After the clinic Bernard Hopkins put on last week in taking the light heavyweight title from Antonio Taver, all eyes will be on Hopkins' conqueror Jermain Taylor this Saturday night, as he defeinds the middleweight title he won from Hopkins against one of boxing's pound-for-pound best, Ronald "Winky" Wright, at the Fedex Forum in Memphis.

Taylor, 25-0 (17), has to be re-evaluated in light of Hopkins' domination of Tarver. How was Hopkins able to bully the bigger, stronger 175-pound Tarver around the ring, after fighting two tentative fights against Taylor at 160? There may be several theories to explain this. First, Hopkins' hiring of fitness guru Mackie Shilstone may have resulted in an old-school-meets-new-school training camp for B-Hop, causing the 41-year-old "Executioner" to feel refreshed and energized. This, combined with Tarver draining himself after having to lose probably 30 pounds to make weight (lets call it Roy Jones syndrome), might have been a key factor in Hopkins' domination over the "Magic Man".

Another explanation is that Taylor was much better than he ever got credit for. Although I felt Hopkins won both fights, the fights were close, and Taylor won many rounds in both. Against Hopkins, Tarver barely won one. Also, Taylor is a tremendous athlete with good power and fast hands; this may have compensated for his seemingly one-dimensional abilities as a boxer. Hopkins may have found Tarver's southpaw style much easier to handle than Taylor's aggression. At any rate, Taylor will prove whether he's the real deal or a flash in the pan, because his opponent is one of the most skilled and avoided boxers in the game today.

Winky Wright, 50-3 (25), is fighting for only the third time at 160, previoulsy defeating Sam Soliman and Felix Trinidad. Wright's difficult southpaw style might not be the most crowd-pleasing, but it's good enough to frustrate and demoralize elite fighters and send send them (i.e. Trinidad) back into retirement. Against the octopus-like Soliman, Wright did not get enough credit in his victory, as he demonstrated his ability to throw combinations while defending against a sloppy volume puncher. He even came close to stopping him. Wright uses his left arm as a shield, as he stalks forward with that spear-like right jab, fending off hard combinations with a grin from the most dangerous punchers.

The X-factor in this intriguing macthup lies in the tale of the tape. Taylor is a naturally bigger middlweight, with a whopping six-inch reach advantage, no small measurement for someone whose jab is nothing to sneeze at. Taylor also has a three inch height advantage, and at 28 years-old, is seven years Wright's junior. Though Wright has the edge when it comes to experience and boxing ability, Taylor's confidence after beating Hopkins twice should not be underestimated. By dumping long-time trainer Pat Burns for the legendary Emanuel Steward, the Taylor camp acknowledges that solving Wright's style is no easy task. But Taylor just might be big enough to wear Wright down and win another close decision.

If Taylor wins, Hopkins looks better having lost to the man who beat the man. If Wright wins, he solidifies his position as pound-for-pound runner-up to Floyd Mayweather, and leaves many to speculate whether Wright would have beat Hopkins. Expect both men to come out so cautiously that it encites boos from the crowd. Taylor, fighting close to his home state of Arkansas, will feel the pressure of fans cheering for him to win. Wright, having traveled all over the world to fight, will feel right at home. But beating Taylor convincingly in front of such a partisan crowd will be a daunting task. Wright will have to replicate his win over Trinidad, but against a bigger man. In the middle rounds, Wright will find a way to neutralize Taylor's jab by spearing the champion with straight lefts. Taylor will get discouraged and use his jab less, but will score good with combinations and effective aggression. Going into the later rounds, the fight will be even, but Wright will raise his punch output and appear to be the clear victor, until the judges scorecards are added up, and, as in his last two fights, Taylor is awarded another controversial victory.

Prediction: Taylor by split decision