Winky Wright speaks but will De La Hoya or Mosley listen?

Photo: www.winkywright.com

Interview by Ed Ludwig

12.09 - To say that IBF Junior Middleweight Champion Winky Wright is a little ticked off is an understatement. Holding one third of the championship has not improved his stock whatsoever as the elite of the division continue to bypass him and take a route less traveled or in the case of this Saturday night a route already traveled. Wright (45-3 25 KO’s) will step into the ring on November 8th to keep the rust off as he awaits the winner of his mandatory between J.C. Candelo and Kassim Ouma. Wright’s opponent has not been announced as of press time but it looks like Angel Hernandez or Raul Marquez will be the next in line. I would like to thank Winky for taking the time to speak with Eastside Boxing.

Ed Ludwig: What has been happening since the last time we spoke and is there any word on your next opponent for November 8th?

Winky Wright: I have not got the word on the opponent yet but I will be fighting on November 8th against Angel Hernandez or Raul Marquez and other than that not much is going on.

EL: I spoke to Oscar De La Hoya briefly a few weeks back and I asked him if there is any chance that he will unify the titles against you and his response in a nutshell was “no chance” and then he went on to say “beating the big names means more to me now then winning titles”. How do you feel about that?

WR: Oscar’s scared and I hope Shane beats him. Shane said if he beats Oscar that he would fight me so I hope he won’t change his mind and run like Oscar because it’s bullshit.

EL: Do you have a prediction for Oscar De La Hoya vs. Shane Mosley?

WR: I am taking Shane by a decision.

EL: Let’s say you did get De La Hoya in the ring, what type of strategy would you use against him?

WR: I would have to wait until I got in the ring because you can’t really say how you are going to beat somebody because a good fighter can adapt. I would use my jab, we both have good jabs but I think my defense is much better then his so I would be able to stay close and be able to counter punch him quicker than he could counter punch me. I also think I am stronger than him even though he has a lot of knock outs. They are hand picking his fights and he is not fighting any up and coming, young killers. I feel I am stronger and that I can beat him. It will be deadly if he stands there and tries to trade with me.

EL: How about Shane Mosley?

WR: I would keep Shane off and bust him up with my jab, break him down and keep him outside for awhile and try to knock him out.

EL: Oscar said he hurt his hand a few weeks back and that he did not spar for a few days. Is this just another psychological ploy on his part?

WR: It’s an excuse because if he loses he can say “my hand was hurt but I still took the fight anyway”.

EL: Oscar has stated that when and if he loses, be it against Mosley or whomever that he will hang up the gloves and retire. Do you believe him?

WR: I think he will retire.

EL: Roy Jones Jr. versus Antonio Tarver is now a done deal. How would you compare Roy with Oscar as they are both high profile fighters?

WR: Roy is moving back down in weight to fight Tarver. Roy wants to show people that he is the best. De La Hoya and them keep running around and saying he is fighting the best when he won’t fight anybody that is close to being the best. They are hand picking the fighters and they are not the best. De La Hoya is a coward!

EL: Some people believe that your ties to Roy Jones Jr. are holding you back?

WR: What is comes down to Ed is that none of the big names want to fight me. I admit being with Roy that I am not having as many fights but I am getting paid and working hard. I just have to hope that if HBO gives me a date or something like that then I will be able to fight more often. If I can’t get a date and get on television then I’m screwed because I can’t fight on ESPN anymore so I am stuck between a rock and a hard place.

EL: What’s going through your mind right now?

WR: I am just concentrating and seeing what will happen in November and hopefully one of these cowards will see that I’m a fighter and step up to the plate.

EL: I’m surprised at this stage that you would fight Hernandez or Marquez as neither guy is a pushover plus you have another mandatory to get out of the way after that?

WR: It’s cool. The IBF won’t give me any easy fights and all they want me to do is fight number one contenders while everybody else gets to fight a bum. Boxing is a crazy sport and it’s turning into shit. If they keep doing it the way they are doing it then boxing will lose a lot of fans. Promoters are hand picking everything for rising stars and they are protected and basically certain people get to fight whomever they want.

EL: Is Fernando Vargas still in your sights or are you looking past that and moving on?

WR: Damn right I want him. I definitely want a piece of him. He’s fighting eliminations and all that while I’ve got the title so tell him to come and get it. I’ll give Vargas a shot right now so he shouldn’t fight anybody else.

EL: I want to do a little word association with you so can you tell me what comes to your mind after I read out each name and I’ll start with Oscar De La Hoya?

WR: A coward and a sissy ass who has always got his way. I am disappointed in Oscar.

EL: Fernando Vargas?

WR: He has a big mouth and I want to shut him up.

EL: Shane Mosley?

WR: I think he would be a good opponent for me. He is a good person and I like what he’s doing and I want to fight him.

EL: Speaking of Shane and this topic never seems to go away is that you did not make a smart move by taking what was offered to you to fight him. We briefly spoke about this before and I was hoping you could clear it up and explain what the deal was?

WR: I have no regrets about not taking the fight. I felt I wasn’t being treated fairly. I wasn’t asking a whole lot but meet me half way. If you knew the whole story behind it then people might think differently. They said the offer was $1.2 million when it was more like $800,000 and I would have had to pay everybody out of that so it was not worth it fighting for $400,000 after it was all said and done. I want to be paid for what I deserve and still nobody wants to fight me.

EL: Back to the word association for a moment, your thoughts on Kassim Ouma?

WR: He’s a good young fighter and it will be an interesting fight between him and Candelo.

EL: You have yet to get the fight you want but if you could and it meant a so-so payday would you do it?

WR: If the money isn’t quite what I want then I would still take it. I make good money now but I want to be paid what is fair and not only do I miss out but the fans do too.

EL: Any final thoughts that you would like to pass on to your fans?

WR: I just want to say point blank that Oscar is a coward. All this other stuff about him fighting the best, this and that is bullshit. He fights Yory Boy Campas and he knows that Shane Mosley is not at his best right now. Boxing is so crooked and messed up. Thanks to all my fans that have stuck with me and supported me. We will get our chance.

EL: As always, thank you!

WR: You are very welcome.