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July is a month of boxing rehabilitation in the sense that we have a schedule packed to the top with quality bouts and if you follow the sport, then you know just what I mean.
With so many high level fights on the horizon, July 21 at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort in Las Vegas stands out as we have two of this sport’s biggest names and perhaps two of this generation’s best, going at it.
Bernard Hopkins, 47-4-1 (32), the former middleweight champion and current Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion will face a man who some consider the best defensive fighter in the game today, Winky Wright, 51-3-1 (25).
There are no ABC titles on the line in this bout, but something even more precious and I don’t just mean Hopkins’ Ring Belt. What I am talking about cannot be put in a trophy case or displayed around your waist; pride and bragging rights!
Yesterday I was on hand, or should I say on the phone, with the trainers of both Hopkins and Wright, two of the best this era has to offer in Freddie Roach and Dan Birmingham.
Add that with “The Golden Boy” himself on the line and we had what my Grandfather used to call a “good old fashioned fight talk”. Here is what was said:
Oscar De La Hoya: “Thank you members of the press and media for joining us today. I would like to introduce to everyone the Trainers of the two participants for the July 21 Showdown between Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and Ronald “Winky” Wright, Freddie Roach and Dan Birmingham. Let me be the first to thank each of them for taking time out of their busy training camp to be with us. Without further delay let the questions begin.”
Boxing Press: Freddie, how is training camp going with Bernard?
Freddie Roach: “Bernard is working hard. We sparred earlier today. We have been sparring on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. We have a game plan we are focusing on. Bernard is better then ever. He cracked me good a couple of times during our mitt sessions. Hard enough that I am debating a comeback.” (press laughs)
BP: Dan, how are things shaping up in your camp with Winky? What are you guys doing to keep things going? Anything different? How are you keeping Winky on top of his game?
Dan Birmingham: “We are always doing something different. We are always looking for new exercises to keep Winky in the best of shape. Every time we are in camp, we look to make the most out of things and make sure he is the best he can be.”
BP: Freddie, how is it you and Bernard came together for this fight?
FR: “Well, as we all know, Bernard’s trainer had a stroke. While he is recovering, Bernard needed someone there to help out., eeded someone to work the mitts. He needed someone to be able to be here full time. Once his trainer is better and in full health, he will be back. I am just helping out.”
BP: Freddie ,back in the days of Kronk gym, Emmanuel Steward was known as a guy who built his fighters from the ground up into champions. Then he has become somewhat of a guy who works only with established names. Are you becoming one of those guy’s? Last fight it was Oscar De La Hoya, this bout Bernard Hopkins.
FR: “Like I said earlier, Bernard needed someone to come in for this fight. Once his trainer is recovered, he will be back. I was approached about coming in to help out and I agreed. He is the one who should be here for this fight. Once he recovers, he will be back. He needs some time to heal so he can be back. ”
BP: Freddie, with you and Bernard working together and him being 42 years old, how has he reacted to any new ideas you may have brought in to camp? Has he been receptive?
FR: “There is not a lot you can teach Bernard. Conditioning is one of our main focuses. He is a young 42. He has not had too many wars in the ring to wear him down so we don’t need to work around that. He hasn’t taken any beatings in the ring. He knows what he is doing in there right now, we are just working on the fine points.”
BP: Dan, is Winky going to be able to bring the fight to Hopkins? Is he going to go in there with the ability to go after him. [Hopkins] At 42, Winky has the age advantage over him. Will that be a factor?
DB: “Absolutely. Winky is going in there to force the fight. He is not going to take a step backwards all night. Winky is accurate with his punches. That accuracy is going to wear Hopkins down.”
BP: Freddie, Bernard’s last two opponents have not really pressed the action. They have let Bernard keep his own pace to keep the action at his liking. Do you think Winky will actually come in after him?
FR: “I think he will. I think he will try to come in and wear Bernard out. But it is not going to work. Hopkins is a great counter puncher. He will have an answer for anything Winky has to offer.”
SaddoBoxing: Freddie, you mentioned that you fully expect Winky to press the action but as we all know, Winky is perhaps the best defensive fighter in boxing today, perhaps the last 10 years. If Winky does go on the defensive during this fight, is Bernard ready to be the aggressor? We all know that Bernard loves to counter his man on the way in. Winky’s shell is something of a puzzle to most fighters; will Bernard go after him or will he just be content to wait for Wright to attack, then counter?
FR: “Winky is, without a doubt, going to press the action. We have seen in his recent fights he is doing more of that. Once he feels Bernard’s power though, he will go on the defensive. Once he does go into that shell, we will have no choice to take the fight to him. We are ready to go after him. We will go after him once we wear him down and he feels like he needs to be on the defensive. That’s what we want.”
BP: Dan, many people are predicting a technical fight with little action. Some are even going as far to say it will be dull. How do you see it?
DB: “Winky is going after him. I promise you that. Everyone is going to be surprised how strong Winky has become. Once you see him you will be able to tell immediately how much he has built up for this. Do not think Winky is dull. Winky is a tactician. Winky has great combinations that are right on the mark. He will set the pace throwing 70-80 punches a round. Bernard like’s to keep the pace at 30-40. It is that pace that will help him [Winky] win this fight. Add that to his accuracy and combinations, and it is going to be his night.”
SaddoBoxing: Oscar, this question is for you, as the CEO of Golden Boy Productions, the company that Bernard is associated with. Roy Jones had mentioned the other day in a press conference that he offered challenges to all the champions at light heavyweight. Although Bernard does not have an alphabet title, he has the “Ring Title” something more important in the eyes of most experts and fans.
Roy stated that Bernard opted to fight Wright instead of him. A rematch with Jones is something that Bernard has publicly stated that he wants ever since losing his first world title fight to Roy in 1993. He [Hopkins] wants a rematch; Is Jones going to be next on the list for Bernard, assuming both he and Roy win their next fights?
Oscar De La Hoya: “We don’t see it, unless Bernard says he wants to fight Roy now. Hopkins is in a position to fight who he wants and when he wants. As long as he keeps winning, the choice is his. It is something we will sit down and discuss after this fight and see if that is what Bernard wants to do next.”
BP: Dan, with the return of Felix Trinidad in the works, is there any chance of a rematch between him and Winky?
Dan B: “It’s not going to happen, so don’t look for it to. Winky and Felix are good friends. Felix was at Winky’s training camp helping him prepare for this fight. They visit each others homes. Winky flies to Puerto Rico to visit Felix and his family. Trinidad flies to Florida to visit Winky and his. They are also business partners now. So a fight between the two is not likely to happen at all.”
End of conference call
When talks of this fight first started, I must admit I was not that interested and my opinion was that it is going to be a chess match, although in a way it did hit a curiosity nerve in my purist side of the game. Now after all this talk, I am truly hyped for this bout.
Will Winky Wright be able to go and attack Hopkins like his camp claims? Can Winky be as good offensively as he is defensively? Will Bernard be able to keep the pace that Winky’s camp is promising to bring to the champion? Will Hopkins be the attacker that Freddie Roach says he will be once he shows Wright that he is the stronger fighter?
Like everyone else, I will have to wait until July 21.
But one thing is for sure; this fight will be anything but dull.
