Wright at wrong weight for Hopkins

It was more than one Saturday night at 170 pounds. The guy was completely gassed by the 10th round.

Let’s hope Wright is true to his word and this was his first and final venture into the light heavyweight division. He promised the encounter with Bernard Hopkins was a one-time journey into a weight class that is obviously beyond his means to handle physically.

Wright assured us the added bulk wouldn’t impede his drive to beat the 42-year-old Hopkins and perhaps guarantee his place in the Hall of Fame, that he could make such a significant increase on the scale and still stop one of his career’s most difficult opponents.

He was sadly mistaken, because that temple Hopkins calls a body was far more durable than Wright ever imagined.

You knew this to be true when the final bell rang and Hopkins looked fresh enough to go for a leisurely 5-mile run around Mandalay Bay while Wright looked wilted enough to sleep off the unanimous decision defeat for the next month.

“I thought I won the fight,” Wright said.

Give the man a break.

He was obviously delirious from exhaustion.

You could have scored it closer than two judges who saw it as 117-111 for Hopkins and another who had it 116-112 and not felt mistaken, but the outcome isn’t debatable.

Wright raised his arms — it’s amazing he had the strength — and smiled to the crowd and feigned surprise when the decision was announced. It was a futile effort to disguise what he and those in his corner had to realize some 15 to 20 minutes earlier:

The fight was more than even over nine or 10 rounds, but then the needle on Wright’s tank hit EMPTY, and Hopkins answered by stepping on his own accelerator.

“I thought it was a close fight,” Hopkins said. “Winky knows I respect him. My legs did it for me. I was doing a lot of off-setting movements and used the energy from the back of my legs to get ahead. I was fighting the bait-and-switch. You set the bait and the fight gets a little closer and you move the bait and finally you catch the fish.”

It also helps when the fish can’t swim the final three rounds.

It was hardly an overly memorable display by anyone other than referee Robert Byrd. You have to wonder if his contract for the fight included financial incentives for the most HBO face time, given how often he stopped action to mutter warnings.

As fights go, it wasn’t as boring as many predicted based on the fighters’ history of being more defensive and technical than aggressive and risky. It also wasn’t that thrilling in any aspect.

It was one of those fights where you really have to enjoy the sport to appreciate the moments of action that did transpire. It was more preference of style than anything — rock or country, steak or chicken, drama or comedy, non-mob associated NBA officials or Tim Donaghy. You either valued the scene or booed it, and there was plenty of both sentiments in attendance among 8,626 who showed.

A dirty fight? Not as much as the 35-year old Wright claimed afterward. He got caught with a head-butt early in the third round, but it was more about Hopkins coming forward off the ropes than intentionally leading with his noggin. It might have made a difference in how Wright fought thereafter. It might not have. Really doesn’t matter.

He just wasn’t strong enough to keep up in the end with the old man, who won the final four rounds on each judge’s card.

“Everyone knows I’m always in shape,” Hopkins said. “But now people look at me and say, ‘Look at your shoulders. Look at your midsection. It’s like you’re a wide receiver for an NFL team.

“If I had a modeling career around the corner and someone saying they were going to use me for new (ventures), maybe. But why cheat myself and not be able to exploit the situation by continuing (to fight)?”

He’s definitely in good enough shape to keep going, while Wright is certainly skilled enough to continue that Hall of Fame pursuit. Just not at this weight.

The next time he goes heavy, there had better be a Krispy Kreme nearby and not boxing gloves.

Ed Graney’s column is published Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. He can be reached at 383-4618 or egraney@reviewjournal.com.