Hopkins makes promise to knock out Wright

Bernard Hopkins continued his verbal assault on Winky Wright on Thursday at the fight's final news conference, promising to knock out the St. Petersburg fighter and make him quit Saturday night when they meet at Mandalay Bay.

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published July 20, 2007

LAS VEGAS - Bernard Hopkins continued his verbal assault on Winky Wright on Thursday at the fight's final news conference, promising to knock out the St. Petersburg fighter and make him quit Saturday night when they meet at Mandalay Bay.

After Wright briefly spoke and said the fight needed no selling, Hopkins told everyone to hide the women and children so he could say what was on his mind - "I'm going to kick his a--."

"I'm saying it now, so when it's over, you can pay homage to it," Hopkins added.

Hopkins, whose last knockout was against Oscar De La Hoya in 2004, said he wanted to inflict the same beatdown on Wright that he did on William Joppy in 2003, when he won a lopsided unanimous decision.

KEEPING FOCUS: Hopkins alluded to some distractions in the Wright camp, such as the birth of Wright's son Ryan nine days ago.

Wright said he flew home to be with his girlfriend as she gave birth in St. Petersburg, but says that shouldn't be construed as distracting because it happened on a weekend, and it's not the first time he has flown home during training.

MIGHTY MOUSE?: Wright sported a deep red bruise under his left eye and a scar on the bridge of his nose, both from sparring sessions during camp.

While such nicks and bruises aren't uncommon during training camp, they occurred so close to the fight.

"They said to put makeup on it, but I said 'No, if I look like a fighter, then they'll know I'm coming to fight,' " Wright said.

Andre Ward, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist, is one of the fighters Wright has been sparring with at camp in Las Vegas.

WRIGHT STILL FAVORED: Though the odds have changed three times in the past 24 hours, Wright -150 is still the favorite.

It will take a $150 bet to win $100 on Wright, while a $100 bet wins $130 should Hopkins (+130) defeat Wright.

TICKETS SELLING: About 7,000 tickets have been sold for the fight, but organizers still expect a near-sellout in the 12,000 range.

[Last modified July 19, 2007, 22:58:24]