KISSIMMEE, FLA. (February 5, 2007) — Undefeated “BAD” CHAD DAWSON, the newly-minted World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion, and his trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr., established themselves as the ticket to beat for “Fighter of the Year” and “Trainer of the Year,” respectively, and we are just four weeks into 2007. Dawson (23-0, 15 KOs), from New Haven, CT, put a cold blooded beatdown on Tomasz Adamek (31-1, 21 KOs), last Saturday, ending the previously undefeated champion’s 21-month reign. The world title fight was broadcast live last Saturday on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing from the Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Park in Kissimmee, Fla. (see below for replay schedule).
“It was a Conn job!” exclaimed trainer Mayweather. “A Billy Conn job. I have polished the roughest diamond in boxing and transformed, “Bad” Chad Dawson into the crown jewel of the light heavyweight division. He’s Conn, Archie Moore and Bobby Foster all rolled up in one. All he needed was the right jeweler to bring out his brilliance and that jeweler was ME! If I had him a year sooner, he would have been world champion a year sooner.”
Dawson’s promoter, Gary Shaw, agreed, “He went from ‘Bad’ Chad to ‘Awesome’ Dawson. He is the Ruler at 175 pounds and is willing to give Tarver the opportunity to get the most prized WBC belt, the crown he once wore for a minute or two, unless he wants one of those paper Burger King Crowns. Let’s hope Tarver learned one thing from being in ‘Rocky Balboa’ — how to act like a fighter.”
Dawson, still celebrating his world title victory, gave notice to the division the best is yet to come.
“Tell Tarver, Jones, Hopkins, Woods, and any of the other title holders that they can have it their way,” said Dawson. “I’m not standing on ceremony. I love to travel and my calendar is clear. Name the day and the place and if the money is there, then my belt and I will be too. I have a trainer with a lot of poetry to recite about me and I’m not about to waste one verse!”
Replays of the fight can be seen this week on the following days:
Mon 8 P.M. ET/PT SHOWTIME EXTREME
Tues 10 P.M. ET/PT SHOWTIME TOO
Wed 11 P.M. ET/PT SHOWTIME