Dawson must stay focused to beat Hopkins

By Boxing News - 09/26/2011 - Comments

Image: Dawson must stay focused to beat HopkinsBy Dan Ambrose: Former light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KO’s) has to make sure he stays 100 percent focused on October 15th against WBC light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KO’s) if he wants to make sure he wins this fight.

Although Dawson will no doubt completely dominate the 46-year-old Hopkins win he’s mentally engaged and turning on his offense. However, it’s when Dawson loses mental focus is where Hopkins will be able to climb back into the fight and win some rounds just based on Dawson’s lack of interest.

The thing is the judges are naturally going to be siding with the more popular Hopkins anyway due to his bigger name and the sentimental story of a 46-year-old fighter. This is why Dawson has to take the judges completely out of the fight by turning his offense into high gear and just fighting the way he can by being active.

I don’t believe Hopkins has the talent that Dawson has, and never did even in his prime. Dawson would dominate Hopkins at any stage of his career, and the only way Hopkins could ever compete with Dawson if he Dawson just lets up. Dawson is like a better version of Jermain Taylor, who already beat a younger Hopkins twice.

But Dawson can’t fight the same way he’s done lately in bouts against guys like Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver where Dawson let these older fighters back into fight after dominating them for three to four round stretches. You can’t do that with Hopkins, because if he’s allowed to pick up three or four rounds on the cards, he could end up getting the win.

I don’t think for a second that Hopkins will do well enough to win seven rounds, but I can see the judges giving him the fight unless Dawson completely dominates him without question. To do that Dawson will have to stay mentally engaged the entire time. He can’t let off because of boredom. This is what Dawson’s trainer Emanuel Steward has noticed about him. Steward feels that Dawson could get Hopkins into the fight by not being focused the entire fight and letting Hopkins win rounds every so often when Dawson takes rounds off.



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