In December 2nd of this year, former two-time world light middleweight champion Ronald “Winky” Wright makes a homecoming to the Tampa – St. Petersburg area for the first time in 14 years when the defensively masterful southpaw faces ex-WBA Welterweight titlist Ike “Bazooka” Quartey over twelve rounds at middleweight.

For Quartey, 37-3-1 (31), this is almost a suicide mission, an all or nothing stab at positioning himself for another world title shot. The 36 year old hails from a section of Accra, Ghana, known as “Bukom”, famous for producing some of the toughest fighters to ever lace up the gloves and can never be counted out of a contest but this may be a bridge too far for
“Bazooka”.

Arguably the best, and most avoided, welterweight in the world in the mid to late 90’s, Quartey gave up the sport in disgust in 2000 after losing very close decisions to first Oscar De La Hoya for the WBC Welter belt and then to Fernando Vargas for the IBF Light Middleweight crown.

Four and a half years later, Quartey returned to action, stopping American journeyman Clint McNeil in Ghana before taking a close decision win over former world champ Verno Phillips at light middle and then stopping Carlos Bojorquez in the final round of their bout in December of last year.

The final exam of Quartey’s return came this past August when he tangled with another ex-world champ who had spent a lot of time on the sidelines, Vernon Forrest. Despite losing a point for low blows, Forrest still walked off with a narrow victory amid a storm of controversy from many of the media at ringside. Once again Quartey felt he had been hard done by but this time the Ghanaian didn’t quit but rather signed on to face one of the most avoided men in the past five years, Winky Wright.

Like Quartey, Wright has quite a history and also suffered a close loss to Fernando Vargas (five months before Ike) but rather than walk away from the game, the Floridian went back to the grindstone, fighting for regional titles before defeating Robert Frazier in 2001 for Felix Trinidad’s old IBF Light Middleweight belt.

This was Wright’s second world title reign, with the first (as WBO 154 lb champ) ended by Harry Simon in 1998, and took the southpaw from being a dangerous, little known opponent to being a dangerous, well known opponent.

Wright’s career really took off in 2004 when he beat Shane Mosley twice and then last year when he handcuffed Felix Trinidad over twelve rounds and forced the Puerto Rican superstar into a second retirement.

Since that time, Wright won a hard fought contest over difficult Australian Sam Soliman and then drew with WBC/WBO Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor for in June of this year.

When Wright and Quartey meet in December, Quartey will be fighting an uphill battle. Wright is a career light middleweight and specializes in turning away former welterweights as Trinidad, Mosley, Tony Marshall, JC Candelo, Bronco McKart, Angel Hernandez and Robert Frazier can all attest.

Wright is very adept at keeping his foes at the end of his punches but those who have managed to broach the defensive shield of the skilled southpaw, such as Jermain Taylor, Sam Soliman and Harry Simon, have enjoyed various measures of success.

Quartey possesses a super, hurtful jab and will need to use that to make his way into the inside with the taller, naturally larger Wright and brawl with his rival if he is to have a chance at coming away from this bout victorious.

A classic counter puncher, Wright will look to make Quartey miss and pay and while Ike carries good power in both hands, he’ll have to outwork the younger man as Winky has a granite chin and at middleweight will unlikely be troubled any flush shots that the former welterweight champion may land.

This is Winky Wright’s fight to lose and Ike Quartey must put on the performance of his life if he is to have a chance at changing that.

In a classic defensive performance, former undisputed light middleweight kingpin Ronald “Winky” Wright stifled the comeback hopes of Ike Quartey last night in Tampa, Florida. Fighting in front of a hometown audience for the first time since 1992, Wright proved just too sharp for the ex-welterweight world champion, competing in his fifth bout since sitting on the sidelines for five years.

Quartey was the aggressor for most of the bout and had his moments at times as he pressed Wright but those instances didn’t come often enough as Winky largely controlled the pace.

Wright canvassed his rival in the fifth and for some reason was also awarded a knockdown in the seventh when he and Quartey became entangled, causing the African to stumble.

Quartey, 37-4 (31), mounted a furious comeback in the twelfth and final round but it was too little, too late as Wright, 51-3-1 (25), had already accumulated an insurmountable lead as reflected by scorecards of 117-110 (twice) and 117-109.