By David Vidales

Bvn Staff

early cut - Winky Wright goes down early from an early headbutt by ultimate winner Bernard Hopkins.

Winky Wright (52-3, 25 KO's) became the early odds-maker favorite before the first bell. The rangy southpaw is seven years younger than Hopkins at 35.  Some underestimated the conditioning of the 42 year old Bernard Hopkins who may have the most rigorous training regimen in the business. A glimpse of the pre-fight weigh-in showed many that this one may not go as scripted.

The fighters were aggressive at the opening bell and carried a good pace until the 3rd round. By the middle of that round, Hopkins had decided to try and slip under Wright's stiff jab. He tried to do this several times which caused Hopkins head to come up and underneath Winky Wright's. One such lunge caught Wright under the left eyebrow and he went directly to his knees. He was bothered by the bleeding for a couple of rounds, until his cornermen could stop the flow.

The majority of the remaining rounds were filled with holding, slipping, grabbing and some power punching. Neither fighter is known for leading with their chin and a knockout would be unlikely. Compubox stats revealed 290 jabs for Wright  to only 91 for Hopkins. The tale would be the power punches. Wright threw 328, landing 80. Hopkins threw 549 and connected on 143. 

I found his weakness - Bernard Hopkins explains to reporters how he exploited a chink in Winky Wright’s armor.

For the victorious Hopkins, he revealed that he had exploited Winky Wright's weakness. That he doesn't like to get hit or see his own blood. From the 3rd round on, Wright was a different fighter. Bleeding, frustrated and exhausted by the 10th, Winky's effort was better than the judges tally, but too little too late to beat the ultimate 42 year old practitioner, Hopkins.