Well, they're back... Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins and "Bad" Chad Dawson meet in their mandatory rematch tonight, after their controversial first bout ended quickly and somewhat farcically in October.
In the second round of that first fight at the Staples Center, Dawson appeared to bodily lift Hopkins and throw him through the ropes, dislocating the champion's shoulder. The move was missed by referee Pat Russell, and Dawson was initially awarded the fight by TKO. He immediately showed no interest in a rematch - waving off the injured Hopkins and claiming the injury had been a convenient way for Hopkins to disguise his lack of appetite for the fight. However the decision was overturned and Hopkins thus retains his twin The Ring and WBC titles for this second go-around.
Back story? It's complicated - not least because the Hopkins back story goes...way back. But regarding why these two fighters are here tonight, here goes: Dawson was the one time holder of The Ring title, before losing it to Jean Pascal, who in turn lost that belt, plus the WBC title he had taken from Adrian Diaconu in 2009, to Bernard Hopkins, over the course of a disputed draw and a points win in Pascal's home town, Montreal, for The Executioner. The undercard for that second decisive fight featured an eliminator between Dawson and the luckless Diaconu - whose 5 inch height disadvantage saw him out-punched almost 2-1 as Dawson powered his way to a unanimous decision. Thus we had http://secure.signup-way.com/8406/21000/Boxing_TV Hopkins v Dawson I and now we have Hopkins v Dawson.
Dawson of course will look at the same statement and point out that 11 years have lapsed since then, and he should be odds on favorite to win tonight. He also shouldn't be as phased by Hopkins' "creative ringcraft" as, say, Pascal was. He's not a passionate fighter, as his somewhat workmanlike defeat of Diaconu showed (in his corner for that fight, Emmanuel Steward was begging him to engage) and he won't be easily sucked into Hopkins' attempts to unsettle him. Hopkins main chance is to force him to fight - something Dawson sometimes seems to lack appetite for. Appetite for the fight is the cornerstone of Hopkins' longevity.http://secure.signup-way.com/8406/21000/Boxing_TV.
Dawson was also impressive over two fights against the fancied Antonio Tarver, who may have been 39 himself (and trounced already by Hopkins, natch), but was still expected to have the style to beat Dawson. But Dawson's performance in the second fight seemed to give definitive proof he was the real deal.
But then came that lone loss, to Pascal. The fight was stopped on a clash of heads, but most observers had the Canadian well ahead of Dawson anyway. So Dawson's perfect record had gone, and as Adamek and others had showed - he could be sent to the canvas. And with their first fight too short to be conclusive (though Dawson was the aggressor in the one complete round), Hopkins will cling to that possibility and the fact that as he said himself this week, "They were calling me old when I beat Trinidad 11 years ago."
Dawson of course will look at the same statement and point out that 11 years have lapsed since then, and he should be odds on favorite to win tonight. He also shouldn't be as phased by Hopkins' "creative ringcraft" as, say, Pascal was. He's not a passionate fighter, as his somewhat workmanlike defeat of Diaconu showed (in his corner for that fight, Emmanuel Steward was begging him to engage) and he won't be easily sucked into Hopkins' attempts to unsettle him. Hopkins main chance is to force him to fight - something Dawson sometimes seems to lack appetite for. Appetite for the fight is the cornerstone of Hopkins' longevity.
