By Vitali Shaposhnikov: It seems just like yesterday that Chad Dawson (30-1-0) was eagerly working on making a fight with Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2) come to fruition. Promoters flipped cards for months, trying to work out a way for the two fighters to meet in the ring.
Bernard was constantly dismissing their possible fight as a waste of his time, claiming that instead he will just beat the man who beat the man. In other words, Hopkins wanted Jean Pascal (26-2-1) who beat Dawson in August of 2010 via a technical decision. Dawson was furious. He was throwing blame and speculations every which way, calling Hopkins a coward, and pointing to the fact that Hopkins knew that Pascal was less of a challenge and a safer way to go.
Now, according to Gary Shaw, both men will have what they wanted. Hopkins got to show the world that he is still a force to be reckoned with, schooling the much younger Psacal in their rematch. After launching his name to new heights, Hopkins is a hot ticket for any challenger, and that lucky guy is now officially Chad Dawson (FigthHype.com – http://fighthype.com/pages/content10122.html?PHPSESSID=c6ee1f6a48161d1f0a07c5d878007473).
Dawson is a lucky man, because he now gets to have a shot at a resurrected and more respected Bernard Hopkins. Their fight at this point in time is infinitely bigger than it would have been when they first began contemplating the idea.
I see this as great news, because I was one of those people who agreed with Dawson in the first place. I believe that Dawson is a bigger challenge for Hopkins, and will generate a more exciting fight for the fans. By saying that, I am in now way implying that I see Dawson as a favorite, nevertheless Hopkins will have to work much harder to get out of the ring a winner on the night of their bout.