Hopkins, Wright set to trade blows in Vegas
Las Vegas, NV - Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins will step out of retirement and into the ring Saturday night at Mandalay Bay, where he will take on Ronald “Winky” Wright in a light heavyweight bout.
The 42-year-old Hopkins (47-4-1, 32 KOs) hasn’t fought since beating Antonio Tarver in a 12-round unanimous decision last June, a fight that had been billed as Hopkins’ last before retirement. A former middleweight champion, Hopkins moved up to light heavyweight for the Tarver fight.
The 35-year-old Wright (51-3-1, 25 KOs) is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Ike Quartey last December. Although giving up some size to Hopkins, who, at six feet and one inch, is almost three inches taller than Wright, the younger fighter is well-known for his jab and good defense.
Wright, a southpaw, has not lost a bout since December 1999, when Fernando Vargas topped him in a controversial decision.
A common link between the fighters is trouble with current middleweight champ Jermain Taylor. Taylor ended Hopkins’ reign as champ at that division with a split-decision win in February 2005, and retained his belts by beating Hopkins in a unanimous decision in July that same year.
Taylor fought Wright to a 12-round draw in June 2006, the only fight Wright has not won in the past eight years.
Neither fighter is known as a knockout puncher, instead both are known as technically sound boxers, leading most experts to predict a decision, with Hopkins listed as the favorite. But few are overly confident in “The Executioner”, who is well beyond his prime as a fighter.
