Anyone have thoughts on Wright/Hopkins?

Greetings gang,

It's that time again! Today we have Wright and Hopkins doing battle at a catch weight of 170 pounds. When this fight was first announced my initial reaction was to go with Winky via pretty easy decision. Then the weight rumor started and I heard everything from 160-175 for the fight night weight. Well, once we finally got it down to 170, I started to look at the two fights and the weight issue is a very big (no pun intended) deal for me. Winky has never been this high in weight before and he is going against a pretty decent sized fighter in Hopkins. Hopkins showed he could handle the "bigger" Tarver with ease at 175, and the five-pound drop in weight is a piece of cake for him.

The reason I liked Wright against Hopkins is because of his punch output. Hopkins rarely throws combinations and really only looks to pot shot and hold. I figured Wright would have an easy time outworking Hopkins over 12.  At 170 pounds I am not so certain that Wright will be an active punching machine. I know Hopkins won’t, but if Wright is not active I cannot seem him having a very easy time in this fight. Hopkins is a sniper, and will make sure the shots he throw hit the mark.

I really see one big key in this fight if you are backing Hopkins…the lead right hand. Hopkins is a master at this punch and we all know southpaws are wide open for this shot (see Tarver.) Taylor showed you can crack the defense of Wright if you throw right down the center, and Hopkins has a very solid lead right hand move. I look for Bernard to employ the lead right hand as his major offensive weapon and then look to tie right up as soon as it lands. This will not allow Wright to come back with a series of combinations and will force them to start the sequence all over again. If Hopkins follows the wash, rinse, repeat method above, he can easily (well, maybe not easily) nullify the offense of Wright. It just appears that Wright is a bit out of his element moving so high up in weight and taking on a crafty fighter like Hopkins.

Further supporting Hopkins is the height and reach that he has over Wright. Although I still figure this to be a very close fight, (who knows what happens if it goes 12) Hopkins has some serious advantages going into this contest. Regardless of which fighter walks away with the win, I think it will probably be a very close scored fight with both fighters having their moments.

With all of that said, I would advise nobody to bet his or her life savings on this fight (for either guy) and would suggest to everyone that is betting this fight to cover the draw prop!

BOXEO Bets: Hopkins +140

                       Draw +1000