Tonight Chad Dawson will find himself in possibly one of the stiffest challenges of his career as he will look to capture Jean Pascal?s WBC light heavyweight crown on his opponent?s home turf of Quebec, Canada. The 28-year old Dawson has undeniable talent but hasn?t had the series of benchmark performances that you would look for in a budding pound for pound star.
Dawson built up a 22-0 record before bursting onto the scene to defeat Poland?s Tomasz Adamek by clear decision in February of 2007. In the fight Dawson boxed beautifully before surviving a late round knockdown and eventually picking up the WBC crown in the process. He has tremendous gifts in the ring but the past two years have seen him defeat both Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson by decision twice and outside of the first fight against the rugged Jamaican the bouts were slightly non-descript. In Pascal he will have a man who is very lively and could bring out the best in Dawson, which is what everyone has been patiently waiting for.
Pascal has a 25-1 record 16 knockouts and has seen his star rise since making the move north from 168 pounds. His only loss was a barnburner to former WBC champion Carl Froch and he holds two victories over rugged Romanian Adrian Diaconu. While he seems to be up against somewhat of a wall in Dawson he is still ultra-confident and his actions spoke for as much during yesterday?s intense stare down between the two fighters.
Dawson trained for the contest in Las Vegas and had much to say when speaking to the Examiner last week. In his own words this is what the Hartsville, Connecticut resident had to say about his fight with Pascal, possible future foes such as Andre Ward and Lucian Bute, his time training with Floyd Mayweather Sr. and more?
Strive and hunger? ?It?s all about being patient. I?ve been in shape the last two weeks and ready to go. The main thing is to keep that endurance and that strive and hunger. A lot of people think I?m crazy for going over there and fighting in his backyard but I believe in fighting the best. I?m going over there and I?m not worrying about the judging or officiating. I?m just going to do what I have to do. I?m going to bring the belt back to the US.?
Skill for skill? ?Every skill he has, I can match. I think he has fought twice at Light Heavyweight and he has lost once. I look at the height advantage, the strength from being in this division, plus I have fought the best in the division.?
A tough night? ?I prepare myself for everything but I envision how the fight will play out. This is how I look at it; I?m going to out box him, I ?m going use my height, use my reach, and use my jab. I think he?s going to have a hard time getting inside. He has the shorter arms and I think it?s going to be a tough night for him. I?m just ready to go.?
Getting to the top? ?It?s different because you have to work your way to your top. When you make your pro debut you start to slowly get the recognition and your name starts to get there. As a fighter you have to make it to the top and you still have to say hungry. Floyd Mayweather made it to the top and he?s still hungry. I was able to see him work out for Shane Mosley and when guys work out like that it inspires you.?
Business mindset? ?I?m here to do myself now. I?m trying to have the mindset of a business man and hopefully after this fight I can sign some fighter and get working on my promotional company. Everybody aspires to be like the Golden Boy, the Oscar De La Hoya way. He has Golden Boy and he has a big promotional company.?
Working with Floyd Mayweather Sr? ?What I took away from it was that I was able to work with a world class trainer. Even thought it didn?t work out between us he still is a world class trainer and he still knows boxing. It was a learning experience. I was able to learn some of the things that he taught his son in his career. He is a great trainer but it just didn?t work out.?
A future with Andre Ward? ?Andre Ward is a great fighter. Talented fighter and I have been watching him. One day in the future me and him will be getting in the ring. I?ve been watching him, definitely and I think that will be one of the biggest fights to happen.?
Lucian Bute? ?Lucian Bute is a great fighter but he hasn?t fought the opposition that I fought.?
Seeing former foe Tomasz Adamek rise to the Heavyweights? ?It?s not surprising because when I fought him I knew that he was a tough guy and a hard puncher. I?m not surprised at all because he seems like a guy who works hard to get where he is at. The night I fought him it was just my night. I had a great game plan that Eddie Mustafa laid out for me and I followed the game plan.?
Working with Eddie Mustafa Muhammad? ?It?s great. He knows when I am ready to go and he knows those days when I don?t have it. He tells me sometimes to take the day off and relax. It shows that he cares about my conditioning and my physicality. He?s a great trainer, one of the best out there and hopefully after this fight I can get another fight in and he can be nominated for trainer of the year. He definitely deserves it.?
