By Kevin Kincade

Photo © Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages.com

What a difference eight years can make.  Eight years ago we didn’t know that there was still frozen water on Mars or that it was even a strong possibility that life once existed on that now-dead planet.  Eight years ago only a few had heard of a phenomenon known today as “global warming” and scarcely anyone outside of the royal Saudi family had even heard the name, Osama Bin Laden.  Shoot, eight years ago, unless you lived in Texas, “W” was just the letter between “V” and “X” in the English alphabet.

Eight years is really not that long of a time in the great scheme of things; but a lot can happen over a span of eight years in the real world as well as in the ring world.  For example, in 1998, there were three stars at Welterweight who had the boxing public reminiscing about the glory days of the early ‘80’s and frothing at the mouth for them to clash. 

These three undefeated scrapping young men were none other than the WBC and Lineal Welterweight Champion, Oscar De La Hoya, the IBF Welterweight Titlist who was into the fifth year of his reign, Felix Trinidad, and the much talked about WBA Welterweight Titlist, Ike “Bazooka” Quartey.  Just as Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran had to collide, so did these three young champions; and the boxing world held it’s breath as they did.

Also in 1998, a young Jr. Middleweight named Fernando Vargas fulfilled his destiny and made “Yori Boy” Campas retire on his stool after seven rounds to claim the IBF’s recognition as champion of that weight-class.  While Vargas, Trinidad, De La Hoya, and Quartey were rocketing to super-stardom, another young pugilist fought in obscurity and lost his WBO Jr. Middleweight belt to a Namibian fighter named Harry Simon by majority decision.  A year later, this same unknown Jr. Middleweight lost to the popular “El Feroz” by the slimmest of margins.  His name:  Ronald “Winky” Wright.  Eight years makes a difference, no?

Not only do eight years make a difference, the powers of perception can change when two fighters finally meet and the truth is made known as to who truly is the better man, or not.  Quartey came up just short in his back-and-forth battle with De La Hoya, leaving some with the impression that he was robbed by a hometown decision.  However, he lost more convincingly when he challenged for Vargas’ Jr. Middleweight title in 2000. 

In the wake of those two heartbreaking defeats, Ike returned to Ghana, supposedly never to be heard from again.  Then, a funny thing happened last year; the boxing bug bit Ike once more and he has since reeled off three consecutive wins and one very controversial decision loss to another former welterweight champ, Vernon Forrest. 

The years following his loss to Fernando Vargas have been far more kind to the Winkster than they were to Bazooka; but maybe that’s because he didn’t need to take some time off to collect his thoughts.  Instead, Wright trudged onward to earn the respect he so desperately desired and deserved. 

That quasi-controversial loss to Vargas in 1999 helped turn the eyes of the boxing world towards the skilled St. Petersburg native; and followed him through winning the vacant IBF jr. Middleweight title to his unification bout with the highly touted “Sugar” Shane Mosley, where they finally became fully opened as to how talented a prize fighter he really is.

What do we know about these two oft-underrated pugilists going into Saturday night’s clash?  Well, we know that both are past their best; but that their motivations for taking this fight are strikingly similar.  For Quartey, it is one step closer to achieving his once glorious promise in the guise of the mythical phoenix, rising from his own ashes to live and fight anew.  For Wright, it is one step closer to achieving the acclaim he has been denied all too often, despite the evidence of his worthiness to the contrary.

One thing you have to love about boxing is that, in the end, when it’s all said and done, it is up to the man to seize the day and his destiny.  Sure, there will be bumps along the way and sometimes popularity does make a difference in a battle’s outcome where the judges are concerned; but while the two men are in the ring, showing their wares, it is up to them to take fate into their own gloved hands.  For twelve rounds, or whatever the prescribed limit, it makes no difference who is more well-known, it makes no difference who is receiving the lion’s share of the purse; all that matters is what the fighter does during those oh-so brief sixty minutes.

Unfortunately, sometimes, despite the brilliant tactical display that is put forth by one man, his fate is decided by three judges who are all too often, all too human.  Such was the case, this writer believes, when Winky Wright challenged for the World Middleweight Championship back in June of this year.  Despite the official outcome of a draw, the majority of the boxing public know what they witnessed and how worthy this man is of world-wide acclaim. 

Heartbreak and disrespect and perceptively flawed decisions are nothing new to Winky Wright.  He was unheard of when he challenged the over-popular Fernando Vargas seven years ago, was expected to be a stepping stone for Shane Mosley in 2004, rung #2 on the Felix Trinidad comeback ladder last year, and the confirmation of Jermain Taylor’s impending greatness in June of this year.  Still, despite the disrespect, Winky keeps moving forward.  In a way, even though “Joe Blow” on the street couldn’t tell you who he is, there is solace in knowing that through his domination of two of the sports stars, the majority of boxing fans recognize him, rightfully, as being one of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the world today.

For Ike, this is a last stand, a last chance to get back into the mix he ousted himself from more than six years ago.  Two fights into his comeback he struggled with ring rust and the polished skills of the savvy, recently deposed IBF Jr. Middleweight titlist, Verno Phillips on the way to a razor-thin unanimous decision.  Next up was former Jr. Middleweight title-challenger and all-around tough cookie, Carlos Bojorquez, and the aforementioned Vernon Forrest; no soft-touches for “Bazooka”.  He went; officially 2-1 in that three-fight stretch, which should have been 3-0 to all who saw, with the exception of Tony Paolillo, Melvina Lathan, and Steve Weisfeld: the three people who’s opinions mattered in the outcome of the contest. 

One has to think that Winky, who has had his share of questionable decision losses and draws, took that into mind, or maybe even to heart when he signed to fight the 37 year old Quartey.  Thus far, these two men have been just beyond the glow of the spotlight; and, hopefully, the winner of this match-up will be given the chance, once again, to step back onto that stage and steal the show.  If Winky loses, which is possible, it will be merely a minor setback for him; but for Ike, this fight has the feel of all or nothing.  In a tale of two men who have been on the outskirts of true stardom in the sport, this battle means everything.  For Winky, it is a confirmation of him deserving to be at the top of the list.  For Quartey, it is quite possibly his last chance to get back into the championship mix. 

From a stylistic standpoint, this is an incredibly intriguing match.  Winky Wright has one of the most frustrating defenses ever seen and while not always pleasing to watch, one can’t deny its effectiveness.  Ike’s jab hasn’t lost any of its pop, his combinations still have fluidity and sting; but can he penetrate Wright’s peek-a-boo?  Wright usually let’s his opponents unload and then counters when they’re done, or he’ll take the lead with his incredibly effective jab and retreat to his shell the second his adversary offers some counters of their own. 

If history means anything, Wright’s style should be able to handle Quartey’s technique; but don’t be surprised if this turns out to be an incredibly close bout by the time the final bell sounds.  This is certainly the biggest test in Ike’s comeback and it will be interesting to see how he handles the complex puzzle that is Winky Wright, for no one has solved his defensive riddle since he rose to prominence as a prize-fighter.  It would be foolish to doubt either of these two’s hunger; but this is going to be a battle of technique, finesse and timing, me thinks:  a chess match, if you will, despite Quartey’s claim of going for the knock-out.

Winky Wright is 35 years old and Ike Quartey is 37; they are in the twilight of their careers and nothing is quite as dramatic as two seasoned warriors facing the impending end of their glory days, clamoring for one more shot at the title.  And here, we’ve got two:  one with unfulfilled promise, one with full promise denied by forces beyond his control.  One fights Father Time as well as one of the best boxers in the world today, while the other fights to hold on to his place in the pantheon against the ghost of boxing’s past.  And both are battling for one more shot at the limelight before their careers fade into the coming night of retirement. 

I believe Dylan Thomas put it best:  “Do not go gentle into that good night.  Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

Saturday night, I believe we will see just that from these two great warriors.

Questions or Comments:  kevin.kincade@citcomm.com