At the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on July 21, 2007, Bernard Hopkins fought Ronald ‘Winky‘ Wright in a closely contested bout for The Ring light heavyweight title. It was ultimately a fight with many close rounds despite the wide scorecards which read 117-111 x2 and 116-112 in favour of “The Executioner.”
Bernard Hopkins Defeats Ronald ‘Winky‘ Wright by Unanimous Decision
Bernard Hopkins vs. ‘Winky‘ Wright Recap
Hopkins announced before he fought Antonio Tarver he would retire, but that retirement didn’t last long as he returned to face “Winky” Wright. Despite being 42 years old, Hopkins was still extremely effective, fighting impressively in spots and throwing eye-catching combinations. Wright did have his success, but Hopkins always came back with more telling shots than his opponent.
Despite a cut on his left eye developing in round three due to an accidental clash of heads, Wright was the aggressor, but the counter-punching from Hopkins was most effective. Hopkins was warned on more than one occasion about using his head. “Winky” began to tire later in the fight, and Hopkins, with his eye-catching combinations, began to take over the fight. In the final round, “The Executioner” landed a big right hand that wobbled his opponent.
Legacy of Bernard Hopkins and ‘Winky‘ Wright
Hopkins competed at the highest level after the win over Wright. He defeated Kelly Pavlik and Roy Jones Jr. before defeating Jean Pascal to win the WBC and The Ring light heavyweight titles. “The Executioner” also won the IBF crown at 48 years old defeating Tavoris Cloud.
Winky Wright went on to fight two more times after Hopkins, losing to Paul Williams and Peter Quillin. Despite finishing his career with three defeats, Wright was a great technician who picked his punches well and could punch from varying angles. He scored memorable wins over Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley x2.
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