By Dan Ambrose: WBC light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KO’s) doesn’t see a loss for Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KO’s) in their October 15th fight as the end to the 29-year-old Dawson’s career.

Hopkins, 46, believes that Dawson can continue to find success by putting on a little weight and moving up to cruiserweight to find the same kind of success that former light heavyweight champion Tomasz Adamek found at cruiserweight after he moved up in weight shortly after being beaten by Dawson.

Speaking with eastsideboxing.com’s On The Ropes Boxing Radio program, Hopkins said “Chad Dawson, after he loses this fight here, he’s 6’2.” He can pack on another twenty pounds like out friend Adamek did who he went up and fought a Klitschko. It’s been done before…the cruiserweight division is the heavyweight division.”

It sounds like Hopkins is really counting his chickens before they hatched, because he’s likely to lose to Dawson by a lopsided decision on the 15th. But I also sense that Hopkins wants to stay in good with Dawson because he knows this guy is going to continue to be a star. If Hopkins can get Dawson to sign on with Golden Boy Promotions, it would be a real plus for Golden Boy in the future. Dawson is going to be still firing on all cylinders long after Hopkins retires, which is why Hopkins needs to be thinking long term.

I really don’t see the Hopkins vs. Dawson as a competitive fight. Dawson is like as much better version of Joe Calzaghe, and we already saw Hopkins beaten by Calzaghe three years ago when Hopkins was a younger man. He’s now slower than he was then, older and I don’t mean in a good way. Hopkins has gotten away with being old in his last few fights but look at how he’s faced: 42-year-old Roy Jones Jr. and Jean Pascal, a four round fighter at best. Neither of those guys could throw a lot of punches and this allowed Hopkins to get away with fighting at a snail’s pace. That’s the only way Hopkins can win now because of his advanced age. Dawson is going to turn it up a couple of notches on October 15th and wear Hopkins down until he’s too exhausted to keep up with Dawson.