Sources have confirmed that a bout between interim WBO light middleweight champion Paul ‘The Punisher’ Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) and former unified light middleweight champion Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) is close to being finalized for April 11th. The agreed upon weight for the fight would be 160 pounds so Williams’ title will not be on the line. Site for the fight is to be determined with HBO likely to broadcast the bout.
-fightnews.com
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Vivek Wallace's Thoughts On Williams/Wright
Vivek Wallace
EastSideBoxing.com
Philip Martin (Sunny Isles, FL): What are your thoughts on the potential Paul Williams/'Winky' Wright fight being discussed?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think it should be a very interesting fight but there's one major question that I think we all got upon hearing that this match could be made. That question is which 'Winky' Wright will we get? Sounds funny to put it that way because when 'Winky' was active, i fell in that silent minority that felt he was actually a pound-for-pound candidate, but in this case where he's coming off of such a long layoff, how in the world can anyone expect to see the norm? And particularly against a youthful, energetic fighter like Williams whose punch output is just wicked! If we can see the same 'Winky' that showed up against 'Tito' - (yeah, i know, that's a tall order) - then I think this will shape up to be a fight out of this world; but if stamina is even a remote issue, or if age shows up, there won't be a KO in the cards for Williams, but it'll be an easy points win with his punch rate. One other thing I like about this fight is the fact that it pins too guys that I've wanted to see face Pavlik at one point or another, so perhaps if the Abraham/Pavlik fight doesn't fall into place for later this year, who knows? A strong outing may very well put either one of these men in position to make a surge at that 'Ghost'. No predictions from me yet, but I'm definitely interested in the fight.
EastSideBoxing.com
Philip Martin (Sunny Isles, FL): What are your thoughts on the potential Paul Williams/'Winky' Wright fight being discussed?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think it should be a very interesting fight but there's one major question that I think we all got upon hearing that this match could be made. That question is which 'Winky' Wright will we get? Sounds funny to put it that way because when 'Winky' was active, i fell in that silent minority that felt he was actually a pound-for-pound candidate, but in this case where he's coming off of such a long layoff, how in the world can anyone expect to see the norm? And particularly against a youthful, energetic fighter like Williams whose punch output is just wicked! If we can see the same 'Winky' that showed up against 'Tito' - (yeah, i know, that's a tall order) - then I think this will shape up to be a fight out of this world; but if stamina is even a remote issue, or if age shows up, there won't be a KO in the cards for Williams, but it'll be an easy points win with his punch rate. One other thing I like about this fight is the fact that it pins too guys that I've wanted to see face Pavlik at one point or another, so perhaps if the Abraham/Pavlik fight doesn't fall into place for later this year, who knows? A strong outing may very well put either one of these men in position to make a surge at that 'Ghost'. No predictions from me yet, but I'm definitely interested in the fight.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
.......Not Finalized, Says Peterson
By Rick Reeno
George Peterson, manager and trainer for WBO interim-junior middleweight champion Paul Williams, has advised BoxingScene.com that a fight with Winky Wright has not been finalized. As we reported yesterday (boxingscene.com) a member of Team Winky advised BoxingScene that an agreement was reached with 50-50 split between the fighters. The fight, should the contracts get signed, will move forward in April on HBO at the middleweight limit.
While the terms may have been met on the side of Winky, Peterson indicates the terms have not been met on the side of Williams. Negotiations are ongoing and Peterson doesn't see any issues that would immediately cause the fight to fall apart, but certain terms [likely money] have to be met before the fight is considered a done deal on their end.
"It's getting there. Negotiations are ongoing. The fight is not done on our end. It may be done on Winky's end, but the terms are not done on our end. Paul wants to fight. Any fighter from 147 to 160. Other fighters play hide and go seek. We don't play those hide and go seek kind of games. We play a game called spank butt. This guy loves to fight. I try to tone him down, but he just wants to go in there and bang. If a guy is a dancer, he dances. If a guy is a artist, he does art. Paul Williams is a fighter, and he fights," Peterson said.
Paul Williams-Winky Wright Agreement Reached
By Rick ReenoBoxingScene.com
BoxingScene.com has been advised by a source close to Winky Wright (51-4, 25KOs) - that an agreement has been reached for a fight with WBO interim-junior middleweight champion Paul "The Punisher" Williams (36-1, 27KOs).
Last I heard, the fight date appears be April 18 on HBO. The date of April 11 has also been mentioned. The fight will take place at the middleweight limit of 160. The most interesting piece of information is Wright agreeing to a 50-50 split with Williams. Wright holds the reputation of being one of most difficult fighters in the sport when it comes to negotiating a split of the money. Wright's stubborn behavior when it came to his monetary demands is one the main attributing factors to his inactivity.
Reports vary, but I've heard that HBO put up $2.75 million for the fight [another source told me $3 million]. Wright taking a 50-50 split may be a sign that he's hungry to get back in the ring. He last fought in July of 2007, dropping a decision to Bernard Hopkins at the catch-weight of 170.
It's a very dangerous fight for both. A lot more danger involved for Williams, who didn't have to take the fight. People point to Wright's age and inactivity. Those same people pointed to Hopkins' age and inactivity when he agreed to fight Kelly Pavlik last October.
Reports vary, but I've heard that HBO put up $2.75 million for the fight [another source told me $3 million]. Wright taking a 50-50 split may be a sign that he's hungry to get back in the ring. He last fought in July of 2007, dropping a decision to Bernard Hopkins at the catch-weight of 170.
It's a very dangerous fight for both. A lot more danger involved for Williams, who didn't have to take the fight. People point to Wright's age and inactivity. Those same people pointed to Hopkins' age and inactivity when he agreed to fight Kelly Pavlik last October.
Wright has only lost once in ten years and that was to Hopkins. To make that fight, Wright had to move up by almost two weight divisions. Wright, like Pavlik, appeared to be sluggish at the weight. Remember that he also did better against Hopkins than a much younger Pavlik. No fighter has really dominated Wright or had him in any kind of serious trouble during the last ten years. During those same ten years, Wright has beaten Shane Mosley twice, Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey, Sam Soliman and a host of other contenders. If you ask around, most had Wright as the winner in his 2006 draw with Jermain Taylor. A lot of people also saw him as the winner of his majority decision loss to Fernando Vargas in 1999.
Williams has been jumping around from welterweight to middleweight and most recently to junior middleweight. Williams is no stranger to middleweight. A few of his early fights took place at middleweight and he returned to the division last September to knock Andy Kolle out in one round. Wright will be a tougher challenge, based on his style, than Antonio Margarito. Williams is one of the most active fighters in the sport. He could throw 100 punches per round with ease. He needs to use that activity to place constant pressure on Wright. The weight could be an issue, but not for Williams. Wright is reportedly walking around heavy. He always walks around heavy but I've heard stories of 200 or more pounds.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Pavlik Eyeing Williams-Wright Winner
By Eric Thomas: BoxingNews24.comAccording to an interview on Boxing talk, Kelly Pavlik (34-1, 30 KOs) is interested in fighting the winner of the Paul Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) vs. Winky Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) bout which is for the interim WBO light middleweight title on March 14th. However, Pavlik, 26, remains focused on defending his WBC/WBO middleweight titles on February 21st against his number WBC #1 middleweight challenger Marco Antonio Rubio (43-4-1, 37 KOs) in Youngstown, Ohio.
If Pavlik is serious about wanting to fight the winner of Wright-Williams, it would be a win-win situation for Pavlik, because he could do it without having to risk losing his middleweight belts, while at the same time, he would have a considerable natural size and strength advantage over both Wright and Williams, both of whom are accustomed to fighting at a lower weight class than the middleweight division.
If Pavlik is serious about wanting to fight the winner of Wright-Williams, it would be a win-win situation for Pavlik, because he could do it without having to risk losing his middleweight belts, while at the same time, he would have a considerable natural size and strength advantage over both Wright and Williams, both of whom are accustomed to fighting at a lower weight class than the middleweight division.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)