By Jason Kim: 29-year-old Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KO’s) has the tools to beat WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KO’s) in their fight next month on September 8th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Ward has shown vulnerability in fights against Sakio Bika and Carl Froch.

Dawson is level above those two fighters in talent, and he’d likely beat both guys fairly easily. Dawson has the skills and the size to take Ward out of his game and beat him next month. However, for that to happen Dawson will have to avoid getting caught in an inside game because Ward seems to have fallen in love with that style of fighting since taking part in the Super Six tournament from 2009 to 2011. Before he entered the tourney, Ward was more known for fighting guys on the outside and using a lot of movement to win his fights. But he’s changed since his win over Allan Green in June 2010.

Ward is now strictly an inside fighter that occasionally throws jabs or long right hands from the outside. Ward is pretty predictable now in what he does in the ring, and that makes it a lot easier for Dawson to figure him out.

There’s no real mystery to what Ward will be trying to do on September 8th. He’s going to take the fight to Dawson and try to smother his offense by staying on him and trying to keep him pinned against the ropes for 12 rounds. It’s hard to picture Dawson being shoved up against the ropes and unable to move from that position like Ward’s last four opponents.

Dawson moves too well, is too smart and is much too clever to fall into that kind of trap. That won’t keep Ward from trying to put him into that position by attempting to muscle him to the ropes. However, Dawson’s strength and reach could make it difficult for Ward to find success with an inside attack. Dawson spins off the ropes when he’s trapped there, and he doesn’t just stand there like Ward’s last four opponents and fight his kind of game.

If Ward can’t trap Dawson in an inside fight, this could be a really tough fight for Ward because his advantages disappear once the fight goes to the outside where Dawson has the longer reach, the better jab and the stronger punches.