By William Mackay: In looking at the light heavyweight horizon, interim WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (29-0, 17 KO’s) may be out of action for some time waiting on the injured shoulder of WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal to mend before possibly facing him on June 12th. However, hopefully Dawson fights well before that so he can stay. I think great fights for Dawson would be either 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins or WBA light heavyweight champion Beibut Shumenov (9-1, 6 KO’s).

Of the two, the Shumenov bout would be interesting to see how well the 27-year-old Dawson does against the robotic style of Shumenov. The Kazakhstan fighter recently captured the WBA title in a controversial 12 round decision over then champion Gabriel Campillo. Shumenov looked not very good in the fight, as he appeared worn out by the mid point of the fight. However, he was able to squeak out a controversial decision that has many people shaking their heads in disbelief.

Shumenov, 26, rapidly worked his way into a title shot after only nine bouts. In looking at how average Shumenov looked in his last two fights against Campillo, it’s hard to see how he was ever given a chance at the title in the first place. Campillo defeated Shumenov by a 12 round majority decision in their first fight in August. After much complaints from the Shumenov camp, their was a rematch in January 2010.

This time Shumenov won, albeit in a controversial fashion. He looked horribly slow, tight and not particularly strong. Of the top contenders in the division, it’s a wonder that he got a shot at the title at all, because Shumenov looks like a bottom 15 fighter rather than a champion. Never the less, he’s the current WBA light heavyweight champion as of now.

I’d be curious to see how Shumenov would do against Dawson, a fighter who is considered by many to be the best fighter in the light heavyweight division. I can’t help thinking that Shumenov would be made to look silly by Dawson and would likely either lose all 12 rounds in a one-sided loss to Chad or end up being stopped. As tired and robotic as Shumenov did look against Campillo, I think it’s fair to say that Dawson would probably destroyed Shumenov early in the fight and win by knockout.