The Philadelphia native Bernard ‘The Executioner’ Hopkins (47-4-1, 32 KOs) ruled the middleweight division for over a decade and defended his title a record 20 times, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, William Joppy, and Glen Johnson. In 2005, he would lose his title in controversial fashion to Jermain Taylor, and after another disputed loss in their rematch, many believed Hopkins’ best days had passed. But in June of 2006, at the age of 41, the Philadelphia native moved up in weight for the first time in his career and was brilliant
dominating the top 175-pound fighter in the world, Antonio Tarver, en route to a lopsided decision win.

Bernard Hopkins couldn’t have written a better ending to his wayward career eleven months ago in Atlantic City. Last June at the Boardwalk Hall, the former undisputed middleweight champ erased two very disputed losses to Jermain Taylor and added a degree of “pound-for-pound”-level achievement to his already historic 160-pound resume by soundly defeating the reigning light heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver over 12 masterful rounds.

Winky Wright comes into this fight at 51-3-1 with 25 knockouts. He is 35 years old, but his age pales in comparison to his opponent. His last couple of fights were an unanimous decision over Ike Quartey and a controversial draw with the current middleweight champ Jermain Taylor. Winky recently took two decision victories against quick-fisted “Sugar” Shane Mosley as Mosley found out just how difficult it is to catch Wright clean. Wright has called out Hopkins for years even when he was atop of the middleweight division, so this fight might be a little delayed but it's still ones enthusiasts wanted to see happen.

This fight should be a great one and one of the summer's biggest. Hopkins may be a little past his prime but has kept himself in great shape and even stepped up to win his last fight against Antonio Tarver, widely regarded as one of the best light heavyweights in the world. Winky Wright has done a lot in his career and a win here would just further solidify his legacy.

The Hopkins vs Wright pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT, will be distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 61 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.

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