Hand injury derails Winky Wright's comeback

Winky Wright's comeback from a 16-month layoff has been postponed after the former undisputed 154-pound champion injured his left hand during training.

Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) was scheduled to fight Michi Munoz in Snoqualmie, Wash., on Dec. 4 in a 164-pound bout. Wright, who turns 37 on Wednesday, hasn't been in the ring since July 21, 2007, when he lost an upset decision to Bernard Hopkins.

"I was feeling real sharp in camp, and I was looking forward to a great performance before getting hurt," Wright said Tuesday. "I promise that I'll be back and better than ever in 2009."

Wright is a defensive specialist who has never been knocked out. His biggest accomplishments include two wins over Shane Mosley, including a unanimous decision on March 13, 2004, in which Wright won all three major 154-pound belts.

He hadn't lost in more than eight years before dropping a unanimous decision to Hopkins, who picked apart Wright's defense in one of the veteran champion's several late-career upset wins. Wright reportedly turned down several potential fights over the last year while holding out for better purses, but accepted the tuneup against Munoz in hopes of getting a bigger fight in 2009.

"Winky Wright is one of the truest fighters in the game today, and we had to argue with him to cancel this fight," Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said. "We didn't want to risk him fighting with one hand."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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