Hopkins: Dawson just wanted to rough me up; it should have been a no contest

By Boxing News - 10/16/2011 - Comments

Image: Hopkins: Dawson just wanted to rough me up; it should have been a no contestBy Dan Ambrose: WBC light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins was complaining long and hard after being stopped in the 2nd round on Saturday night by Chad Dawson after Hopkins hit the deck in the 2nd and injured his shoulder when Dawson lifted Hopkins up off the canvas to dumped on the deck.

Hopkins hurt his left shoulder. Hopkins wanted the fight to be stopped and ruled a no contest, but the referee Pat Russell instead ruled it a 2nd round TKO win for Dawson.

After the fight Dawson said according to Philly.com “He’s [Hopkins] been talking about Philly and how he’s a gangster, but gangsters don’t quit.”

Hopkins said “They set me up. Dawson was just in there to rough me up. This was a blatant foul. It should be a no contest, not a disqualification.”

It looked to some boxing fans like Hopkins flopped and took the easy way out instead of sticking it out and trying to find a way to beat the faster, taller, slicker and younger Dawson. Hopkins really had his work cut out for him at the time he fell down, and it sure did save him from what could have been an embarrassing fight.

Hopkins usual tactics – punch & grab, smother, hold and throwing lead rights – wasn’t proving to be effective. It was as if Dawson had seen that old act and it wasn’t going to work on him. Hopkins badly needed a Plan B at the time he fell down and hurt his shoulder, and it’s unclear what more Hopkins could have done. His bag of tricks – holding, wrestling, clinching after every punch, wasn’t working and it didn’t look like any of those would have worked for Hopkins no matter how often he had tried them.

California Athletic Commission executive George Dowd wasn’t seeing it Hopkins’ way, saying “There was no foul and the decision will stand for now.”

Either the CAC or the World Boxing Council could overturn the results upon review and change the fight to a “no contest,” which is what Hopkins wants. A no contest would likely allow Hopkins to keep his WBC title and then fight someone else for a nice payday before having to fight a rematch with Dawson if that’s what Hopkins wants.

Personally, I don’t think the fight should be ruled a non contest. Hopkins was the one all over Dawson, and he I don’t think Hopkins should be able to keep his belt after that poor showing.



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