Bernard Hopkins vs. Winky Wright - Preview and Bodog Odds

The Mandalay Bay Events Center will be the site for the Saturday, July 21st showdown between Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and Ronald “Winky” Wright. The fight will be shown live on HBO Pay-Per-View. Since no titles are on the line, the two fighters have agreed to meet at 170 pounds.

PREVIEW OF THE FIGHTERS

BERNARD HOPKINS

Bernard Hopkins has a record of 47 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw, with 32 knockouts. He’s a Philly fighter and stands 6’1”. The 42-year-old fighter is trained by Naazim Richardson. Hopkins is a well-rounded boxer-puncher who trains hard and always shows up ready to go to war.

His most recent fight was an upset over Antonio Tarver, and he also holds wins over Antwun Echols, Oscar De La Hoya, Glen Johnson, Felix Trinidad and William Joppy. His most recent losses have come against Jermain Taylor (twice). Before that, you’ll have to go back to 1993 when he lost to Roy Jones Jr. He also lost his debut match against Clinton Mitchell. As Middleweight champ, Hopkins racked up a record-setting string of 20 straight title defenses.

Strengths

Hopkins can box with opponents are engage in a brutal slugfest, and he’s equally adept at both. He put De La Hoya away with a wicked left hook to the liver, and his right hand is just as dangerous. He understands how to use his height to move opponents around the ring in the clinch, and he is adept at creating angles. He is also tough as nails, and you’ll never see Hopkins give up during a fight.

Weaknesses

He’s 42 years old. That’s really about it, and it still remains to be seen just how much Father Time has caught up with him.

WINKY WRIGHT

Wright holds a record of 51 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw, with 25 wins coming by way of knockout. A southpaw fighter and master of defense, Wright stands at 5’10” and weighs 167 pounds. He is 35-years-old and trained by Dan Birmingham.

Wright has victories over Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley (twice). His losses have come against Fernando Vargas, Harry Simon and Julio Cesar Vasquez. His lone draw came last year against Jermain Taylor.

Strengths

Wright has good speed and foot movement and is very adept at moving around the ring and slipping punches. He’s very good with the jab, and loves to follow up with hammering left crosses. The 170 pound fighting weight will help Wright, as this is closer to his normal weight, and he has had difficulty in the past cutting down to 154 pounds.

Weaknesses

Wright’s power isn’t the best in the world, and he only has one TKO in his last 10 fights. While a very slick defensive fighter, he has seem to suffer from mental lapses over the last few years, perhaps in an effort to please the crowd and turn fights into wild brawls.

BODOG ODDS

According to Bodog, here are the current betting lines for the fight. The maximum bet for both of these is $500.

Who will win the fight?

Bernard Hopkins +105

Winky Wright -135

Total rounds in the fight?

Over 11 ½ -600

Under 11 ½ +400

For more boxing articles, check out the following:

Gatti vs. Gomez - Fight Results

Hatton vs. Castillo - Fight Results

Bernard Hopkins vs. Winky Wright - Preview and Bodog Odds