Wright’s skill set to be tested in ring comeback

If Winky Wright could do it over, he wouldn't have taken 21 months off from boxing.

He says he wanted to stay busy, but as has been well documented, Wright claims no one was willing to fight him and he was forced to wait.

No matter who was truly responsible for his inactivity, Wright's wait finally will end tonight when he opposes talented middleweight Paul Williams at Mandalay Bay. The 37-year-old Wright will need a better performance than the last time he was in the ring, or he might be looking at another long layoff -- retirement.

Wright, a two-time former world champion, will need his experience and savvy against the 27-year-old Williams, who has an 82-inch reach, stands 3 inches taller than the 5-foot-10-inch Wright and fights in an awkward style while throwing punches in bunches.

"He's tall and lanky, but I've got to fight my fight," said Wright, 51-4-1 with 25 knockouts. "We've got a game plan, but you have to prepare yourself to adapt. I can adapt to any style."

That will be vital for Wright, a 2-1 underdog. If he can't get to Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) from outside, he will have to work in close -- and probably absorb some extra punishment.

"There won't be any playing around," Wright said. "I won't be just blocking. I'll be throwing a lot of punches, a lot of hard punches. No one can win a fight by just blocking."

Both fighters made the 160-pound limit at Friday's weigh-in, with Wright at 159 and Williams 157. Wright figures to be quicker than in his last fight, when he weighed 170 pounds against Bernard Hopkins on July 21, 2007.

But Wright got roughed up that night, losing a 12-round unanimous decision at Mandalay Bay. He said he thought he did enough to win, but the reality is Hopkins was better.

During his inactivity, Wright has spent time with his son, Ryan, now 21 months old. Wright said he was as heavy as 193 pounds during the hiatus.

But once the fight with Williams was signed, Wright got serious in the gym, working with longtime trainer Dan Birmingham in a two-month camp in Las Vegas. He appeared in great shape during a workout at the TKO Gym two weeks ago and said he's ready to fight again.

"It's hard being gone so long," Wright said. "But it was easy to be focused for this fight. Paul Williams is a dangerous fighter, and there's no way I'm overlooking him.

"For me, the challenge of coming back is proving to people you can do it when they say you can't do it."

Heavyweight Chris Arreola (26-0, 23 KOs) will meet Jameel McCline (39-9-3, 23 KOs) in the co-main event of the HBO card, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. The Williams-Wright fight is set for about 8:05.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.