Undefeated middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin plans to crack Ronald “Winky” Wright’s defensive shell, in addition to possibly becoming the first to knockout the four-time light middleweight champion, June 2 in their 10-round Showtime co-feature at Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
“I love crabmeat,” Quillin said. “It’s in a shell and you have to crack it to get to the meat. That’s what I’m going to do to ‘Winky’; hit his arms, body, all over – take no prisoners!”
The 40-year-old Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs), naturally, has a tremendous experience advantage over Quillin (26-0-, 20 KOs), who was seven years old attending grammar school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, when “Winky” made his pro debut in 1990.
“Winky” hasn’t fought in three years but he has had significantly more fights (57-26), rounds (394-97), and years as a pro (21 ½ – 6 ½) than Quillin, who, of course, hopes to be the first non-world champion to defeat Wright, as well as stop the defensive southpaw for the first time. In a class comparison, Wright has a decided edge having defeated all-time greats such as Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosely, while Qullin’s most notable win came against Craig McEwan in his last fight and HBO debut.
“I understand the risk,” Quillin commented. “I fear no man and I’m so confident because I’m working hard, six days at week, at Wild Card Gym (trainers Freddie Roach and Eric Brown), and with (strength-and-conditioning coach) Brad Bose. I’ve dedicated my life to boxing. ‘Winky’ is a future Hall of Famer. Beating him will give me respect. He’s a good defensive fighter and I need rounds. None of my last five fights have gone more than six rounds (19 total).
“I’m not taking him lightly, even if he’s 40 and has been off for a few years. I am challenging myself to see if I can be the first to stop him. I worked five weeks with Freddie Roach, soaking up everything he said and showed me, to learn about becoming a more complete fighter. This fight is make-or-break for me.”
Team Kid Chocolate believes the risk of fighting an experienced, potentially dangerous Wright is well worth the reward.
“We feel Peter is on the threshold of becoming a special fighter,” explained John Seip, who co-manages Quillin with Jim McDevitt. “He is fighting a future Hall of Fame fighter who still possesses a lot of boxing skills, knowledge and experience. This fight is a good test for Peter. We take one fight at a time but are confident and ready for ‘Winky.’ Peter is training hard and he is not taking anything for granted. He is focused and prepared. This will be the beginning of a very exciting year for Peter. The middleweight division has become a very interesting weight class and beating ‘Winky’ will position Peter as one of the top middleweight contenders in the world.”
