent plays on HBO and HBO2. HBO On Demand subscribers will also have access to the special starting June 5.