Hopkins vs. Wright: Business Transaction or Prize Fight?

http://maxboxing.com/Fischer/Fischer052307.asp

It can be argued that Wright, who holds a 51-3-1 record, dominated Trinidad more complete than Hopkins did and the Florida-based southpaw fought Taylor on more even terms than the aging middleweight champ did.

Maybe that’s why Hopkins, 47-4-1, sought a fight with Wright? Perhaps his fiery fighter’s ego was bruised by Wright’s shinning performances vs. his former foes.

Or perhaps, as some boxing writers have suggested, a showdown with Wright was merely convenient.

Perhaps the making of Hopkins vs. Wright was just a simple matter of business on the side of Golden Boy Promotions, which has a “strategic alliance” with Wright’s promotional entity Winky Promotions, and HBO, which has exclusive contracts with both fighters.

Truth be told, the first 30 to 40 minutes of the last stop on the Hopkins-Wright press tour, which took place at the swanky Cinegril inside the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel yesterday afternoon, sounded more like a business seminar than a media conference for an upcoming prize fight.

The title to Hopkins-Wright is “Coming to Fight”, but for at least half an hour nobody mentioned the fight. All anyone at the podium talked about were the record numbers posted and revenue taken in by the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather event earlier this month and the projected stats of the July 21st bout.

Schaefer let the assembled press know that over 5,000 tickets for Hopkins-Wright, which are priced from $100 to $850, have already been sold at the Mandalay Bay before quickly commenting on the “great partnership Golden Boy has with the MGM-Mirage group”. The former banker-turned-promoter introduced the guy who sells closed circuit venues for pay-per-view events, who let everyone know that a record 2,000 locations were sold for De La Hoya-Mayweather.

Schaefer talked about the many corporate sponsors of May 5th, July 21st, and all of Golden Boy’s big fights – Rockstar energy drink, Southwest airlines, Tecate beer, and a large Hispanic phone card company. In-between the usual corporate back-slapping between promotional company, network and venue representatives, Schaefer went on and on about – the fight? – no, business.

Thank goodness HBO Pay-Per-View’s Tony Walker brought the focus back to the fighters when it was his turn to speak at the podium.

“They both love the big challenge,” Walker said of Hopkins and Wright (before thanking the reps of the host casino and DirecTV, and then letting the press know that the July 21st show will be available in 60 million homes for a suggested price of $49.95).

Walker is correct. Despite Hopkins’s current business interests and the future business ventures that Wright hopes to be involved in, both veterans are among the few remaining elite-level boxers who are willing to fight anyone, anywhere, any time.

For most of their careers, they were on the outside looking in. Now, they are not only inside the Ivory Tower, they sit at the table with the rest of the lords.

Hopkins was once a maverick of the sport, a tireless rabble rouser outside of the ring who was diabolically crafty in it. Promoters and managers viewed him as much of a threat as fellow 160-pound title holders and contenders. Wright was an outcast, a tough guy technician with an impenetrable defense, boxing’s version of the immovable object. His high guard, piston-like jab, and penchant for distance fights made him the bane of matchmakers, network executives as well as his fellow fighters.

Wright asked the assembled media not to “hate” on his defensive style or the ring generalship of his opponent.

“People are sayin’ that both of us are defensive fighters,” Wright said. “No, both of us are smart fighters. We know how to win. [That’s why we’ve had] longevity. I’ve been a pro since 1990 and I did that ‘cause I’m smart.

“I don’t want to be out here like some of these fighters who can’t talk or their faces are rearranged. I’m trying to do some other things after boxing, so I got to block a lot of shots.”

http://maxboxing.com/Fischer/Fischer052307.asp