Winky Wright, right, blocks a punch by Felix Trinidad in their fight at the MGM Grand on May 14, 2005. Wright, who won by unanimous decision, allowed Trinidad to land just 58 of the 557 punches he threw. Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A spectacular defensive play in a college or pro football game invariably will send a crowded stadium into delirium. Defensive stalwarts such as Brian Urlacher and Troy Polamalu have become idols to millions.

At a championship boxing match, however, great defense is often met with anger and derision from fans. A superb defensive boxer often finds it tough to land big fights and television air time.

Nobody understands that better than Winky Wright, who will challenge Jermain Taylor for the middleweight title Saturday at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.

Wright (50-3, 25 knockouts) is one of boxing's consummate defensive specialists, a man so skilled in the art of avoiding punches that he allowed power-hitting Felix Trinidad to land just 58 blows in their bout at the MGM Grand on May 14, 2005.

Trinidad connected on only 10 percent of his shots, 58 of 557, in the unanimous-decision loss, thanks largely to Wright's defense.

Boxing historian Hank Kaplan acknowledged that Wright is a superb defender but said much about the sport has changed since Willie Pep, according to legend and lore, once won a round without landing a punch.

"It's a different sport today than it was 40 or 50 years ago -- not better, not worse, just different," said Kaplan, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday. "In those days, boxing was the No. 2 sport in the country (behind baseball) and guys fought a couple of times or more a month. They had to learn defense because if you fight tonight, you can't fight again in six days if you have a busted eye or a broken nose.

"They had to learn how to defend to survive, to be able to pay the rent. They understood the subtle things that the kids today don't know a thing about. I don't say that to knock the kids today. It's different because of TV. They know 20 million people are watching when they fight now and they want to make a point so they go out trying to decapitate each other."

Many may have tried to decapitate Pep, whose elusive style earned him the nickname "Will o' the Wisp." Over a 26-year career, Pep won 230 fights, waged against Hall of Fame-bound opponents such as Sandy Saddler, Chalky Wright, Sammy Angott and Manuel Ortiz.

Kaplan always had argued that Jim Driscoll, a Hall of Famer who fought in the early 20th century, was the best pure boxer in history until he did a side-by-side comparison with Pep.

"I studied Jim Driscoll and had read a lot about his career and I'd considered him the master boxer of all time," Kaplan said. "But after watching film of him, I made two conclusions: He was a great defensive fighter, and he was no Willie Pep."

Defense in boxing comes in many forms, Kaplan said. Some fighters are good at using their hands to pick off incoming blows. Others use their legs to bend, dip and glide out of the way. Some use head movement to stay close to an opponent, then dart away quickly from a punch at the last moment.

Still others use a pecking jab to blunt an opponent's attack.

Wright is a master of keeping his hands high to pick off shots, said trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., one of the game's finest teachers of the defensive art.

There is nothing slick about what Wright does, said Mayweather, who added that the boxer is vulnerable if attacked properly.

"When you have a kid who puts the gloves on for the first time, what is the first thing you tell them? 'Keep your hands up,' " Mayweather said. "That's what Winky does. It's not a hard concept, and I don't say that to take anything away from Winky Wright, because success is success. But Jermain could make it an easy fight if he knew what to do.

"Nobody bends their knees, digs to the body and makes him drop his guard and then comes up to the head. What you have to do is hit his gloves. Touch his hands and then go around them. Hook off the jab and then come down the middle with a straight right."

Kaplan and Mayweather agree that as good as Wright is he's not the best defensive fighter.

That honor, both said, belongs to unbeaten Las Vegan Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"Mayweather Jr. is the premier defensive fighter in the world," Kaplan said. "One of the things that makes Floyd unique is that he's not only a clever kid, but he's a speed demon. He has phenomenal speed and he uses it as a defensive mechanism. He's the epitome of a defensive fighter in today's game."

Taylor, whom Kaplan described as a highly underrated defensive fighter, knows Wright's reputation as boxing's version of Dick Butkus.

But after back-to-back wins over Bernard Hopkins, himself a defensive master, Taylor professes little concern about the problems Wright's defense might present.

"I'm not worried about no one's defense because you have to hit me to beat me," Taylor said. "I fought 24 rounds with Hopkins, and that's like going to college and then grad school. He makes you fight his fight. He makes you look like garbage.

"But you know what? I won those fights. And I learned how to deal with it. I have respect for Winky, but he's just another fighter, too."