Boxing

Wright, Soliman worthy, but they won't win title

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published December 8, 2005

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Saturday's fight here between St. Petersburg's Winky Wright (49-3) and Sam Soliman (31-7) is for the No. 1 ranking in the International Boxing Federation, which a few months ago was a valuable commodity. That was before Jermain Taylor vacated the title in August by choosing to meet Bernard Hopkins instead of Soliman, at the time the IBF mandatory challenger.

Taylor provided the IBF with a golden opportunity to make Wright-Soliman the fight for its middleweight championship. Since Soliman was No. 1 and Wright No. 3, it made perfect sense.

Saturday, the IBF will crown a middleweight champion, but it won't happen on HBO at the Mohegan Sun Casino here. Instead, the IBF says the winner of Saturday's Kingsley Ikeke and Arthur Abraham fight in Leipzig, Germany, will be champion.

Ikeke is the No. 2 contender and Abraham is No. 5.

Asked why the IBF would pass on the opportunity, promoter Gary Shaw said, "because they are a sanctioning body."

The IBF, however, says it was following its rules when it gave the Ikeke-Abraham fight world title status. Lindsey Tucker, championship chairman for the IBF, told the Canadian Press the fight sanctioning body followed standard practice by ordering the Nos. 1 and 2 contenders - Soliman and Ikeke - to fight.

But Soliman turned it down to keep his bout with the more famous Wright. The IBF is now spinning it by saying that Soliman and Wright were "unavailable" to fight.

YEAH, BUT WHO'S NEXT: Expect talk of Wright's next opponent to dominate conversation at today's final news conference at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Since Taylor edged Hopkins Saturday for the second time this year to retain his WBC and WBA middleweight titles, then said afterward he would be willing to meet Wright, Soliman has been all but forgotten.

Taylor's promoter Lou DiBella caused a mini-furor at Saturday's postfight news conference by saying Taylor deserved an easy fight in his hometown before facing Wright, who responded through publicist Fred Sternburg by ripping that approach.

Now the two sides reportedly will talk after Saturday's fight about a megabout.

IN THEIR HANDS: It was announced that Richard Flaherty will be the referee Saturday, with Melvina Latham, Duane Ford and Tom Kaczmarek working as judges.

DELAY OF GAME: HBO will rebroadcast the boring Taylor-Hopkins fight at 10:15 p.m., pushing the starting time for Wright-Soliman to near 11:30 p.m.

[Last modified December 8, 2005, 00:51:07]