Earlier this week one of the world?s premier light heavyweights was seen in action at the TapouT gym in Las Vegas as ?Bad? Chad Dawson finished up his final preparation for his August 14th fight with Jean Pascal. The HBO-televised showcase between quite possibly the world?s two premier light heavyweights is the type of fight that the public has been demanding from Dawson and his preparation spoke of his dedication to the contest.
Dawson sparred with three partners on this day, the last two being Jr. Middleweight contender Ishe Smith and Super Middleweight gatekeeper Carlos De Leon Jr. Dawson didn?t go all out during the sessions and seemed to be working on his technique more than anything else. Dawson helped Smith prepare for his last fight, a rough back and forth brawl with Middleweight Fernando Guerrero on July 16th, and following Ishe?s disputed loss he came back in town to return the favor for Dawson.
Trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad oversees the duties of Dawson and is still trying to hone certain elements of his game despite the fight being close to a week away. Dawson does appear to be in tremendous shape and he will need to bring his A game against Pascal, who has a pair of victories over Adrian Diaconu with his only loss being a split nod to former champion Carl Froch in a back and forth tussle.
After working out Dawson told me that he has visions of how the fight with Pascal is going to play out and mentioned the likes of Lucian Bute and Andre Ward as future foes. Before anything else, however, the 28-year must get past Pascal next Saturday night. That in itself is no easy task and all eyes will be on Chad Dawson on August 14th.
For images of Chad Dawson preparing for his HBO showdown with Jean Pascal please click on the slideshow below…
