Wright Fights for a Shot at Mosley or Vargas

Winky Wright has had trouble getting the public to take him seriously. How much respect can a guy named Winky expect?

On the other hand, Wright has had no trouble getting other fighters to take him seriously. They already had plenty of respect for a fighter with an awkward southpaw style, a diversity of effective punches and a mastery of ring technique.

Add to that Wright’s close loss to Fernando Vargas in 1999 by majority decision--some thought Wright won the fight--and his chances of attracting another big-name opponent became even slimmer.

But that could change tonight when Wright (41-3, 24 knockouts) takes on Robert Frazier (22-4-1, 13) for the vacant International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight title at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio.

Should Wright win, he has two formidable opponents interested in him and his new title. World Boxing Council welterweight champion Shane Mosley, anxious to move up to the 154-pound division, says he’d like to fight Wright on Jan. 12, the date reserved for Mosley by HBO.

Vargas, coming off a victory last month over Jose “Shibata” Flores to win the World Boxing Assn. junior-middleweight title, wants a rematch with Wright to capture a second championship and to show that his difficulty with Wright in their first meeting resulted from an off night.

Of course, should either Mosley or Vargas get a call from Oscar De La Hoya, their interest in Wright would fade instantly.

And should Wright fail to get by Frazier, Wright’s hopes of finally getting the recognition and big money he has craved since turning pro 11 years ago would also fade.

Having come this far, it is unlikely Wright will stumble tonight.