By Eric Thomas: International Boxing Federation light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (27-0, 17 KOs) has a forced rematch with his number #1 challenger Antonio Tarver on May 9th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is a fight that Dawson wasn’t interested in taking due to the one-sided nature of his previous 12-round unanimous decision victory over Tarver in October 2008.
However, due to the rematch clause in the contract Dawson is forced to give Tarver another fight, which few boxing fans want to see at this point. Dawson, 26, would much prefer to fight Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs), and is hoping that Hopkins will finally give him a fight after seeing the outcome of the Tarver fight.
Dawson, though, doubts that Hopkins will fight him, telling the Las Vegas Sun “if he [Hopkins] wanted to fight me it would have happened by now.” Indeed, Hopkins, 44, hasn’t fought since defeating Kelly Pavlik in October and it’s now six months of inactivity for the old warrior.
That’s not a good thing for a fighter with as many miles on him as Hopkins. If Hopkins was really interested in a fight with Dawson, the fighter that many people consider to be the best in the light heavyweight division, then he probably would have used his Golden Boy Promotions muscle to track Dawson down and set up a fight.
Instead, there’s been nothing from him in the way of a fight with him. Hopkins has mentioned cruiserweight Tomasz Adamek as a potential opponent, but that fight looks dead in the water due to the lack of money for Adamek.
It seems like a bad choice anyway, because Dawson already beat Adamek by a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision two years ago in 2007, and it would essentially mean that Hopkins would be getting Dawson’s sloppy seconds.
Beating Adamek would only prove yet again that Adamek is flawed and beatable, and it wouldn’t add to Hopkins’ legacy in any way. If he wants to add to his legacy, he needs to step up to the table and take on what many people consider being the best light heavyweight in Dawson.
It’s hard to say what is causing Hopkins to be hesitant to fight Dawson. In the past, this is the type of fight that Hopkins would have jumped at but he seems reluctant now for some reason.
Could it be that Hopkins is worried about losing to Dawson? I wouldn’t blame him if he were, because Dawson is probably a level above Joe Calzaghe, who defeated Hopkins last year. Dawson hits harder and is much faster than either Hopkins and Calzaghe, so it’s probably a wise move for Hopkins not to face him at this late stage in his career.
Roy Jones Jr. Still Interested in Fighting Anderson Silva
According to MMAfighting, Roy Jones Jr. (53-5, 39 KOs) is still interested in a fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and is only waiting on Silva to complete his UFC contract before they can fight. Silva, 34, has a contract with the UFC that extends until April 2010, and has another four fights to complete on his contract before he retires from the sport.
Silva, arguably the best knockout puncher in the UFC, reportedly wants to show that MMA fighters are technical like boxers. Silva is coming off a dominating performance over Thales Leites in which Silva easily beat him by a 5-round unanimous decision. It was Silva’s fifth defense of his UFC middleweight title and his 10th consecutive win since 2006.
Jones, 40, is looking to keep busy in the meantime and fight former IBF super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy in the near future.
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