Winky Wright, Former Undisputed Junior Middleweight: “I want to fight the best, I’ve been out for 21 months and I’m ready to get back in the ring. There won’t be any playing around. I won’t be just blocking, I’ll be throwing a lot of punches, a lot of hard punches on Saturday night. No one can win a fight by just blocking. I’m going to win this fight.”
Paul Williams, Two Division World Champion: “I’m excited to be here fighting at the Mandalay Bay and to fight one the greatest fighters in boxing. Winky can block, he can jab, but I’m going to make him work on Saturday night. Its’ going to be explosive. Old dogs can’t run from new dogs and I’m gonna get him on Saturday night..”
Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:
“Winky is truly a legend of the sport, you give him an opponent and he wins.”
“Winky Wright will not only win on Saturday night, he will make a statement.”
“I told you that Shane Mosley would make a statement with Antonio Margarito, and he did. I told you Bernard Hopkins would turn back the clocks against Kelly Pavlik, and he did. And I promise you again, Winky will win this fight and make a statement on Saturday.”
Shane Mosley, Partner of Golden Boy Promotions:
“No one wants to fight either of these guys for a reason. I fought Winky twice and lost both times. I never got a chance to fight Paul, but I’m not running into the ring after him either. He has a long reach and is very tall and tricky. And we know that Winky is a very tough and experienced fighter. I’m very excited for Saturday night and am proud to be a part of this promotion along with Golden Boy.”
Dan Birmingham, Wright’s Trainer:
“We respect Paul very much, he’s one of my favorite fighters, but Saturday night, he is fighting one of the best in the business.”
“I’m positive we’ll win this fight.”
Jim Wilkes, Wright’s Attorney/Advisor:
“A lot of people turn down fights with Winky. . . I’ve even offered to give the fighters guaranteed money to him and they still won’t take it. We are excited to get Winky back in the ring on Saturday night.”
Dan Goossen, President of Goossen Tutor Promotions:
“Paul Williams is all action. He is fighting against the biggest name he has ever faced. He has tremendous ability with knockout power and he also throws over 100 punches in a round.”
“We made this fight out of necessity because he was the most feared fighter, not the most avoided.”
George Peterson, William’s Trainer:
“We are prepared to win this fight and we will leave victorious on Saturday night.”
Tickets priced at $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50 are now on sale and available for purchase at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Wright-Williams; McCline-Arreola Live On HBO This Saturday Night
HBO Sports presents a compelling mix of rising stars and proven veterans when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: WINKY WRIGHT VS. PAUL WILLIAMS AND CRISTOBAL ARREOLA VS. JAMEEL McCLINE is presented live SATURDAY, APRIL 11 (10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, exclusively on HBO. The WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING team of Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Emanuel Steward will be ringside for the event, which will be presented in HDTV and in Spanish on HBO Latino.
Battle-tested veteran Ronald “Winky” Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs), the most-avoided fighter of the last decade, is a former junior middleweight champion who has scored back-to-back wins against Shane Mosley, as well as defeating Felix Trinidad. A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., he is one of boxing’s elite defensive specialists, with a precise jab that picks apart opponents. Although he suffered a decision loss to future Hall-of-Famer Bernard Hopkins in 2007, the 37-year-old Wright will make younger fighters earn their spot among boxing’s best.
Two time welterweight champ Paul Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) of Augusta, Ga. is one of the most-feared fighters in boxing. Now on the cusp of stardom, the 27-year-old’s height, agility and raw power have made foes think twice about even entering the ring with him. Williams has defeated Antonio Margarito, among others, and now looks to raise his profile in this 12-round contest.
The opening bout features ambitious, hard-charging young Cristobal Arreola (26-0, 23 KOs) and dangerous vet Jameel McCline (39-9-3, 23 KOs) in a 12-round heavyweight clash. Arreola, of Riverside, Cal., can deliver thunderous blows and is riding a string of 13 consecutive fights in which he has sent his opponent crashing to the canvas. Next, he looks to prove himself the most serious threat to titleholders in the division.
Jameel McCline, from West Palm Beach, Fla., has fought the best the division has to offer, amassing 51 professional bouts against the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Chris Byrd and Samuel Peter. An imposing 6’5” and 270 pounds, McCline’s experience, ring generalship and hard hitting should provide a formidable challenge for Arreola.
This WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING presentation is part of a compelling night of boxing programming that also includes the debut of the documentary “Thrilla in Manila” and the return of the Emmy®-winning HBO Sports reality franchise “24/7.” Debuting at 8:00 p.m. (ET)/10:00 p.m. (PT), “Thrilla in Manila” tells the story of the final fight between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, whose epic three-bout series from 1971 to 1975 transcended the sport. Debuting at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT), “Pacquiao/Hatton 24/7” sets the stage for the May 2 pay-per-view junior welterweight showdown between reigning pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Ricky Hatton, his engaging British opponent.
All WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING events are broadcast in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Dave Harmon; director, Marc Payton.