Late Thursday night, former undisputed jr. middleweight champion Winky Wright announced via Twitter that his proposed comeback fight against undefeated middleweight contender Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin is no longer happening on the May 5th undercard of Mayweather vs. Cotto. The fight was believed to be a sure thing by all parties, but as we all know, there is no such thing as a "sure thing" in boxing. Interestingly enough, no reason whatsoever has been given as to why the fight has been called off, leaving both fighters confused about exactly what went wrong. Personally, I cannot figure it out myself either.
Wright, who was considered a pound-for-pound fighter at his best, was at the top of his game from 2001-2006. Though he has not fought in 3 years, he would have been the perfect opponent for Quillin to have the chance to make a name for himself on the sport's biggest stage. The Mayweather vs. Cotto pay-per-view is expected to do at least 1.5 million buys, and "Kid Chocolate" is a rising contender looking for a big name to add to his resume. Wright has that name, and though his fights may not always be considered the most "entertaining" to some, no one can question the ability, style, and name recognition that Wright brings to the ring.
Is it because Wright is 40-years-old? Last time I checked, Shane Mosley is also 40-years-old and getting a shot to knock off Golden Boy's golden son, Canelo Alvarez. If anything, after Mosley's last 3 performances - bad losses to Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, with a draw against Sergio Mora sandwiched in between - why is Canelo getting a resume-building name like him when Mosley has shown nothing in the ring since 2009 (coincidentally the last time Wright fought) when he stopped Antonio Margarito?
In the head-to-head matchups between Wright and Mosley in 2004, Wright won both fights convincingly via decision. Maybe it should be Winky Wright getting the opportunity to face Canelo Alvarez instead of Shane Mosley. After all, based on Mosley's last 3 performances in the ring, neither fighter has really been "active" since 2009.
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