Time For Blue Chip Dawson To Pay Dividends

Published

13 years ago

April 26, 2012

HopkinsDawson Hogan11 Conventional wisdom made way for an accurate adage: if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

Oh, but if only things were so simple in boxing.

The boxing landscape is littered with the names of promising fighters who looked to be the next big thing, the next dominant champion, the next shining star in a galaxy quickly growing dim, only to burn out without ever generating a memorable light. Superior athleticism, herculean work ethic, and a shrewd promotional team are all helpful, but do not necessarily equate to greatness. There requires a certain fire within, a quality almost as rare as athletic gifts, that propels a fighter to something truly special. Of course, a little luck doesn't hurt either. But to have all these traits align is an unusual event, and just because a fighter looks like something special certainly doesn't mean that a great fighter has emerged.

Just ask Chad Dawson. If it were possible to buy shares in a fighter simply by sizing them up, Dawson would have been a blue chip stock circa 2005. On the surface, Dawson looks like he's engineered to be a fighter.At 6'1”, Dawson is a tall, solid, imposing light heavyweight. Dawson's commanding reach, solid jab, and southpaw stance are all qualities that will make any opponent question the wisdom of stepping into the ring with him.All this is wrapped up in a highly athletic and fundamentally sound wrapper.No light heavyweight in the post-Jones era is better equipped to be a dominant force and long-reigning champion.

But if anyone would have put their savings into the sure thing that was Chad Dawson The Prospect, they would have lost the farm by now. The harsh reality is that “Bad Chad” has done little lately to live up to his moniker.What should have been a dominant run has been spotty at best, and what could have been a career as a marquee fighter has been, instead, a nonstop battle to become even a minor draw. How bad is it for Dawson?He has absolutely no following anywhere in the U.S., not even in his neck of the woods in the Northeast. It was so rough that Dawson, then reigning light-heavyweight champion, had to travel to Montreal to face hometown challenger Jean Pascal in what would be a disastrous title-losing effort. His first fight with Bernard Hopkins, another fighter who has never generated big bucks, barely sold anything at the cavernous Staples Center in L.A. For Dawson, his career has been defined by an inability to gain any traction or momentum. Sadly, he has to shoulder most of the blame himself.

What seems to be the missing ingredient in Chad Dawson's fizzling career?Simply put, it comes down to one word: passion.

Fans can tell the difference between a classy boxer-puncher and a fighter who is being clinical to the point of being sleep-inducing. Part of it might have to do with Dawson's appearance. He's a big, tough looking dude, complete with deluxe tattoos and bonus points for a solid scowl. Looking at him, the average fan expects an in-ring presence to match the exterior. What they get from Dawson is usually the opposite.

A prime example was his loss to Jean Pascal. For all of Pascal's awkward explosiveness, he is really nowhere near the talent level of Dawson, and yet Dawson found himself falling prey to Pascal's ugly, energy-sapping ambushes. It was a classic case of the challenger outhustling the reluctant champion. Whenever Dawson took the bull by the horns, he was extremely successful against Pascal. The problem for Dawson was that his lack of urgency made such moments scarce, which allowed Pascal to build the lead that would ultimately lead to his technical decision victory. Dawson's listless, hesitant non-effort was especially frustrating because of what was at stake. He was an undefeated champion being groomed for big things. If that could serve as adequate motivation to press the issue against Pascal, it's hard to imagine what it would take to light a fire under Dawson.Instead, he sleepwalked his way to a loss in an effort so lacking in passion that it made Audley Harrison look like Arturo Gatti.

Quick to find an excuse for his poor performance, Dawson switched trainers to Hall of Famer Emmanuel Steward, known for being the mastermind behind some of the best offensive fighters in recent times.If anyone could serve in the role as the hired gun to resurrect Dawson's suddenly flagging career, Steward seemed to be the perfect choice.

If only the synergy between Dawson and Steward was as dynamic in reality as it seemed on paper, perhaps Dawson's career trajectory would be on a different course. But in his only outing with Steward at the helm, Dawson looked as passion-less as ever in a painfully methodical victory over Adrian Diaconu. In what should have been another motivating opportunity for Dawson to prove his critics wrong about his previous lackluster performances, he did little to strengthen his case that he is indeed something special.

Then, in his most recent outing, Dawson lost his cool against legendary in-ring pest Bernard Hopkins, whose game has as much to do with making his opponents look bad as it does making himself look good. All credit due to Dawson for waiting out his chance to get a crack at the title he once held, but it's impossible to look good against Hopkins, especially when resorting to the ridiculous WWE tactics he utilized in stalling the forward momentum of his career yet again.

Maybe all this criticism of Dawson is undue. He does, after all, have a fairly impressive resume considering that his name-brand value is next to nothing among the casual fan. He owns a victory over Tomasz Adamek, a distinction only future Hall of Fame heavyweight Vitali Klitschko can also claim. Dawson is also 4-0 against Jones conquerors Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. And it's hard not to admire a guy who is solid in who he is; Dawson is content with being a methodical pure boxer. There's nothing wrong with that. There are countless trainers who would love to bottle up what Dawson can do and deliver it intravenously to their fighters.

So what's the problem?

It's easy. Fans expect more than what a guy like Dawson has been willing to give. Relying exclusively on a solid jab might establish command within the ropes, but it isn't going to stir any hearts. Mechanically pounding out decisions will add wins to a record, but will do little to generate buzz. Fans, and the annals of boxing legend, smile upon fighters who boldly take chances, who are willing to forgo the safe route for the riskier, yet more memorable way. Chad Dawson is well within his rights as a fighter to stick to the safe, bland route he's been walking as of late. As much as pundits claim otherwise, he doesn't owe it to the fans to do things on their terms.

But that goes two ways as well. Just as Dawson doesn't owe it to the fans to take unnecessary risks, they don't owe him their hard earned cash to pay for his safety-first fights. If Dawson gives no reason for the general public to take notice of him, then the onus for his stagnant career rests singly on himself.

What compounds the frustration of watching Dawson’s impassive demeanor is that he has shown an ability to be an exciting fighter. Against Adamek in a title-winning effort in 2007, Dawson lived up to all the promise of his early career in clearly beating a prime, tough champion, even having to come off the canvas and gut-out some treacherous moments in the late rounds of an exciting fight. In his first outing against Glen Johnson, Dawson engaged in the most thrilling fight of his career as he went toe-to-toe with the hard as nails Johnson, emerging with a tight, hard-earned decision. Maybe it was the fact that those were the two toughest fights of his career that keeps Dawson from taking chances in the ring, but the exceptional moments of those fights have long since faded.

On Saturday night, Dawson has another chance to change the perception that his career has been a disappointment. Granted, it's against an all-time great fighter in Hopkins who specializes in messing up the best-laid plans of his opponents. It's also possible that, even if Dawson wins, he won't get the credit he feels is due because he will have beaten a 47-year old man, especially if he has to do it ugly, which seems to be the only way against Hopkins.

If Dawson ever wants to be considered more than a pretty good fighter, he needs to start making noteworthy statements. The court of opinion only deliberates for so long before a verdict comes in. Saturday’s opportunity against Hopkins might just prove to be judgment day for Chad Dawson.

Comment on this article

Post Views: 834

Share The Sweet Science experience!

The Sweet Science

Friday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Friday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez

March 7 was an unusually heavy Friday for professional boxing. The show that warranted the most ink was the all-female card in London, a tour-de-force for the super-talented Lauren Price, but there were important fights on other continents.

Brighton

Michael Conlan, who sat out all of 2024 on the heels of being stopped in three of his previous five, returned to the ring in the British seaside resort city of Brighton in a shake-off-the-rust, 8-rounder against Asad Asif Khan, a 31-year-old Indian from Calcutta making his first appearance in a British ring.

Conlan, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist who famously signed with Top Rank coming out of the amateur ranks, is now 33 years old. Against Khan, he was far from impressive, but did enough to win by a 78-74 score and lock in a match with Spain’s Cristobal Lorente, the European featherweight champion.

Conlan, who improved to 19-3 (9), absorbed a lot of punishment in those three matches that he lost. With his deep amateur background, Michael has a lot of mileage on him and he would have been smart to call it quits after his embarrassingly one-sided defeat to Luis Alberto Lopez. His frayed reflexes speak to something more than ring rust. Heading in, Khan brought a 19-5-1 record but had scored only five wins inside the distance.

Conlan vs Khan was the co-feature. In the main event, Brighton welterweight Harlem Eubank, the cousin of Chris Eubank Jr, improved to 21-0 (9 KOs) with a dominant performance over Conlan’s Belfast homie Tyrone McKenna. Eubank was credited with three knockdowns, all the result of body punches, before referee John Latham had seen enough and pulled the plug at the 2:09 mark of round 10. It was the fourth loss in his last six outings for the 35-year-old McKenna (24-6-1).

Harlem Eubank wants to fight Conor Benn next and says he is willing to wait until after his cousin “wipes Benn out.” Chris Eubank Jr vs Benn is slated for April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The North London facility, which has a retractable roof, is the third-largest soccer stadium in England.

Toronto

Local fan favorite Lucas Bahdi and his stablemate Sara Bailey were the headliners on last night’s card at the Great Canadian Casino Resort in Toronto. The event marked the first incursion of Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions into Canada.

Bahdi, who is from Niagara Falls but trains in Toronto, burst out of obscurity in July of last year in Tampa, Florida, with a spectacular one-punch knockout of heavily-hyped Ashton “H2O” Sylva. His next fight, on the undercard of Jake Paul’s match with Mike Tyson, was less “noisy” and the same could be said of his homecoming fight with Ryan James Racaza, an undefeated (15-0) but obscure southpaw from the Philippines who was making his North American debut.

Bahdi vs Racaza was a technical fight that didn’t warm up until Bahdi produced a knockdown in round seven with a sweeping left hook, a glancing blow that appeared to land behind Racaza’s ear. The Filipino was up in a jiff, looking at the referee as if to say, “this dude just hit me with a rabbit punch.”

The judges had it 99-90, 97-92, and 96-93 for the victorious Bahdi (19-0) who was the subject of a recent profile on these pages.

Sara Bailey, a decorated amateur who competed around the world under her maiden name Sara Haghighat Joo and now holds the WBA light flyweight title, successfully defended that trinket with a lopsided decision over Cristina Navarro (6-3), a 35-year-old Spaniard who “earned” this assignment by winning a 6-round decision over an opponent with a 1-4-3 record. The judges scored the monotonous fight 99-91 across the board for Bailey who improved to 6-0 and then returned to the ring to assist her husband in Lucas Bahdi’s corner.

Also

Twenty-two-year-old super bantamweight Angel Barrientes, a Las Vegas-based Hawaii native, delivered the best performance of the night with a one-sided beatdown of Alexander Castellano whose corner mercifully stopped the contest after the seventh round as the ring doctor stood in a neutral corner chatting with the referee.

The gritty Castellano, who hails from Tonawanda, New York, brought an 11-1-2 record and hadn’t previously been stopped. A glutton for punishment, he appeared to suffer a broken orbital bone. Barrientes improved to 13-1 (8 KOs).

The show was marred by an excessive amount of fluffy gobbledygook by the TV talking heads which slowed down the action and made the promotion almost unwatchable.

Cartago, Costa Rica

Fighting in his hometown, super flyweight David Jimenez scored a lopsided 12-round decision over Nicaragua’s Keyvin Lara. The judges had it 120-108, 119-109, and 116-112.

Jimenez, now 17-1, came to the fore in July of 2022 when he upset Ricardo Sandoval in Los Angeles, winning a well-earned majority decision over a 20/1 favorite riding a 16-fight winning streak. That boosted him into a title fight with the formidable Artem Dalakian who saddled him with his lone defeat.

Jimenez’s victory over Lara was his fifth since that setback. It sets up the Costa Rican for another title fight, this time against Argentina’s Fernando Martinez who acquired the WBA 115-pound title in July with an upset of Kazuto Ioka in Japan. Lara, who unsuccessfully challenged Ioka for a belt in 2016, falls to 32-7-1.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 732

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Price Conquers Jonas on an All-Female Card at Royal Albert Hall

Published

2 days ago

March 7, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Price-Conquers-Jonas-on-an-All-Female-Card-at-Royal-Albert-Hall

Ben Shalom’s BOXXER Promotions was at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall tonight with an all-female card topped by a welterweight unification fight between WBC/IBF belt-holder Natasha Jonas and WBA champion Lauren Price.

Liverpool’s Jonas, who turns 41 in June, has had a sterling career, but Father Time has caught up with her. The 30-year-old Price, an Olympic gold medalist, had faster hands, faster feet, and hit harder. The classy Jonas (16-3-1) acknowledged as much in her post-fight interview: “She beat me to the punch every time.”

The scores were 100-90, 98-92, and 98-93.

In advancing her record to 9-0 (2), Price built a strong case that she is the best fighter to come down the pike from Wales since Joe Calzaghe. As for her next bout, she hopes to fight the winner of the March 29 rematch in Las Vegas between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan. That match, with all of the meaningful welterweight hardware at stake, would be a hot ticket item if potted in Cardiff.

Semi-wind-up

Caroline Dubois staved off a late rally to successfully defend her WBC lightweight title with a majority decision over South Korea’s spunky Bo Mi Re Shin. The judges had it 98-92, 98-93, and 95-95. Although the 95-95 tally by the Korean judge was quite a stretch, Shin performed far better than the odds – Dubois was a consensus 35/1 favorite — portended.

Dubois, a 24-year-old Londoner trained by Shane McGuigan, is the sister of IBF heavyweight title-holder Daniel Dubois. Reportedly 36-3 as an amateur, she advanced her pro record to 11-0-1 (5). Heading in, Shin (18-3-3) had won nine of her previous 10 with the lone setback coming via split decision in a robust fight with Belgium’s Delfine Persoon in Belgium.

Other Bouts of Note

Kariss Artingstall returned to the ring after a 14-month absence and scored a unanimous decision over former amateur rival Raven Chapman. The scores were 98-91, 97-92, 96-93.

The prize for Artingstall, who happens to be Lauren Price’s partner, was the inaugural British female featherweight title and a potential rematch with Skye Nicolson who would relish the chance to avenge her last defeat, a loss by split decision to Attingstall in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. Nicolson, who was part of tonight’s broadcast team, defends her title later this month in Sydney against Florida’s Tiara Brown.

It was the first 10-rounder for Artingstall (7-0). Chapman (9-2) had an uphill battle after Artingstall decked her in the second round with a straight left hand.

In a mild upset, Jasmina Zopotoczna, a UK-based Pole, won a split decision over Chloe Watson, adding Watson’s European flyweight title to her own regional trinket. One of the judges favored Watson 97-93, but each of his colleagues had it 96-95 for the Pole. Although there was no great furor, the verdict was unpopular.

Zapotoczna, who fought off her back foot, improved to 9-1. It was the first pro loss for Watson who is trained by Ricky Hatton.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 755

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Avila Perspective, Chap. 316: Art of the Deal in Boxing and More

Published

3 days ago

March 6, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-316-Art-of-the-Deal-in-Boxing-and-More

So, they want to save boxing?

A group of guys with recent ties to the sport of boxing and bags of money suddenly believe they can save a sport that is older than any other sport since the dawn of mankind.

Boxing is the oldest sport.

When cavemen roamed the planet, you can believe one tribe bet another tribe their guy could whip the other guy. Thus began the sport of boxing. There was no baseball, soccer or horse racing.

Even the invention of the wheel was still a few generations away when men were duking it out with other men for sport.

Throughout history mentions of one man fighting another man without arms are written in the Tales of Ulysses and other literary references.

Boxing will never die. Period.

Here is the reason why.

Boxing requires only two men in their underwear with no weapons and no requirement of classes in jujitsu, kickboxing, wrestling or advance training facilities. You can prepare in your backyard with one heavy bag and a pair of boxing gloves. It’s simple.

MMA, on the other hand, requires money.

Boxing is for the poor. Any kid can walk into a gym and begin training. When they become adults, then they start paying to use the gym.

Don’t let people fool you and tell you “boxing is dying.”

People have been saying those same words since John L. Sullivan in the late 1800s. You can look it up.

The phrase “boxing is dying,” is said by people who want you to pay them money to save it. Kind of sounds like the guy currently sitting in the White House who is going to save America by firing Americans from their jobs and allowing Russia to take over Ukraine.

Don’t believe these people.

Boxing does not need saving.

Why would Dana White, who has stated for decades that MMA is bigger than boxing, though no MMA fighter can equal the purses of a Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or Tyson Fury, why is he involved in boxing?

There is big money to be made in boxing, especially with internet gambling sites being allowed all over the world. And boxing is popular worldwide. MMA is not.

More people know who Canelo is than UFC’s Alex Pereira.

I respect the UFC fighters. They put in hard work and battle injuries throughout their careers. But MMA is simply not as big as boxing. The purses of MMA fighters at the top level don’t come close to boxing’s top money earners.

Why did Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz and others quickly switch to boxing when called?

The money in boxing is much bigger.

Follow the money.

NYC

A rumble is planned for Times Square in New York City.

Vatos from Southern California are fighting dudes from Nevada and Brooklyn. Sounds like a script from the Gangs of New York.

Where is Leonardo DiCaprio when you need him?

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) will meet Rollie Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) in a welterweight match set for May 2, on Times Square in mid-Manhattan. This is one of three marquee bouts planned to be streamed on DAZN.

Others matched will be Arnold Barboza (32-0, 11 KOs) versus super lightweight titlist Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs), and Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) against Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in a welterweight contest.

This is the proposed match by The Ring magazine backed by Turki Alalshikh who, along with Golden Boy Promotions and Matchroom Boxing, is sponsoring this fight card.

It was also announced that Alalshikh, TKO Group Holdings, and Sela are forming a promotion company.

TKO owns UFC and WWE.

SoCal Fights

Southern California will be busy with boxing cards this weekend.

This Thursday, March 6, is Golden Boy Promotions with a boxing card featuring Manny Flores (19-1, 15 KOs) versus Jorge Leyva (18-3, 13 KOs) in a super bantamweight match at Fantasy Springs Casino. DAZN will stream the boxing card from Indio, California.

On Saturday, March 8, the Fox Theater in Pomona, California hosts a boxing card featuring super middleweights Ruben Cazales (10-0) vs Adam Diu Abdulhamid (18-16). Also, super featherweights Michael Bracamontes (10-2-1) meets Eugene Lagos (16-9-3) at the historic venue promoted by House of Pain Boxing.

On Saturday March 8, Elite Boxing hosts a boxing card at Salesian High in East Los Angeles featuring East L.A. native Merari Vivar (8-0) against Sarah Click (2-8-1) and several other fights.

On Saturday, March 8, an event hosted by House of Champions features top contenders Joet Gonzalez (26-4) vs Arnold Khegai (22-1-1) in a featherweight main event at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, Calif.

A Big All-Female Card in London

On Friday, March 7, the historic Royal Albert Hall in the Kensington borough of London will host an all-female card with two world title fights including a unification fight in the welterweight division.

Natasha Jonas (16-2-1) and Lauren Price (8-0) meet 10 rounds for the IBF, WBC, and WBA belts.

Jonas, 40, the current WBC and IBF titlist, recently defeated Ivana Habazin and before that edged past Mikaela Mayer in a win that could have gone the other way very easily. She will be facing Price, an Olympic gold medalist and current WBA and IBO titlist.

Price, 30, hails from Wales and has an aggressive pressure style that saw her win a battle between punchers with a third-round knockout of Colombia’s Bexcy Mateus this past December in Liverpool. Before that she defeated the always tough Jessica McCaskill.

In the co-main event, lightweights Caroline Dubois (10-0-1) and Bo Mi Re Shin (18-2-3) meet for the WBC world title.

Me Re Shin, 30, fights out of South Korea and has knockout power. She was one of only two fighters to stop Venezuela’s Ana Maria Lozano who has 38 pro fights. That says something. She lost a split decision to Delfine Persoon in Belgium. That really says something.

Dubois had two competitive fights, first, against Jessica Camara that ended in a technical draw due to a clash of heads. Before that she defeated Maira Moneo. Dubois has very good talent and is still young at 24. Is she ready for Mi Re Shin?

Times Square photo credit: JP Yim

Fights to watch:

Thurs., March 6: DAZN, Manny Flores (19-1) vs. Jorge Leyva (18-3)

Fri., March 7: free on DAZN, Lucas Bahdi (18-0) vs. Ryan James Racaza (15-0)

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 641

Share The Sweet Science experience!