Dawson: My head is hurting from head-butts from Hopkins

By Boxing News - 04/28/2012 - Comments

Image: Dawson: My head is hurting from head-butts from HopkinsBy Dan Ambrose: Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KO’s) become a three-time WBC light heavyweight champion tonight by defeating 47-year-old Bernard Hopkins (52-6-2, 32 KO’s) by a 12 round majority decision at the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Dawson applied constant pressure throughout against Hopkins, and had to endure a lot of head-butts along the way in a mostly one-sided fight.

After the fight, Dawson said this according to AP “My head is hurting from all the head-butts…He’s a future Hall of Famer, he’s a hell of a fighter, but he’s a dirty fighter.”

Dawson was cut above his left eye in the 4th but continued to fight effectively behind a strong jab to keep Hopkins from getting into the fight.

Although Dawson wasn’t hit nearly as much as Hopkins, he looked like he’d been through a shredder machine, as Dawson suffered cuts over both eyes. He was cut above his right eye in the 8th from a punch. In the end, Hopkins didn’t look nearly as bad, but he clearly lost the fight, there’s no question about it.

In the final three rounds, Dawson really punished the 47-year-old Hopkins with combinations, making him look his age. This was by far the worst I’ve seen Hopkins ever get beaten before, including his loss to Joe Calzaghe in 2008 and his defeat at the hands of a then prime Roy Jones Jr. in 1994.

The difference here was that Hopkins was fighting a pure boxer that had the reach and speed advantage over him. Dawson didn’t need to take chances like Jones and Calzaghe did because he was able to simply dominate from the outside with his stiff jab.

The judges scored the fight 117-111, 117-111 and 114-114.



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