ROC4LIFE

“I’m gonna call it a day. I’m gonna chill out and play golf and live life.” – Winky Wright

Winky Wright is putting down his gloves. Wright, the former face of Rocawear, made a name for himself as a tricky southpaw. He leaves the game with a more than respectable 51-6-1 record.

Here’s a look back at Winky Wright’s greatest performances.

Vs. Fernando Vargas
December 4, 1999
This was Wright’s first major fight. He started off strong, going in on Vargas from the opening bell. But as the fight progressed, Vargas got more comfortable. Still, Wright stood his ground. And despite swelling around both eyes, he kept throwing hooks at Vargas. Vargas eventually won by majority decision, but Wright put the boxing world on notice. He made a statement with this fight: there’s a new kid on the block, and he will not be pushed around.

Vs. Shane Mosley
March 13, 2004
Wright made an even bigger statement against a prime Shane Mosley. Sugar Shane started working early, but Wright picked his shots and countered effectively. He hammered Mosley around with right and left hooks. Most fans expected Mosley to come out dominant but Wright proved too much for the veteran.
 

Vs. Shane Mosley II
November 20, 2004
Wright and Mosley met again eight months after their first fight and picked up where they left off. Wright went to work upstairs. Mosley had trouble containing his shots. Then Wright got reckless, allowing Mosley back into the fight. Mosley took advantage and started doing some damage. But after composing himself, Wright regained control of the fight and finished strong. After 12 heavily competitive rounds, in which both men dominated at various times, Wright came out on top again. This fight secured Wright’s place among boxing elites.
 

Vs. Jermain Taylor
June 17, 2006
Both fighters started trading deadly blows early. Taylor threw lefts; Wright banged away with rights. Back and forth, it swung. Wright grew weary. Taylor took advantage of his lapses. But Wright came back strong. Funny enough, it was in this fight that Taylor took the most punches of his career. No fighter was able to take control of the bout. It was ruled a draw.
 

Vs. Bernard Hopkins
July 21, 2007
After a yearlong hiatus, Winky Wright returned to the ring to face a 42-year-old Bernard Hopkins. Wright was coming off a dominating performance against Ike Quarte. Hopkins opened a cut on Wright’s left eye. A sense of urgency ensued. Wright started attacking Hopkins like a mad beast. But Hopkins continued to batter Wright’s noticeably damaged left eye. Right hand. Left hook. Despite a valiant performance, Wright suffered his first defeat in eight years.

— Rizoh