Light heavyweight ?Bad? Chad Dawson of New Haven, Connecticut has seen his fair share of highs and lows as a professional fighter (It?s amazing how time flies!). It was almost five years ago when Dawson snatched the WBC light heavyweight title after thoroughly dominating then-undefeated Tomasz Adamek.
The victory over Adamek (who eventually moved up to cruiserweight and heavyweight, most recently suffering his second defeat at the hands of Vitali Klitschko) catapulted Dawson into elite pound-for-pound status. In fact, at the time, some of the boxing pundits regarded Dawson as the premiere prizefighter in the business. Well, Dawson may once again be on the cusp of greatness.
A victorious outcome over the ageless wonder Bernard ?The Executioner? Hopkins, 52-5-2 (32), would be redemption for Dawson, as well as another opportunity to capture a world title. Dawson looks to dethrone and possibly retire Hopkins this Saturday at Staples Center, the home of the Los Angeles Lakers. But as the clich? goes, hindsight is always 20/20. In retrospect, was it legit to place Dawson so high on this mythical list? Even back then, nearly five years ago?
Let?s assess Dawson?s career, post-Adamek. There were two consecutive knockout victories over worthless opposition (Jesus Ruiz and Epifanio Mendoza) but to Dawson?s credit, they were his mandatories and he did what he had to do in those fights. He then pulled out a convincing unanimous decision over the gutsy Glen Johnson. There was no doubt that Dawson deserved the nod; however, the fight did confirm Dawson?s vulnerability. Could his chin hold up against other heavy-handed rivals? Then there were the back-to-back wins against Antonio Tarver. It was evident that Dawson is a much better fighter than Tarver but if Dawson?s performance against Tarver could be summed up in one word, it would be ?perfunctory.? Afterward, Dawson decisively outclassed Johnson in a rematch that just seemed all too routine. In his subsequent fight, Dawson would receive the first ?L? of his career. For whatever reason, Jean Pascal appeared to have had Dawson?s number when the two squared off in Montreal. After a nine-month layoff, Dawson returned to the squared circle and earned a ?W? over Adrian Diaconu in a fight that didn?t garner much interest. So what went wrong in the years preceding the fight with Adamek?
?There were a lot of different things that were happening in my personal life,? Dawson said. ?There were so many things that were affecting me and contributing to my poor performances. I am a highly skilled fighter, so you can?t blame me for making a fight look easy. People have forgotten and have written me off but come this Saturday, I will show the people that I am still the same ?Bad? Chad Dawson that beat Adamek and Eric Harding.?
On top of the personal issues that Dawson was referencing, he has also changed trainers three times within this time frame. When Dawson entered the pound-for-pound rankings, he was working with Floyd Mayweather Sr. For the fights with Tarver, Johnson, and Pascal, Dawson trained with Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. And for the contest with Diaconu, Dawson worked with boxing guru Emanuel Steward. As soon as Dawson parted ways with Steward, he rekindled a working relationship with his former trainer ?Iceman? John Scully. All of the aforementioned trainers have contrasting styles but the question that lingers is, did Dawson benefit from the extra attention? On paper, it would be within reason to suggest that this may have changed who Dawson was as a fighter.
?I did indeed work with all of those guys that you just mentioned,? Dawson boasted. ?They all helped me but we are all human, so there was good and bad in all of them. Floyd Sr. is an excellent trainer. He helped tremendously. I think the world of Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. Emanuel Steward is a great, great trainer. Even though I was only with him for a couple of months, his work ethic is incredible. But at the end of the day, I have to be comfortable and I have to be comfortable with moving in my career. I am back with Scully and we are on the same page. It?s like we never left. We are going to show the fans something different come Saturday. Scully will show that he is the best trainer in boxing and I will once again prove that I am the best light heavyweight in the world. That right there is a winning combination.?
It appears that Dawson was hinting to the notion of a lack of motivation. There is some credence to what he is saying. You figure that if you dominate a fighter the caliber of, say, a Tarver once before, what would be the purpose of doing it again? A perfect analogy would be a student in a classroom. If his or her teacher isn?t challenging that particular student to reach his or her maximum potential, then the teacher is opening the door for unruly behavior which will disrupt the dynamic of the classroom. Dawson prepared to the level of his opposition and may have even overlooked Pascal but if Saturday?s showdown isn?t a challenge and an incentive all rolled in one, then I don?t know what it is.
?I admit that I haven?t been reaching my full potential,? Dawson humbly assessed. ?I have been feeling like this for a while and I am not just talking about the fight with Pascal. You can throw the Diaconu fight in there too but I am fully aware of the fact that this Saturday is a showcase to get the fans back on my side and it all starts with me retiring Hopkins. A victory over Hopkins puts me in the list of top three fighters in the world or at the very least, in the top five pound-for-pound.?
Saturday?s fight card is dubbed ?Believe It or Not?. It is hard to believe that Hopkins has been fighting since George H.W. Bush?s presidency in 1988. Now just three months shy of his 47th birthday, Hopkins has achieved so much in a sport that many denigrate. Boxing has allowed Hopkins to walk on the straight and narrow after a five-year stint in prison but one has to wonder why would a first ballot Hall-of-Famer who has pulled the plug on the careers of Felix ?Tito? Trinidad, Kelly ?The Ghost? Pavlik, and Antonio ?The Magic Man? Tarver fight an opponent young enough to be his son? The prudent thing to think is that Hopkins was hurting for money but that is far from truth. With such an arduous task in front of him, one would think Hopkins has his back against the wall. The New Haven native did not echo the same sentiment. He sees some vulnerabilities.
?Look, I will tell you this,? Dawson, now 30-1 (17), said while pausing between words. ?Bernard Hopkins was ducking me for the last two or three years. He had no other choice but to take the fight. Contractually, he was in a situation that forced him to take the fight.?
However, the 29-year-old Dawson wasn?t hating on Hopkins either. Dawson made sure to give ?B-Hop? his props.
?I am not going to front. I give him credit. I give Hopkins a lot of credit. I understand that he performs well in these type of fights. That?s what he did against Tarver, Pavlik, and Trinidad but I am not any of those dudes.
?He has slowed down significantly, ? the southpaw continued. ?He is not the same fighter from of three years ago. In fact, he?s not even the same fighter of a year ago. He isn?t taking punches as well. His legs aren?t the same. A lot of people didn?t see this but Hopkins got hurt in the 12th round against Pascal. I saw it.?
On paper, all of the intangibles favor Dawson. He is 17 years younger than Hopkins. He is bigger and stronger than Hopkins. But most importantly, Dawson is a natural 175-pounder with a longer reach. As opposed to Trinidad, Pavlik, and Tarver, all flat-footed fighters, Dawson is very elusive and crafty in terms of his fighting style. Even though Dawson is a slight favorite heading into Saturday?s showdown, Dawson demonstrated his maturity by putting the propaganda into perspective.
?My back is against the wall,? Dawson told Maxboxing. ?Although I beat Diaconu, I feel that I am coming off of a loss. I feel that I have a lot to prove. It is important that I put on a good performance against Bernard Hopkins. It is important that I win and that I win big. I am going to be that guy that retires him. My punch output is going to be too much for him and he won?t be able to sustain the pace. If it turns into a slugfest- which I don?t think he will but if it does- Hopkins will find himself on his ass unable to get back up.?
Please be informed that history has a way of repeating itself. 20 years ago, a 24-year-old Terry Norris punished a 35-year-old ?Sugar? Ray Leonard inside the ?Mecca of Boxing?. That said, George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer at the age of 45. The possibilities are endless which are what make this duel so compelling but the idea of Hopkins retiring, one can only imagine such an unlikely scenario. Would there be any sympathy on Dawson?s part if he were responsible for permanently sitting Hopkins in a rocking chair at some home?
?I would feel great doing that,? Dawson commented. ?It would teach and prove to him that he can?t hang with the young guys. It would be the passing of the torch and I would be the guy that receives it.?
The landscape at 168 and 175 pounds is pretty stacked, so there will be life in the division for both fighters. More so for Dawson, especially if he gets the victory come Saturday. However, with fighters like Tavoris Cloud, Andre Ward, Carl Froch, and Lucian Bute lurking in the background, it?s a foregone conclusion that Dawson will remain at light heavyweight for the next two to three years. Is a move to any divisions north of 175 pounds in the foreseeable future?
?It?s very easy for me to make 175,? Dawson said. ?Expect me to weigh in at 174 pounds on Friday but my goal is to grow into a cruiserweight and then into a full-fledged heavyweight. But as for the other guys in my division, Cloud is running his mouth. Cloud is on my radar. Listen, I collect belts and I want the IBF title but I will fight anybody on the list at light heavyweight.?
?Believe It or Not!: Hopkins vs. Dawson? is a 12-round bout for Hopkins? WBC and The Ring magazine Light Heavyweight World Championship titles taking place Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View for the price of $54.95 at 9:00 P.M. ET/6:00 P.M. PT. The event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions and is sponsored by Tecate, AT&T and Ripley?s Believe It or Not.
