Wright is ready to make his mark

LAS VEGAS - Winky Wright toiled for years in boxing's minor leagues, patiently waiting for his big chance. Even when he won a piece of the 154-pound title, not many in the sport paid much attention.

Then Wright beat Shane Mosley, and everything changed. Suddenly, his name was in the mix among the Trinidads, De La Hoyas and Hopkins who bring big money to the table.

Those fights, though, will have to wait. Mosley awaits once more, and Wright has to beat him again tonight to truly have a chance to cash in on his success.

''This fight will set me up for bigger things,'' Wright said. ''The first fight just opened the door.''

Wright jumped right through that door in March when he dominated Mosley on his way to a unanimous decision to win the undisputed 154-pound title. The win was the biggest in a pro career that began 14 years ago and took Wright around the world in search of paydays.

Wright (47-3, 25 knockouts) would have just as soon passed on a rematch and gone on to bigger things, but Mosley had a rematch clause in his contract and exercised it. The two meet at the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino (9:45 p.m. EST, HBO) with Wright's WBA and WBC titles at stake.

''I'm not trying to make the fight any different because, for me, the first fight was great,'' Wright said.

''He'll try some new things, but that's fine with me.''

Mosley (39-3, 35 knockouts) was coming off a win over Oscar De La Hoya and looking for some big money fights himself when he agreed to try to unify the 154-pound titles against Wright. It turned out to be a mistake, when Wright dominated him physically and took away his quickness to score the easy win.

Now, Wright is the fighter who has to guard against looking ahead to bouts that could make him extremely rich.

''Once this fight is over there will be a lot of opportunities,'' he said. ''I want to meet Tito (Trinidad) next. I think that would be a great fight for the fans. Then maybe Oscar and Bernard.''

Mosley has similar plans, but he must find a way to overcome the physical advantages Wright seems to have. If he doesn't, he could find himself on the outside of the biggest fights despite having two wins over De La Hoya.

''I just know there's exceptionally good fighters and there are great fighters,'' Mosley said. ''I believe I'm a great fighter.''

He didn't look like a great fighter in March, when Wright worked his right jab at will and stayed on top of Mosley all night. Mosley was never able to use his trademark speed, and the punches he did land were not followed up with combinations.

Mosley fired his father as his trainer after the fight and hired trainer Joe Goossen to try and regain the form that allowed him to win titles in three weight classes, beginning as a lightweight.

''I'm just going to be Sugar Shane once again,'' Mosley said. ''I haven't been the Sugar Shane that people know me as.''

Oddsmakers have Wright a 2¶-1 favorite in the rematch, despite Mosley's contention that he was lethargic for the first fight because he overate after the weigh-in and his blood sugar levels were high.

Wright, for one, doesn't buy it either.

''You have off nights. Everybody has off nights,'' Wright said. ''But there's nothing Shane can do to beat me. He's not stronger, he doesn't have a big punch, and he's not as fast as I thought he was.''

Wright, who likes to hang around with friends like Gary Sheffield and play golf when not boxing, said beating Mosley finally got him some of the recognition that didn't come in his previous 14 years in the ring.

''It changed my life,'' he said. ''People in boxing always knew about Winky Wright. But now they know the face. They stop and acknowledge me and I'm glad they do. But I'm still the same guy.''

That guy is now ready to take the next step that a second win over Mosley will provide him. He's already done some modeling and wants to make a name for himself outside the sport.

''You've got to market yourself outside boxing if you want a big name,'' he said. ''And people want to see a new face in boxing.''