Ward in his toughest fight to date against Dawson tonight

Ward in his toughest fight to date against Dawson tonight ( Photo credit: Alexis Cuarezma/Goossen Tutor) By Dwight Chittenden: WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KO’s) will easily be taking on the toughest opponent of his career tonight against 30-year-old Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KO’s) at the Oracle Arena, in Oakland, California. This is a fight that can either turn the 28-year-old Ward into a star or it can send him hurtling downwards into the contender ranks.

Dawson has the talent to expose the gaps in Ward’s game, such as his lack of outside fighting skills. At one time, Ward was a good fighter on the outside, but he seems to have slowed down a step in the past three years and he’s now inside brawler 100 percent of the time. That’s all well and good because it’s worked out for him against the likes of Allan Green, Arthur Abraham, Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch in the Super Six tournament. However, tonight will be Ward’s first fight against a fighter with superb boxing skills on the outside in Dawson and we could see Ward struggle to find his way in this fight.

Ward will likely do what he’s been doing in the past three years by getting his shots off first and then collapsing on Dawson to take the fight to the inside. Ward is awfully good at that, but Dawson isn’t someone that just stands there and let’s his opponents charge him the way that Ward does.

Charr has no chance of beating Vitali tonight

By Michael Collins: If you’re interested in seeing a sick mismatch then in tune in to watch WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (44-2, 40 KO’s) deconstruct a badly over-matched opponent with a pumped up resume in 27-year-old Manuel Charr (21-0, 11 KO’s) in their fight in Moscow, Russia. The fight will be televised on HBO tonight as part of a split site telecast with WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward facing Chad Dawson.

Vitali must have closed his eyes and picked an opponent randomly in selecting Charr, because I can’t imagine a worse opponent than this for Vitali. To say that the slow as molasses Charr is tailor made for Vitali is putting it lightly. This guy was created to be knocked out by Vitali. Charr has no hand speed, average power and is so easy to hit. He’s not really even proven that he can dominate the 2nd tier fighters that he’s built up his unbeaten record on. Charr’s win over Zack Page was highly controversial.

I had Page winning that fight by four rounds, but I was surprised that the German based Charr got the decision. Charr also looked awful against Danny Williams, Owen Back, Sharman Williams, Robert Hawkins and Taras Bydenko. Those should have been one-sided fights but they turned out to be life and death matches for Charr, and it was not impressive stuff from the 6’4 1/2″ fighter.

Robert Guerrero confronts Adrien Broner

By Rob Smith: WBC interim welterweight champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (30-1-1, 18 KO’s) confronted former WBO super featherweight champion Adrien Broner (24-0, 20 KO’s) during Friday’s Chad Dawson – Andre Ward weigh-in in Oakland, California. Guerrero had a pack of his supporters behind him as he jawed at Broner trying to get him to step up three divisions to fight him 147 lbs.

Here’s how the discussion went:

Guerrero: “Let’s do it at 147. Let’s do it at 147.”

Broner: “I can come down to 147. You know what it is. The same s*** we’ve been talking about. I still got my O. I still got my O. I still got my O. I still got my O. Make it happen. Send the contract and I’ll sign.”

Guerrero: “We can do it at 147. We can do it at 147. Remember that, baby. He didn’t want no eye contact, baby. He didn’t want no eye contact.”

Pianeta defeats 43-year-old Frans Botha

By Kevin Chittenden: Undefeated German based heavyweight contender Francesco Pianeta (27-1-1, 14 KO’s) defeated soon to be 44-year-old South African Frans Botha (48-8-3, 29 KO’s) by a 10 round unanimous decision on Friday night in a fight that almost more like a sparring match than an actual fight at the RWE Rhein-Ruhr Sporthalle, Muelheim, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. The 6’5″, light hitting Pianeta swept the judges’ score cards winning by the scores of 100-96, 99-92 and 97-93.

Botha was dominated in the fight but still was able to land the harder shots and the cleaner landing punches. Pianeta just does not have any power to speak and the best he could do was land weak left-right combinations that did little to slow down Botha’s forward moving progress. Botha fought well in the 4th and 10th rounds, out-working Pianeta.

Botha did a lot of jabbing and would often fight with his back against the ropes to catch breathers. It was an ugly fight to watch.

by Paul Strauss: Who really knows what matters most? Has Chad Dawson made a mistake is conceding too much in weight and location? Will Chad’s height and reach advantage be the difference for him against the master of ring generalship? Andre hasn’t yet lost, and has that intangible “mental toughness” that most fighters only wish they had. Can Chad muster it up for maybe the biggest fight of his career? There is a precedent for it……..at least one fighter comes to mind in Buster Douglas with his win over the then thought to be invincible Mike Tyson. It can be done.

Andre Ward has demonstrated the ability to neutralize the assets of his opponents. In other words, he is a master at preventing them from doing what they want to do. Carl Froch explained it best when he said Ward either kept him too close or too far away for him to be effective. Jean Pascal was doing a pretty good job of that with Dawson until the latter part of the fight when Dawson finally got angry and started coming on, but blood in the eye(s) cut his surge short. One good thing for Chad concerning that fight is he truly believes he was on his way to stopping Pascal. True or not, it’s good that he believes it, and believes that he is really an undefeated fighter, the same as Ward.

Christina Hammer Outclasses Hernandez

World Boxing Federation (WBF) Women’s World Middleweight Champion Christina Hammer had no problems dealing with durable, but outclassed, challenger Yahaira Hernandez on Friday September 7 in Muelheim, Germany. Hammer won a landslide unanimous decision in front of around 4000 fans at the RWE Rhein-Ruhr Sportshalle. Both boxers started the fight at a high pace, but it was Hammer, 13-0 (7), who continuously had more success and it was clear early on that she was at another level than Hernandez technically. With quick hands and fast footwork, the defending champion put her challenger under pressure and rarely eased off as she thoroughly dominated the Dominican in every round.

Arum expecting a crowd of 19,000 for Chavez Jr-Martinez fight on September 15th

By Michael Collins: Bob Arum of Top Rank is predicting that the September 15th fight between WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) and Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) to have a sellout crowd of 19,000 when the two fighters go at it in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The full capacity of the Thomas & Mack Center is 19,000, and Arum has reportedly opened up an additional 7000 seats at the Wynn in Las Vegas for a close circuit viewing of the fight, according to Fightnews.com.

This is a huge fight given that a lot of boxing fans don’t see Chavez Jr. as a legitimate champion. He’s definitely won over a lot his famous father’s fans by beating up on the lackluster opposition that Arum has put him in with at middleweight. However, in looking at how huge Chavez Jr. has been in fights since 2010, you’ve got to make an argument that much of Chavez Jr’s success at middleweight has stemmed from his uncanny ability to drain down from 180+ to make weight at 160 lbs for his fights.

Chavez Jr. then balloons back up to around 180 to fight and this gives him a big advantage over pretty much all of the middleweights in the division. There are obviously a small percentage of fighters that drain down from high weights to fight at middleweight, but not a lot of them because it’s so difficult to cut that much water weight and not be left weakened in the process.

Andre Ward vs. Chad Dawson: Preview and Prediction

by Geoffrey Ciani – It is a rare occurrence in boxing to see two elite talents both in their primes squaring off against each other. Therefore boxing fans have reason to celebrate, because this Saturday night unified super middleweight champion Andre ‘S.O.G.’ Ward (25-0, 13 KOs) will defend his belts against light heavyweight title holder ‘Bad’ Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KOs). Both combatants deserve credit for making this match happen, especially in a day and age where all too often the best are reluctant to face the best for various different reasons. Not only are Dawson and Ward two of the most talented pound-for-pound boxers in the world, they are also arguably coming into this contest following the apex of their respective careers. This just serves to further amplify the appeal of an already intriguing match-up.

The story in the lead-up to this fight has largely focused on the weight. This fight will be taking place at the 168 pound super middleweight limit. Chad Dawson is a big light heavyweight, and he last made the 168 limit for a fight more than six and a half years ago. As a result many observers have questioned Chad’s ability to move down in weight and compete effectively, and not without good reason. After all, boxers who drop weight often become physically drained, and that typically leads to decreased stamina, power, and punch resistance. This has helped create the perception that Dawson will be entering this contest compromised, giving Ward an inherent edge. The fact that this bout is also taking place in Ward’s hometown of Oakland gives the appearance of an additional advantage for Ward.

Josesito Lopez: I’m going to be strong at 154 lbs for Saul Alvarez fight

By Dwight Chittenden: #4 WBC Josesito Lopez (30-4, 18 KO’s) says he feels stronger now that he’s moved up from 140 pounds to fight. In his last fight, the 28-year-old Lopez moved up to 147 lbs and defeated former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz after breaking his jaw in two places last June in a back and forth fight. Lopez, 5’11”, now will be moving up to 154 lbs to take on WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KO’s) at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lopez said to RingTV “Having to make 140 pounds is a struggle for a guy my height. There were ties when it was tought to make and I couldn’t give 100 percent in those fights. But I felt completely different in the Ortiz fight, especially in the middle and late rounds. I didn’t have to take any rounds off. I feel even stronger for this fight.”

It did look like Lopez took some rounds off in the Ortiz fight. I thought Lopez. He says he didn’t, but I thought Lopez fought hard in spurts and rested in some rounds.

Regardless of how strong Lopez says he’s feeling for the Alvarez fight it’s still going to be awfully difficult for him to compete in this fight. He looks kind of frail and doesn’t possess the same kind of thudding power that the 22-year-old Alvarez possesses.

by Robert Jackson: The Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KO’s), Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KO’s) fight coming up this Saturday night, has the boxing world energized and offers a main event and undercard suitable for a PPV card. This Saturday night fight will lead off a month of good fights that will extend into October, and onward to the end of 2012. This edition of ‘Just the facts’ will explore the ins-and-outs of 2 fighters characterized as the best facing the best, culminating with a prediction of the outcome.

Trainers
Chad Dawson trainer John ‘Iceman’ Scully himself a former fighter is a Roy Jones contemporary and at 45 has been training fighters since his retirement in the early 2000’s. Having previously trained Dawson, Scully is very familiar with the Dawson mindset and fight style. Scully’s performance as a cornerman is where the Dawson improvement can be seen. Prior to Scully the only dominant victory for Dawson over a prime fighter was against Tomas Adamek with Floyd Mayweather Sr. in the Dawson corner. After a brief stop by Dawson at the Kronk Gym to train with Emanuel Steward, Scully came on board to train Dawson for both Bernard Hopkins fights – with Dawson winning the 2nd, and showed improved focus, energy and determination to defeat the aging warrior.