Winky Wright On How To Beat Canelo- Can’t Let Him ‘Set’

Saturday night in Miami, the Unified Super Middleweight champ, Canelo Alvarez, will be back in the ring in Miami defending his belts against a lightly regarded Turkish opponent in Avni Yildirim. However, a Hall of Fame great told us earlier this week how he would go about fighting him.

Ronald “Winky” Writer, the former Undisputed World Jr. Middleweight belt holder from the early 2000s, was a guest on our Big Fight Weekend Podcast.

And the man who owns a series of dominant wins over the likes of Sugar Shane Mosley (twice), “Tito” Trinidad and Ike Quartey, gave out some advice on how he would have battled the four division superstar Alvarez back in his time.

Catch his full interview below:

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First, “The Wink,” who finished his career at 51-6-1, with 25 KOs, paid the obvious compliments to Canelo,

“He’s a great fighter. I have a lot of admiration for him. He always comes in shape. Always comes to fight, great power. He’s got great defense. A real good fighter, man, real good.”

But, when I turned the question to how one of the top skilled boxers in terms of his southpaw jab, movement, defense, etc. would fare against Alvarez? Wright didn’t hesitate,

“For me? If I was in my prime, and I had to fight him? I definitely would’ve kept the jab out there. Try to keep him off balance. Can’t let him “set.”

Because, as you see, when you let him set, he likes to trigger off with them big shots.

Then, when he gets inside, I gotta work his body. Because, you see Canelo go to a lot of other people’s body, but don’t a lot people go to his body.

The same shots he’s hitting me with, I’m gonna hit him back. And, we’ll see who gets who?!”

And, before you disregard just Wright being able to impose his style/will on a great opponent, look no further than what he did in May of 2005 to Trinidad in Las Vegas.

In the signature performance of his career, Winky out boxed, out slugged and dominated the future fellow Hall of Famer, who was 48-2 himself entering that night, over 12 rounds in a unanimous decision win.

The powerful punching Trinidad could never penetrate Wright’s high guard, lateral movement and land any significant big punches. He became frustrated and was basically shutdown by Wright. Winky went into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018 in no small part off that great pay per view win.

Of course, many people have had a plan to try to slow down or neutralize Alvarez, but it’s different once you get in front of him. And obviously, Canelo is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport over the last decade and has lethal power in both fists.

Still, it would have been great to see him try to figure out one of the great tacticians and boxers of the Junior Middleweight division, ever.