By Johnny Ortiz

This Saturday night, July 21, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, HBO PPV, along with Golden Boy Promotions, will telecast a terrific fight between two of boxing’s very best, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and Ronald “Winky” Wright.  I have written a lot of articles in the past concerning Bernard Hopkins, he’s my ‘guy,’ having been on my radio show quite a few times, we became very good friends.  Bernard will never forget that I was one of the very few to not only pick him to beat Felix Trinidad in Don King’s middleweight tournament, but to knock him out, which is exactly what he did.  Bernard believes very strongly in loyalty just as I do, I have followed his incredible career since the very beginning, I saw greatness in him from the very start. 

It took a lot of boxing people a long time to finally give him his due, but his tenacity and fierce determination made the boxing world stand up and take notice.  It makes me proud to know that today, Bernard is considered one of the all time greats in the middleweight division, an overdue recognition he earned by being the very best of his time.  The legacy he will one day leave behind is that of a young man who was born to be a fighter, a fighter who took on all comers whenever and wherever.

Make no mistake about it, Ronald “Winky” Wright will be a very formidable foe come this Saturday night, he is as clever as they come, he has an almost impenetrable defense, a hard, right jab that he throws with swiftness and authority.  What makes his jab so effective is the fact that Winky is a natural right-hander fighting out of the southpaw stance, thus making his jab his power punch.  He has proven time and time again that he has an assortment of boxing tactics at his disposal; it’s his way of making up for the lack of being a big puncher. Winky aggressively pursues his opponents, throwing punches in bunches, often giving them no recourse but to go into a defensive mode while he takes them to the ropes where he will more than not, overwhelm them with a succession of answered blows. 

I believe that Winky plans to be the aggressor against Bernard, just as he has done with everyone he has fought in the past.  One thing he must be reminded of is that this is not just ‘everyone’ he will be facing, he is going to find himself going up against “The Master,” if a fighter is going to be aggressive with Bernard, he had better have some sock in his kick.  With this not being the case with Winky, who I have mentioned is not a big puncher, being the aggressor against someone with Bernard’s boxing wisdom, might very well be playing into the Executioner’s hands.  Bernard has seen it all, having been in with the very best; Winky has nothing to show him that he has not already seen. 

Winky being a southpaw will not present any problems; Bernard is 9-0 with 7 KO’s against southpaws.  Winky drew Bernard’s ire by calling him a ‘dirty fighter,’ he should be made aware that Bernard’s remarkable boxing accomplishments did not come by his being a dirty fighter. 

Bernard has forgotten more tricks than most of today’s fighter’s know, Winky being an exception.  It figures to be a very competitive fight, I only hope that Winky does not buy into believing what he has been saying, “we got to respect our elders.”  Bernard, who countered the ‘elders’ statement by calling Winky, “Twinkie,” is a very young 42 years of age, he is, and has always been, an incredible physical specimen who owes it to his being avidly disciplined.  Winky on the other hand, is not exactly a young kid; in approximately four months he will be turning 36 years of age.  Having won two world titles at the Jr. Middleweight limit, Winky is at best, a middleweight.  Bernard proved his versatility by going up two divisions to beat the guy who at the time was considered the best light heavyweight in boxing, Antonio Tarver.  Bernard not only beat Antonio at 175 pounds, he dominated him. 

Bernard and Winky will be fighting at 170 pounds; the weight should not play a factor in the fight.  Winky is an exceptionally, strong fighter, but if there is an edge, it would surely have to go to Bernard, his having already fought at the prescribed weight, plus his being the naturally, bigger man.   At 6’1” and a reach of 75’, Bernard will enjoy a two and a half height and a three-inch reach advantage, if there is any way to make use of these stats, B -Hop  will surely know how to implement them.

I look for a cat and mouse kind of fight in the early going, a chess match so to speak.  It is imperative that Winky respect Bernard’s punching power; the Executioner is as patient a fighter as there has ever been.  He lets you play your hand, when he figures out what you are holding; he goes to work, usually commencing in the middle rounds.  There is a possibility that Winky may be in for a rude awakening, he has never, ever been in with anyone with the boxing mastery Bernard brings to the table.  When all is said and done, Bernard Hopkins will be remembered as a fighter for the ages, a legend in his own time.

Winky has made the bold prediction that he intends to send Bernard into final retirement, that he will make him keep the promise he made to his beloved mother that he would retire from boxing.  He is predicting a big victory over Bernard; a victory that he believes will seal his legacy as one of the elite fighters of his era.

Bernard has other ideas!  He has gone on record as saying: “He’s not going to dictate to me how things are going to be, the fight is going to be fought at my pace, he’s going to fight the way I want him to fight.”  Coming from “The Boxing Master,” I am not going to be the one to dispute him, I have seen Bernard at his very best, fourteen years ago on May 22, 1993, after winning twenty-two in a row, he fought one of the greatest fighters of all time, Roy Jones Jr.  Up until that time, Roy had hardly lost a round, Bernard not only won a round, he won quite a few, he lost a fight that was much closer than the scorecards indicated.  Bernard was never successful in obtaining a rematch.  Small wonder, Roy said it was the toughest fight he had ever had. 

After the Jones loss, Bernard reeled off another twenty-four wins in a row, forty-six wins and one loss is quite impressive, considering the one loss was to Roy Jones Jr.  It was not until he lost back to back, controversial losses to Jermain Taylor that his current win streak ended.  I am of the strong opinion that Bernard won both fights; I do not stand alone in this way of thinking.

Winky fought the same Jermain Taylor on June 17, 2006.  The fight ended in a draw, Jermain kept his middleweight crown while suffering a badly swollen eye.  Winky was hit more than he had ever been hit before; he wound up with a badly bruised face to prove it.

The way I see it, this fight is a boxing fan’s dream matchup, Bernard Hopkins, a future hall of fame middleweight champion nearing the end of a very long journey, against a wonderful, great defensive fighter in Winky Wright.  I just cannot see a great fighter such as Winky Wright, a fighter who is not regarded as a big puncher, beating the likes of a legendary fighter such as Bernard Hopkins, who himself is extremely skilled when it comes to the art of defense, while being the complete package who can punch as his 32 KO’s in 52 fights will attest. 

I will give Winky the utmost respect he deserves for being such an outstanding offensive minded, defensive mastermind who knows how to win, but will it be enough to offset Bernard Hopkins?  I think not, it is just that with Winky’s overall, tremendous boxing ability, I cannot give him the edge over someone who has shown over the years, the greater overall boxing ability.  In a great fight, even though Winky is holding as a 7-5 favorite, I unequivocally pick “The Executioner” to emerge victorious in one of the great confrontations in boxing.

Whenever and whoever, Bernard fights, I will be in his corner, I have rode his winning horse since he first came out of the gate, I will ride it until the day he finally honors his beloved mother’s wish by finally hanging them up, until that time, I will be rooting for my good friend all the way home.

As a fight fan, I implore other fight fans not to miss this, or any other fight involving Bernard Hopkins.  This unique type of warrior rarely comes along in a lifetime. 

Like the feared animal that guards his domain, so it is with “The Philly Junk Yard Dog!”

JOHNNY ORTIZ IS A MEMBER OF THE WORLD BOXING HALL OF FAME BOARD OF DIRECTORS, A MEMBER OF THE GOLDEN STATE BOXERS ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND IS A FORMER CO-OWNER OF THE WORLD FAMOUS, LEGENDARY MAIN ST. GYM.