Is Chad Dawson the Top Light Heavyweight in Boxing?
Many casual fans of the sport would consider Bernard Hopkins to be the top light heavyweight in boxing. If they aren’t familiar with the sport they might be impressed with Hopkins’ April victory over Roy Jones Jr. Certainly, his track record of defeating big name opponents such as Kelly Pavlik, Ronald Wright and Antonio Tarver over the last five years has earned him near-legendary status within the sport.
However, Hopkins is 45, which is practically time for the retirement community in boxing terms. His last fight against Jones Jr. was viewed as a cynical cash grab by many boxing fans, who felt that it was merely an exercise in nostalgia for two over the hill boxers looking to get one more big pay check. The quality of the fight seemed to back this up as Hopkins looked good only in comparison to the practically decrepit Jones Jr. It seems clear that Hopkins’ days at the top of the light heavyweight division have come to an end.
So who has replaced Hopkins at the King of the Light Heavyweights? In the eyes of many people, that person is Chad Dawson. Even though he currently does not have a major world title (carrying only the minor IBO light heavyweight title), Dawson is considered by many to be the top fighter in the division. Dawson has a combination of speed, power and athletic ability which is seemingly unrivalled in the division, leading some people to contend that he will someday be thought of as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Dawson (29-0, 17 KOs) will soon have a chance to prove that he is the top light heavyweight boxer in the world along with one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. On August 14 he’ll face off against Jean Pascal in Pascal’s hometown of Montreal. More than Pascal’s WBC light heavyweight title will be at stake – the currently-vacant Ring Magazine light heavyweight title is one the line, which brings with it recognition from most fight experts as the top boxer in the division.
The bout against Pascal (25-1, 16 KOs) will be on HBO and a chance for Dawson to showcase his talents to a worldwide audience. It will also be an opportunity to fight someone his own age when he goes up against the 27-year-old Pascal. The light heavyweight division has become a way station for older fighters in recent years – Hopkins and Jones Jr. are just two examples. Another two are fighters with whom Dawson has a unique familiarity: 41-year-olds Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson.
Dawson’s last four fighters have come against Tarver and Johnson, occupying the last two years of his career. While both Tarver and Johnson are still excellent boxers and were certainly big wins for Dawson (with Tarver being an especially well-known commodity), beating them gave something of the impression that Dawson was padding his record while fighting older, possibly “washed up” boxers.
There will be no questions about the quality of opponent when Dawson meets Pascal. The Canadian won the WBC light heavyweight championship last June when he defeated Adrian Diaconu via unanimous decision. Since then, he’s defended the title twice: stopping Silvio Branco last September and beating Diaconu in a rematch last December.
Dawson will be the favourite against Pascal for two main reasons – he’s beaten a higher quality of fighters in big bouts and is taller and faster. It should be a tough order for Pascal to find a way to beat Dawson. But what happens next for Dawson if he beats Pascal? There aren’t many other top opponents left at light heavyweight right now, but there should be several talented super middleweights ready to make the jump in weight classes in 2011. Dawson could easily be the top dog they are looking to take down.
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