By Dan Ambrose: Photo credit: Naoki Fakuda – World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins’ fight with challenger Chad Dawson is about to start tonight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Hopkins, 46, has had a good run of luck in the past three years since he was last beaten beaten by Joe Calzaghe in 2008, but that luck runs out tonight against the faster, bigger, younger, stronger and much more talented Dawson.

Hopkins doesn’t have much going for him in this fight other than experience and that’s not going to compensate for all the other areas where he’s deficient. Dawson is simply a level above Hopkins and that’s going to be painfully obvious once the punches start flying.

Dawson will win every round of this fight and make Hopkins look like a 50-year-old. It won’t be the end for Hopkins, because he can still get some decent fights after he loses. But it will be the beginning of the end because I see Hopkins struggling against other top fighters after he takes this loss tonight.

Hopkins has been able to extend his career with good matchmaking against guys that were perfect for him like Jean Pascal, a fighter that doesn’t throw a lot of punches and who fades after only four rounds. Dawson is going to make Hopkins look like an old man tonight, and boxing fans are going to wonder why they ever thought Hopkins could win this fight. That’s my take on this fight.Everyone gets old and tonight Hopkins is going to be exposed for the 46-year-old fighter he is.