By Jack Welsh

Ronald “Winky” Wright may not be such an astute handle for a business man, but like being the super welterweight champion, when it comes to high finance he is second to none.

The clever 32-year-old boxer-puncher from St. Petersburg, Fla., had fight buffs taking a long second look when word was out Wright was moving up to fight Felix “Tito” Trinidad May 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The hard-nosed public figured it was ambition when Wright agreed to face the Puerto Rican icon at 160 pounds, considering that tag is six over the WBA/WBC champion’s limit.

Wright (48-3, 25 KOS) has had a reputation of being a hard case when he deals with promoter Don King about contracts. Considering the steep challenge with the come-backing Trinidad, Wright pitched $5 million as his fee from King.

It read like a stonewall when D.K. told the media Trinidad’s purse was $10 million and the top figure for Wright wasn’t going to be the demanded $5 million, but $1 milion less.

King was really playing hard ball with the dual champion, considering “Winky” had to hustle to get $750,000 when he beat Shane Mosley for the WBC/WBA154-pound titles with a unanimous decision last Mar.13 at the Mandalay Bay.Wright’s jab was even more effective in the rematch Nov.20 in the same venue but the first three-belted super welterweight king in history had to settle for $2 million.

When Wright accepted King’s $4 million, it might have left a lot of his admirers doing a double take but it was strictly business, a gesture that could take the Florida hero to another echelon if he successful against Trinidad, arguably the most popular fighter in the sport with a 42-1, 35 KOs resume and an undisputed middleweight crown he will try to regain.

Whatever world champion was in Wright’s shoes today, he would have to make a big concession to Trinidad regarding the money and despite his big 12th round kayo by Bernard Hopkins in September, ‘01, the Latino is the guy who will make the box office dance like no other.

Team Winky feels the mission is worth the risk because the best performance of his 14-year career could take him to Bernard Hopkins and beyond as a mega-bucks super star.***

Arturo Gatti, the hottest marquee name on the east coast, is anxious to get back to work and right now it’s basically a matter of who and when.

Months before the explosive WBC super lightweight champion disposed of ‘Jesse James’ Leija on a fifth-round kayo in Atlantic City Jan.29, the scenario called for Gatti to defend against undefeated Floyd Mayweather, Jr., in June.

When the charismatic Gatti went into the ring against Leija at Boardwalk Hall, the assembly was 12,599, marking the fifth straight sellout in that venue and if Mayweather is the challenger, HBO-TV wouldn’t want the action any place else.

Mayweather, 27, who has given up the WBC lightweight and super feather-weight crowns, has a 33-0, 22 KOs log, having kayoed overmatched Henry Bruseles Jan.22 in Miami.

Ironically, Mayweather hasn’t had a definitive fight since turning pro in 1996. For many reasons, Gatti, with a 39-6., 30 KOs record, would be the first. With all his superb skills, Mayweather’s negative is he hasn’t had a major sellout after 11 fights in Las Vegas, formerly from Grand Rapids.

Gatti is a slick boxer-puncher who figures to box Mayweather, which is what he did with the 36-year-old Leija, until he decided it was time to go home.

However, the 32-year-old Montreal native settling in New Jersey, told HBO’s Larry Merchant “the warrior is still inside if I need to bring it out.”

“I want to fight Mayweather and I understand June 11 has been mentioned. I want to fight the best out there and they say Mayweather is the best in what be the richest gate for both of us,” Gatti said.

“Mayweather has some legal problems which I hope he gets worked out. But I can’t wait forever to fight him. He was supposed to be at ringside for this fight but he didn’t show up. That really doesn’t make much difference because I’m the guy that sells the tickets.”

According to the Associated Press, an arrest warrant was issued for Mayweather last month after he failed to attend his trial for allegedly kicking a bouncer in a Grand Rapids bar and was

charged with misdemeanor assault.

Mayweather, considered among the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world, was not available for comment.

In recent weeks, the two-time former world champion, regarding his immediate future, declared, “I’ll fight anybody out there.***

BOLD PREDICTION:.....Long before and well after, Zab Judah TKO’d Cory Spinks Feb.4 in the ninth round to win the undisputed world welterweight title in St. Louis, he declared: “I am going to finish Spinks forever. It’s like I said, I have no disrespect for Cory Spinks. I like him a lot as a person. But my whole thing is this - I am here to take. I am going into his backyard because I am from Brooklyn. That is what we do. I am from the home of the taking state.”

(Jack Welsh is a syndicated columnist with headquarters in Las Vegas and a regular contributor to Boxing Press, Boxing Insider, Ringsports.Com and other American sports publications.)