By Dan Ambrose: According to Dan Rafael, Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KO’s) is interested in fighting a rematch with 46-year-old WBC light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KO’s).

They fought last October and Hopkins fell down at first contact in the 2nd round, resulting in Hopkins clutching his left shoulder and complaining of being in a lot of pain. The fight was stopped and Dawson was rewarded the TKO victory. The result has now been overturned by both the World Boxing Council and the California State Athletic Commission, who ruled the fight a “No decision.”

This is good for Hopkins, but bad for Dawson. Hopkins gets the “L” taken off of his record and can move on with having gotten past the dangerous obstacle of Dawson. However, Dawson wants a rematch to show that can beat the old master. As it is, the ending robbed Dawson from being able to officially take the reins from Hopkins as the best fighter in the light heavyweight division.

That’s often been a tradition in boxing where an old champion on his last legs fights the young lion and gets ripped apart, and you can closure. But Hopkins falling to the canvas at first contact with Dawson took away the opportunity for the 29-year-old Dawson to move into the #1 spot in the division.

And it looks like Hopkins isn’t going to give Dawson that opportunity, because Hopkins is targeting IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute in 2012. I don’t know that Hopkins is going to get his wish, because Bute may not want to fight Hopkins because he’s got the Super Six tourney fighters all interested in fighting him.

A fight with Hopkins would seem to be a lower interest fight for Bute. But if Hopkins still doesn’t want Dawson if the Bute fight isn’t there, then you have to figure that Hopkins doesn’t want any part of mixing it up with Dawson again.