By James Slater – It will very much be a case of veterans in action in Las Vegas on the night of April 9th, as lightweights Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales will clash in the main event, and another great fighter now in his late 30s will return to the ring following a layoff. Ronald “Winky” Wright, at age 39 older than both Mexican legends, will fight for the first time in two years when he takes on Britain’s Matthew Macklin.
The intriguing match-up will take place at middleweight, scheduled for ten-rounds, and as a support bout to the lightweight title showdown, Wright-Macklin is a good choice by promoters Golden Boy.. But who will win?
Wright, in his heyday a frustratingly good southpaw who had incredible skills, met and defeated the best out there. Years before he was beating the likes of Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad, and unable to land a mega-fight, Wright boxed in Europe, often fighting in Germany, France and England. Now, in the comeback bout he hopes will lead him into a middleweight title shot, Winky faces the current European middleweight champ.
A risky fight for Wright, the April date is just as risky an affair for Macklin, 28-2(19). Never in his 30-bout, nine-year pro career has the 28-year-old from Birmingham met a fighter as skilled as Wright. But the timing of this fight might just prove perfect for the vastly younger man. For a long time now, Macklin has made it clear he is ready for the step up in class. Even calling out world middleweight king Sergio Gabriel Martinez, the fighter who is unbeaten at 160-pounds said lack of motivation led to his looking bad in his most recent fight; the European title defence against Ruben Varon in December.
Without a doubt, the Macklin that got hit so much by Varon is no match for the best Winky Wright – but, is Wright still anywhere near close to his best now? Also, Macklin will not approach his biggest career test the same way he did the Varon defence.
At his best, when sufficiently motivated, Macklin can be a special fighter. Fiercely determined, physically strong and possessing a good chin (stopped just once, when he all-but punched himself out before being taken out by Jamie Moore in a classic light-middleweight war) and respectful punching power, Macklin will look to take the fight right to Winky.
Wright may well feel his age in this one. Or then again, he may have a new lease of life after having had a two year break. Last seen struggling badly with the height and reach of fellow southpaw Paul Williams, Wright has been off the radar since. Winky put the April 2009 loss down in large part to the physical advantages of “The Punisher,” but before this bout he had also been inactive. Wright faces an entirely different fighting style on April 9th, of course, but he had better hope he is sharper in this fight.
Not having won a fight since his December 2006 points win over Ike Quartey, Wright, 51-5-1(25) cannot afford another loss. Can Macklin end the career of the former long-reigning light-middleweight champion and in so doing elevate himself into a world title shot? This fight really is a must-win clash for both men!