By Ed Ludwig

07.03 - Off the coast of Florida there is a “Great Wright Shark” circling the waters and he is ready to take a bite out of WBC/WBA Jr. Middleweight Champion Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya is in Miami on a promotional tour and IBF champion Winky Wright has returned home after a successful title defence over JC Candelo last Saturday night in Las Vegas. Wright (45-3 28 KO’s) is hoping for a unification bout with De La Hoya as are most boxing fans. Whether or not it will happen remains to be seen. I for one have been very vocal as to why this fight should happen and although I am one voice I will continue to make my feelings known. If De La Hoya continues to fight the likes of Campas, Castillejo etc then that is his prerogative but sooner or later a unification clash will happen. De La Hoya can run but he can’t hide. I would like to thank Winky Wright for taking the time to speak with Eastside Boxing.

Ed Ludwig: I wanted to start by congratulating you on your victory over JC Candelo. Did the fight go as planned or was it tougher then expected?

Winky Wright: I thought he was going to be tough and be up for the fight. Like I told everybody, I was expecting a tough fight because he is tall and awkward plus I have been out of the ring for a few months so I wasn’t as sharp but I felt good and looked good. I got a little winded at one point because it was in Vegas and I never fought there before so I think the atmosphere got to me for a second but after that I came right back and did pretty good.

EL: Were you nervous at all heading to the ring for your first big fight in Vegas?

WR: Not nervous at all. I have fought all over the world so fighting there did not bother me at all.

EL: Now that Candelo is out of the way do you have any idea of what is next for you?

WR: Ed, you know whom I want and that is Oscar De La Hoya and until then we are going to keep knocking off everybody who gets in the way. Whoever is in front of me will go down.

EL: A while back you met with Bob Arum on an Los Angeles radio show and I was wondering what was said between the two of you and did anything promising come out of your discussion?

WR: He was pretty much talking about how I need to fight somebody, someone with a big name so then I can get the recognition to fight De La Hoya but I don’t need no recognition to fight De La Hoya because everybody knows who I am. Arum is making the usual excuses to keep me from fighting Oscar. I would like to fight Vargas again but I want Oscar so I can unify the titles.

EL: Speaking of Fernando Vargas, how do you feel about him?

WR: People always get this twisted. Boxing is a sport and my job. I don’t dislike Vargas because he didn’t take the decision from me, the judges did. If I’m going to hate somebody then I am going to hate the judges. Vargas did what he had to do and I want to fight him again because I knew I beat him. I should have got the victory and that is why I want to do it again and prove that I can beat him. I like Vargas and I don’t dislike any opponent unless they are talking bad about me then I will dislike them.

EL: Oscar De La Hoya and Bob Arum have put themselves on a pedestal and seem to be snubbing their noses at everyone while they continue to call the shots. Shane Mosley rejected the latest offer as we all know, Arum says a fight with you won’t sell. De La Hoya could sell a sparring session on pay per view if he wanted too so as the fight with Campas looms and you are on the outside looking in how does it make you feel?

WR: De La Hoya is a name but what if the tables were turned and I was the marquee fighter and people knew me and not him? He would do everything I did and say he deserves the fight and what if I didn’t fight him? He has the big name and Bob Arum did a great job of promoting and like you said they snub their noses at everyone else. There will come a time when Bob Arum wont have that marquee fighter and he will want one of his fighters to fight that marquee name.

EL: What is the root of Bob Arum’s problem with you? He has never come out and said it except for the obvious mumbo jumbo that we hear time and time again.

WR: When De La Hoya left Bob Arum he signed me and he told me that he wanted me to beat De La Hoya but when they got back together Arum wanted to keep me away from him. Arum was mad that I didn’t take the fight with Shane Mosley for the money that was put on the table. The money offered meant that taking the fight would be a bad business decision.

EL: How much was the offer for the Mosley fight? I have heard different reports but nothing concrete.

WR: I was going to get $800,000 out of that fight and I asked why? I am the champion and I have De La Hoya and Vargas in my weight class and people talk about those guys and I’m supposed to take $800,000 to fight Mosley? I can make that fighting anybody.

Part two of my exclusive interview with Winky Wright will be posted at a later date.

Questions or comments: ed.ludwig@eastsideboxing.com