By James Slater: Not only does Chad Dawson feel he will defeat ageless wonder and reigning light-heavyweight king Bernard Hopkins in their upcoming October 15th fight; “Bad” Chad feels he will cause a real sensation by becoming the first man to stop the 46-year-old Philly legend.
Being trained by former Hopkins foe Winky Wright, slick southpaw Dawson told Yahoo! Sports he will be told in advance all about the “dirty tricks” B-Hop will try and pull (Wright, also a lefty, lost a decision to Hopkins in a 170-pound catch-weight fight back in July of 2007). 29-year-old Dawson, 30-1(17) also spoke of his plan to out-work the often modest punch output of Hopkins, by throwing “80 or 90” punches per round.
“I’m not a knockout artist but I have strength and I feel I can hurt Bernard,” Dawson said. “I think I can take him out of there. I give him all the respect in the world. I grew up watching him. I was always a fan. But I look forward to beating him on October 15th.”
As we know only too well, a whole plethora of fighters have, over the years, looked forward to beating Hopkins – only to fail on fight night. Will Dawson, a talented, capable boxer, be any different? Leaving trainer Emanuel Steward so as to “go back to his old self,” Dawson was out-muscled in his sole loss, to Jean Pascal, and there are some who feel he will be both out-muscled and out-psyched by the mentally strong Hopkins.
Dawson’s new trainer says his charge will not allow Hopkins to fight his usual fight, however.
“Chad is ready mentally as much as physically,” Winky said. “I just try to install in him not to let Bernard drag him into dirty tactics. Bernard is crafty. He tries to get in your head and outsmart you.”
So, can Hopkins get inside Dawson’s head (or has he done so already?), much the same way he did when he fought Kelly Pavlik in 2008? Or will Dawson prove to be this modern day great’s Kryptonite? An engrossing chess-match is what we hopefully have in store, with a distance fight a strong possibility (despite Dawson’s belief that he can halt B-Hop).
Dawson’s speed could trouble Hopkins, and his fresh legs might allow him to dictate the movement in the ring. But this is if Dawson fights his fight. I have a feeling Hopkins will bully Dawson, take away his self confidence and dominate a younger foe once again. Dawson looked fair at best last time out, when he out-pointed Adrian Diaconu back on May 21st. Sure, Chad won a wide decision, but he allowed Diaconu to back him up and even bully him at times. What will Hopkins do if the same Chad Dawson turns up on Oct. 15th?
I just don’t see Dawson being strong enough, in any department, to be able to defeat Hopkins. I go for ’Nard to win via a wide, somewhat straightforward-looking points victory. Age will not catch up with the 46-year-old on this night!