The Hopkins vs Wright fight started a day early when the two boxers got into a shoving match during the weigh in press conference on Friday. Most boxing bettors will see a well-fought bout between two of the best technical fighters in the world when the official Bernard Hopkins vs. Winky Wright fight takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada at 9:00 PM EST.
The Executioner will be defending his “The Ring World Light Heavyweight Championship” title, which he won by tearing apart Antonio Tarver on June 10th, 2006. After the dominate performance over Tarver, a 42 year old Hopkins believes his boxing skills are still too good for him to quit the sport he loves. WagerWeb.com listed Hopkins as a +110 odds underdog in the fight with Wright listed as a -140 odds favorite.
Winky won a unanimous decision over Ike Quartey after toying with Quartey for 12 rounds this past December. Wright was unable to reach an agreement to have a rematch with Jermain Taylor, hence the fight with Quartey. Wright/Taylor fight in June 2006 ended in a draw, which enraged Winky who believed he won the fight.
Wright better not look past Bernard for the rematch with Taylor. He has resorted to eating Crispy Crème donuts in order to pack on an extra 10 pounds to make the light heavyweight class. In his fights with Quartey and Taylor, he weighed 159 ½ pound. His fight with Bernard Hopkins will be at 170 pounds. Look for this weight issue to be a slight disadvantage for Winky.
Winky Wright fights as a south paw which confuses even the best fighters, but Hopkins has the experience and the ring smarts to cope with it and will take the fight right to Winky. I am taking the old man at +110 odds for a small wager just to make the fight a little more interesting to watch. I believe Hopkins has a decent shot at winning and offers the best value.
WagerWeb.com has posted boxing odds on the Hopkins vs Wright fight:
Bernard Hopkins: +110
Ronald "Winky" Wright: -140
Over 11.5 Total Rounds: -600
Under 11.5 Total Rounds: +425
