Ronald "Winky" Wright had his hands full last night against an awkward, slippery fighter who just wouldn't quit, but still won a unanimous decision against Sam Soliman at the Mohegan Sun casino last night in Connecticut.

Soliman, 31-8 (12), whose awkward style included punching from weird angles and a pretty good chin, threw combinations tirelessly but with little power or effect on the seasoned veteran Wright, who caught most of them on his arms and shoulders. It was Wright's toughest fight in a long time, though he was never in danger of losing it and almost came close to stopping Soliman in the 10th round. Wright usd his spear-like jab but also more combinations then were used to seeing him use, and was forced to use his agility more against the hyper, spastic Soliman than he ever was against Felix Trinidad. I scored the fight 117-111 for Wright.

There was little doubt that Wright would beat Soliman, but now the pressure is on Jermain Taylor, the new undisputed middleweight champion, to make an effort to accomodate Wright's demands. In beating Hopkins, twice, Taylor, who was brought up carefully thus far, now finds himself in a position where he has to fight the elite in the division, something he hasn't done thus far. Felix Sturm and Howard Eastman (not to mention the now-retired Trinidad and the two-time middleweight Oscar De La Hoya) were all ranked above Taylor at 160 less than a year ago, and each would have given him a competitive fight. As last night's bout was at the middleweight level, Wright, 50-3 (25), will not be denied his chance at unifying the titles and becoming undisputed champ at 160.

Wright-Taylor would have to favour the southpaw from St.Petersburg, and Dibella and the Taylor camp know this. But as champion, Taylor has to fight. The days of fighting blown up junior middleweights are over; Taylor's razor-thin decisions over Hopkins were not a means to an end. This is just the beginning. And Taylor is still a young fighter with not a lot of experience. The fight that he was tested only in spurts by the aged Hopkins does not bode well for Taylor. But Taylor wanted the titles, got them, and now has to defend them.

Be careful what you wish for.