Chad Dawson Dethrones Bernard Hopkins In Rematch
Words and Pictures by Gautham Nagesh
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.–New Haven’s “Bad” Chad Dawson out-boxed the ageless Bernard Hopkins here on Saturday night to earn the Ring Magazine and WBC light heavyweight championship via majority decision. One judge scored the bout a draw, but we had B-Hop winning two or three rounds at the most on our card.
As expected, Dawson’s speed, youth, and length were too much for the 47-year-old from Philadelphia to overcome. Hopkins appeared at peace with his performance after the loss, doubtless aware that he had been beaten by a champion in his prime. Hopkins hinted that he might be willing to fight on for the right opportunity, such as a megafight in Montreal against Lucian Bute, but if this was his last night in the ring he has nothing to be ashamed of. The Executioner will go down in history with Henry Armstrong as the wily old men of the fight game.
Dawson started the fight by pumping the right jab from his southpaw stance. His long reach and solid technique allowed him to touch B-Hop without taking much risk. The two spent the opening round circling each other as Dawson jabbed, drawing early boos and whistles from the crowd. The second round continued in the same vein, with Chad reaching a bit more with his right hook and left to the body. But Bernard looked eager to avoid the big shot, and seemed content to give away the early rounds.
Hopkins is normally a slow starter, but he put himself in a serious hole early against Dawson by refusing to throw any punches. Chad would jab outside, while Bernard would duck his head and bore in, occasionally lunging with the straight right hand. While the approach made technical sense, he tried it too seldom to have much impact. A combination from Dawson against the ropes woke up the crowd, but as soon as the two grew close, Hopkins immediately grabbed and held on. That would prove to be his primary tact whenever the fight went inside.
The fourth round would be the high point for Hopkins, as he won the round on our cards while opening up a cut on Chad’s left eye with a headbutt. Chad responded with some hard punches, and kept his cool whenever Bernard tried to resort to rough-house tactics. In the 5th, Chad lost his balance and was forced to grab Bernard around the waist for support. As he righted himself, he flung Hopkins into the ropes, further evidence that he wouldn’t allow himself to be bullied by the veteran on this evening.
The middle rounds saw more of the same, as Dawson looked comfortable and worked Bernard to the body. B-Hop attempted to goad his opponent into making a mistake, but Chad was too smart to fall for his tricks. Bernard held his ground better in the 8th, landing a straight right hand directly on Chad’s chin. But he also began showing the effects of Dawson’s steady body attack, and was unable to turn up the pace as needed.
The final rounds were purely academic; it became obvious that neither man was interested in taking the risks needed to stop his foe. The only other noteworthy event was the scorecards, which were 114-114 and 117-111 (twice) for Dawson. Judge Luis Rivera was the offender who scored it even; Dawson’s promoter Gary Shaw promised at the post-fight presser that Rivera would never work another one of his fights. Judging by his performance on this night in a championship bout, that ban should extend across the sport for him.
Aside from that one sour note, it was all smiles from both camps after the fight. Hopkins said he believed the fight had been closer than the cards, but he paid tribute to Chad and seemed reflective about his future in the sport. He said he could potentially motivate himself for the Bute fight, or another opportunity to give people what they haven’t seen before.
“I think if the end does come, then I will leave with dignity,” Hopkins said. “I don’t feel like I embarrassed myself last night…Y'all say a 47-year-old fight his ass off with a young, strong, two-time champion.”
Regardless of what he decides, Bernard Hopkins will go down in history as one of the greatest to ever put on the gloves. In addition to his recent exploits, he also boasts an impressive streak as the undisputed middleweight champion and marquee wins over the likes of Roy Jones Jr., Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Jean Pascal, Kelly Pavlik, Felix Trinidad and Oscar de la Hoya, among others. His story of going from prison to the top of the boxing world and remaining there for 25 years is an inspiration to anyone facing long odds.
Dawson also paid tribute to Hopkins, arguing the old man could still beat any other young contender. Chad redeemed himself with his performance, but he probably didn’t win many new fans. His style is simply never going to be a big hit at the box office, and he probably realizes that, which is why it was smart for him to call out super middleweight champion Andre Ward after the bout. Dawson said he prefer to fight at 175 but is capable of making 168.
“I’m just looking for some big fights,” Dawson said in response to my question about a rematch with Jean Pascal or a defense against Tavoris Cloud.
The televised opener saw Maryland heavyweight Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell survive an early scare against veteran Chazz Witherspoon before coming back to score the third-round stoppage. Full fight report here. Seth was very emotional after his win, and he admitted at the presser that he had been nervous about what might have happened in the ring. As you can see from his right eye below, he looked afterward like he had been in a fight.
But Seth passed his test with flying colors and looked positively jubilant when I rant into him at Trump Plaza later on in the evening. There’s talk of him fighting on June 30th at the Verizon Center; Golden Boy Oscar de la Hoya suggested the towering gatekeeper Michael Grant as an opponent. That would be a good fight, but Seth also showed that he could benefit from some more work in the gym. His physical tools give him a shot against almost any heavyweight, but surviving the Klitschkos will require a good amount of defensive fine-tuning first.
Ohio welterweight prospect Shawn Porter (below) showed the effects of his 14-month layoff early on against late sub Patrick Thompson. For a while, it appeared that agreeing to fight up a weight class at 154 might not have been a smart move for Porter, a promotional free agent looking to impress. The early rounds were full of clutching and grabbing, with neither man landing much cleanly. But Porter came alive in the 6th and landed a pair of left hooks, which hurt Thompson. The ref quickly stepped in and stopped the fight, a bit premature for our taste. But no one seemed overly concerned about the contest ending early. Porter should draw considerable interest and could be a contender at 147 within two years, if matched correctly.
I arrived in time to see Syracuse junior welterweight prospect Mikey Faragon control Sergio Rivera to win a one-sided decision over eight rounds. Faragon has impressed when I’ve seen him fight, but this bout may call his punching power into question, especially since Rivera had been stopped in three out of his last four fights. Faragon dug hard to Rivera’s body throughout and never looked bothered, aside from a late rally by Rivera. The final scores were 78-74 and 79-73 (twice), all for Faragon.