Vic Dar: Of Metamorphosis

published at boxingcapital.com
[link]

Whoever said Vic "The Raging Bull" Darchinyan (now 32-1, 26 KOs) was still a one-dimensional fighter even after the Mijares fight and nothing more than a wild swinging lefty should now re-assess that view. With his incredible late-fight stoppage win over iron-chinned Jorge "El Travieso" Arce (now 51-5, 39 KOs) by systematically breaking him down throughout eleven rounds of solid action with a combination of never-before seen ring savvy and his trademark left hammer, the Armenian has announced to the world his new self a fine craftsman in the making.

While the Armenian super flyweight three-belt holder could not yet be mistaken as an excellent blend of a sweet boxer and a heavy puncher, Darchinyan showed remarkable improvements in his style and overall ring craft on Saturday night. For one, Darchinyan can now combine his left mallet with refined footwork, improved mobility, greater concentration and lots of patience - something he needs to rule the very competitive division furthermore and deliver his much publicised payback goods to his flyweight conqueror Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire (20-1, 13 KOs).

The way he hammered the Mexican - himself a ferocious puncher who won his previous fight via a brutal fourth round stoppage - into complete submission demonstrated the serious skills Darchinyan is honing. The last five rounds of the fight were a beauty to watch for the fans of the hard hitting Armenian. He took Arce to school by pummelling him with power shots from the outside, countering effectively and slipping gracefully behind the shots to deliver his vicious uppercuts. It was easily the best rounds in Darchinyan's entire career as he looked to be virtually unstoppable with his new found sweet footwork. On the other hand, Arce, who tried to press on the fight from round three onwards in a bid to force Darchinyan to commit a mistake, was rendered ineffective by Darchinyan's skills, tightened defence upstairs, surprisingly better lateral movement and improved combinations of punches and counter-punches.

The first two rounds of the fight were easily Darchinyan's rounds as he literally bullied Arce with big shots that forced the Mexican to backpedal. Round three was the most brilliant round for El Travieso, perhaps his only round in the fight, as he was able to connect with cracking left hooks that visibly hurt the Armenian who withdrew momentarily and went on the defensive. Arce had now discovered he could gain some success by pressing it onwards rather than fighting Darchinyan from distance. Arce tried to work out some inside game on the next two rounds but the guy who had been chasing him for three years proved to be too much for him, even during the inside exchanges. Darchinyan got the better of the exchanges during these close rounds.

Of course, there was still that awkward act of changing stance while lowering his guards to taunt his opponent, funny antics that could easily be exploited by quick swingers. But overall, it was a Darchinyan incarnate that we saw performing in a first defence of his undisputed WBA, WBC and IBF super flyweight belts Saturday night. All the judges scored the fight 109-100 for Darchinyan at the time of the stoppage; the ringside physician stopped the fight at the end of round 11 due to cuts on Arce's eyes.

The next logical step for Darchinyan to cement his current status as the top dog of the division was to fight Donaire next, a fight the fans could not see in the near future as Gary Shaw, Darchinyan's promoter was against it. "You don't reward disloyal people" Shaw referring to Donaire who decided to move out of his ward last year after the longest pause of his career which was an almost year round of inactivity.

Donaire, for his part, was not impressed by the apparent improvements in Darchinyan's game. He said in interviews that Darchinyan still "looked the same, fought exactly the same" and that the result should they fight again would probably go the same way as their previous encounter. Donaire sports a big knockout win against the Armenian southpaw, which happen to be the only lost in his career.

But no. While the Raging Bull was still very open on most angles and still reckless when charging in, he has vastly improved since his humiliating KO defeat against the Filipino punisher in July 2007. He has now revised his over-reliance on his left hand. He's now throwing more combinations, real combinations from both hands (not just a long left, followed by a long left and another long left). His uppercuts now look crispier and his left hooks are now sharper than before. And more importantly, he can now use angles to deliver his deadly bombs to better effects. That should make the Donaire rematch all the more interesting as the flashy Filipino has that beautiful counter punches perfect for anybody who lunges in too tentatively. Donaire, who is now currently preparing in the high altitudes of Baguio City, the Philippines for his March 22 outing against undefeated Texan Raul "Cobra" Martinez (24-0, 14 KOs), has stated several times his interest in fighting Darchinyan again.

Bad news as Gary Shaw won't let it happen.

Lightweight Pac shocks the world!

posted at boxing capital dot com
december 8, 2008
[link]

Chinibog ng buhay. He's got eaten alive. The flavour is totally lost in the translation, but the colourful Filipino phrase explains the manner in which Manny Pacquiao (now 48-3, 36 KOs) literally annihilated the much bigger Oscar De La Hoya (now 39-6, 30 KOs) in their welterweight bout Saturday night (6th December 2008). Pacquaio has not only eaten Oscar alive; he also made Oscar continually eat lots of his trademark straight lefts and every other punch in his repetoire.

This Pacquiao achieved in spite of leapfrogging a division and meeting De La Hoya at a weight class many believed too big for him. Everybody, this writer included, dismissed the fight beforehand as a huge mismatch and a farcical event not worthy of any attention. But, because of the manner in which the reigning pound for pound king systematically broke down and eventually disposed of his highly favoured opponent, the fight did not look anything remotely farcical; quite the contrary in fact. It was a brilliant exhibition of a game plan that was masterfully executed to perfection, nullifying the huge size advantage of one by exceptional fast hands and feet and tremendous heart by the other.

The boxing experts and self-styled critics were right in one thing though, that the fight was a huge mismatch. It did turn out to be a huge mismatch. Only, they were wrong about who was going to get outmatched badly.

The first round saw the two fighters sizing up each other. De La Hoya tried to establish his left jab, the respected launch pad of his attacks, while Pacquiao tried to measure his reach to that of De La Hoya's as well as the spaces he would need in launching his own attacks from a variety of angles. De La Hoya gained a little success in sticking his left jab early on the first round but failed to build from it as Pacquiao proved to be too slippery for him.

As De La Hoya miserably failed to set up his jab in the early going, Pacquio successfully established his trademark straight left during the first round, which would pose constant problems for De La Hoya throughout the fight. He had no answer to that beautiful roll of his little opponent-a swift straight left to his face, quickly followed by a side step to his right side and a pivot-when moving in, sometimes under his left jab.

That sublime movement simply dictated the complexion of the whole fight. Pacquiao was everywhere in the ring and De La Hoya never had a stationary target, save for very few occasions. After three rounds, where every indication that De La Hoya's legs weren't there and he was no match to his lightning quick opponent had all been laid-out and exposed totally, Pacquiao then stepped up his attack in the fourth.

He was all over the ring hitting De La Hoya with every kind of shot find in the book: a right jab, a double right jab, a quick left cross to the face, a right hook to the temple and everywhere else along with a barrage of lefts and rights to the body. The Pinoy whirlwind almost connected at will from every conceivable angle. The compubox statistics recorded his power punches connecting at an astonishing rate of 59% compared to 31% of De La Hoya. It was simply a demonstration of utter dominance.

De La Hoya for his part tried his everything to find Pacquiao with his left jab. But you can't hit somebody who is not there. Pacquiao was constantly moving all the time, side to side, repeatedly darting in and out of range and always keeping De La Hoya busy in finding his balance and the mark for his much vaunted left. But Pacquiao was as invisible as he was ferocious in his assaults. By round five, it appeared that Oscar was fighting a losing battle and by the sixth, he already lost it. He was being outclassed totally and the Pinoy lefty was all over him, pummelling him with everything from all angles. De La Hoya did have some moments against Pacquiao: two big straight rights, each in the third and the fourth in addition to three left hooks all to Pacquiao's head during the fifth. But aside from those De La Hoya's very few moments of success in the bout, it was all Pacquiao's show.

At the closing round of the first half of the bout, De La Hoya seemed to have lost his will to win and the threat of his left hook and him being a much bigger guy was gone. Oscar has no answer to the puzzle that was the beautiful straight left of his opponent. He'd already been defeated mentally and all resistance and threat he could pose had been nullified by Pacquiao's speed and brilliant game plan.

But the man who has faced the best fighters his weight reach could offer during his best years in boxing still fought gamely and courageously stood at the seventh round bell. The round that followed saw Oscar receiving the worst beating he had in his entire career. Anyone who has followed boxing for the last fifteen years would get a shock at witnessing the one-sided action orchestrated by Pacquiao in the ring, at the expense of the great De La Hoya. The Golden Boy, with 16 years of illustrious career that was built on facing the best of the best, has never been so hittable like that! It was target practice for Pacquiao and De La Hoya was not fighting back; he’d simply had enough. The fight should have been stopped right there. But his corner wanted another round to launch De La Hoya's last act of resistance as well as his final attempt to carry on his puncher's chance; they warned him they were stopping the fight if he didn’t start throwing punches.

However, the eight round, save for a weak flurry unleashed by De La Hoya in the opening seconds, was pretty much the same as the previous round with him getting the worst battering of his career. The fight was stopped at the end of round 8 at the advice of the ringside physician.

Shocking as it was, the brutal, one sided victory will be etched in the annals of boxing history as one of the astounding upsets and a great feat by a hugely underweight fighter. There is no need for a further debate; Pacquiao's name can now be mentioned in the same breath as Henry Armstrong (149-21, 101 KOs) and Roberto Duran (103-16, 70 KOs). Manny's total demolition of super welterweight Oscar in his tenth weight class was a first in history and will probably remain unequal for many decades to come.

A walk in the Pac for Oscar?

posted at boxingcapital.com [link-a walk in the pac]
December 1, 2009

Oscar has experienced it first hand and he himself was a victim of it. A younger, quicker and naturally smaller guy who tried his skills and luck against a naturally bigger opponent in Bernard Hopkins (49-5, 32 KOs) four years ago. Oscar’s skills enabled him to build an early lead until the then undisputed middleweight champion caught him with a big left hook to the solar plexus in round nine and the game was over.

Oscar couldn't breath and he couldn't stand, the boxing golden boy has learned it first hand: a good big guy will always beat a good little guy. That’s the age old saying in boxing. That was the reason why divisions were created. While there were reasons why Archie Moore (185-23, 131 KOs) dared to trade punches off with Rocky Marciano (49-0, 43 KOs) - his was an admirable journey into a higher level of competition from middleweight to heavyweight - the inherent danger in it tells all about the mismatch. Natural heavyweight Joe Frazier (32-4, 27 KOs) had a walk in park when light heavyweight Bob Foster (56-8, 46 KOs) dared to trade left hook with him.

4 inches taller, 6 inches longer and three divisions bigger, the size advantage goes all the way in favour of Oscar "Golden Boy" De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs). Add to that the fact that his December 6 opponent, Manny Pacquiao (47-3, 35 KOs), started his pro career at light flyweight while he, on the other hand, has campaigned as high as the middleweight and you'll see the word mismatch written all over it. Everything points to the bout as being a mere walk in the park for Oscar.

Freddie Roach would disagree to that, of course; he has too. The money on the line for the coming fight is just too great to ignore. For anybody who has taken time to campaign that Oscar can no longer pull the trigger will always weave arguments to trump up the mighty chance of his man. While it's hard to see how the Filipino whirlwind could take De La Hoya out and negate the obvious size discrepancy, it is interesting to see there were more people now who acknowledge the validity of Pacquiao's chance for an upset.

Yes, that chance is small, but very real.

While the size factor goes all the way in favour of the Golden Boy, the stamina factor goes Pacman's way. The Filipino knock-out artist is a rare breed of an athlete who fights harder and harder as the rounds go on. Pacquiao is a fierce warrior who throws hard combos after hard combos every round without having to worry about getting tired. Manny’s ferocious aggression is in a class of its own and his ability to carry-out fierce and non-stop offense all throughout the fight is extraordinary.

Oscar, on the other hand, has a history of getting tired during the later rounds of a fight. If Pacman can withstand the early assaults, expect him to get fiercer, stronger and faster during the second half of the fight and for Oscar to start to fade.

One of Pac's best weapons in this fight is Freddie Roach, who has the best comprehension of the strengths and weaknesses of the two warriors set to clash on December 6. Roach’s first hand knowledge of the flaws in De La Hoya’s offense and defense, as discovered up-close when he trained Oscar for his bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25) will certainly be a major advantage to Pacquiao. Roach knows what areas need to be covered. He knows when to get in under what kind of punches and when to get out after delivering the punches. De La Hoya's style is an open book to Roach.

Another thing that favours Pacquiao is the speed factor. Pacquiao's ability to carry his speed in his higher weights is supernatural. He seems to be very comfortable in whatever weight he jumps in. While other fighters slow down whenever they jump up a division, Pacquiao is such an anomaly that he gets even more relentless. The way he hammered David Diaz (34-2, 17) into complete submission, employing his vintage, violently overwhelming non-stop punching and fierce aggression, was a testament of how dangerous Pacquiao could be in his new, higher weight. Of course, Roach and Pacquiao know that the welterweight division is not the lightweight division and that it would take tremendous pounding to take De La Hoya down. And that's one area that Roach is going to cover, knowing that De La Hoya has had problems in dealing with fighters who have faster hands and feet than the Golden Boy himself.

While the weight factor favours De La Hoya greatly, the weight division they are set clash in may actually favour Pacquiao. Oscar has never fought as low as 150 lbs in the last seven years. This means he has to shed more body mass, including muscle, to make the weight. If luck is on Pacquaio's side, he'll be facing a weight drained opponent on December 6.

The factors that favour Pacquiao may give him a chance on December 6th. It may be a very small chance, but here is a guy who has built his career on beating heavily favoured opponents.

Of course, it is still hard to see how lightweight Pacquiao would be able to absorb super welterweight blows. At the end, Pacquiao fans may only be able to hope that Roach is right in saying Oscar can no longer pull the trigger.

Q&A with IBF-IBO World Flyweight Champ Nonito Donaire

published at boxing capital dot com
link

Donaire, of Filipino descent and now based in the States made waves last year when winning both of the aforementioned titles. His win over the fancied Vic Darchinyan (W TKO 5 – July 2007) was impressive enough to be bestowed with honours by Ring Magazine, such as ‘Knockout of the Year’ and ‘Upset of the Year’.

Nicknamed ‘The Filipino Flash’ Donaire is currently 19-1 (12 KO’s) and has made one defence since his stunning title winning victory – beating Mexican Luis Maldonado in an eighth round stoppage in December 2007.

Next up for Donaire is a title defence against South African, Moruti Mthalane, a challenger that brings a 22-1 (15 KO’s) record to the ring, in a fight taking place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas.

BOXING CAPITAL: You haven't fought since December last year. Can you tell us the story behind this long inactivity?

Nonito Donaire: To make a long overdrawn story short, I was scheduled to fight in Dubai in April but due to financial reasons the promoter couldn't put it together. In addition, Gary Shaw, my promoter then was not able to provide the 4 fights in a year as stipulated by contract. So after giving him ample time to schedule me a fight, I decided to move my career forward with a new promoter - Top Rank.

BC: You are 25 right now. Can you say you are at peak?

ND: I feel that I am a lot stronger than before but only near my peak. It's just a matter of time until I get to my full potential.

BC: How are preparations going for the Mthalane fight?

ND: Great. I have had great sparring and have been running consistently. I'm mentally and physically prepared for this fight. I'm ready.

BC: While the papers are saying that Mthalane is a "worthy challenger," his record is not impressive at all. There are no notable names in his resume aside perhaps for Hussein who has fought only one fighter of top caliber in his entire career (that fighter was Arce who KO’d him twice). What are your thoughts about this?

ND: I didn't have any notable names in my record before I fought Vic Darchinyan. All I know is that he's gonna give it all he has because he has nothing to lose. I never underestimate anyone.

BC: Reports say that Mthalane has good hand speed, footwork and jabs. It seems he can also take big punches. How do you plan to fight him?

ND: I feel right now I am the strongest in the 112 division (flyweight). And as long as I can land my punch, I know I can take him out.

BC: Any predictions about your fight against the South African?

ND: I always try to go for an early knockout.

BC: Reports have it that you're planning to move up in weight after this fight. Assuming you beat Mthalane, who would you like to fight next at 115 (Super Flyweight)?

ND: There's a lot of big names in the 115. We have Arce, Mijares, Montiel.

BC: Your thoughts about the Mijares-Darchinyan bout?

ND: Mijares is too smart for Darchinyan.

BC: A boxing site has quoted Darchinyan into saying "when I knock out Mijares, line-up Donaire next. I owe him one." Any comments about this?

ND: I'll fight anybody but that really depends on my promoter. A fight with Darchinyan if he beats Mijares would be fun.

BC: We all know that you lost your Olympic stint to a Fellow Filipino-American, Brian Viloria, who is also an active fighter at the moment. Is there any chance you would share the same ring with Viloria once more?

ND: There's a possibility of that happening because we are under the same promoter, but really there is nothing I can gain from that fight at this time.

BC: Your take on the coming dream fight between Oscar De La Hoya and fellow Filipino, Manny Pacquiao?

ND: Manny Pacquiao! I have to admit that De La Hoya has the height and weight advantage but Pacquiao certainly has the speed advantage and however strong your opponent is, if he can't land that punch it's nothing. Besides, Pacquiao believes in himself 100% and that kind of determination wins fights.

BC: What do you want to say in closing for your fans?

ND: I want to thank all my fans for their continued support. Look forward to Nov 1 when I put it all in the ring. Mabuhay!

Hopkins schools Pavlik, silences critics

Posted at boxingcapital.com
link

As the fight ended, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins stared coldly to the members of the media in attendance. With sweat cascading down his grim face, The Executioner delivered a strong statement to the media—a great majority of whom had predicted that the night would see the closing of his career—that they were all wrong.

Dead wrong, to put it correctly.

The question of whether Hopkins’ 43 year old legs could still keep up with a much younger, hungrier and stronger fighter had just been answered emphatically. And Hopkins told the media in his act that he was not their grand ad with nothing left in his arsenal but phony tricks and other boring maneuvers. With his dominating performance, an accomplishment that “would give hope to the hopeless” as he put it before the fight, the aging future hall of famer has showed to the world that he was actually a 30 year old body with the superior ring intelligence of a 43 year old veteran.

Hopkins, who now improves to 49-5-1, 32 KOs, schooled Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik in a 12 round bout at a catch-weight of 170 lbs with his terrific hand speed, superior footwork, superb defense, and greater overall ringcraft. The lopsided Hopkins victory handed Pavlik, now 34-1, 30 KOs, the first loss of his career, which was built on terrorizing the middleweight division with his heavy right hand and knocking out opponent after opponent. This was the reputation dangerous puncher Pavlik was supposed to bring to the Hopkins fight, but failed to live up to.

The fight was very lopsided with the final scorecards of 118-106, 117-109 and 118-108 all in the favor of Hopkins. It was a very dominating performance for the aging veteran all through out the distance. It was a Hopkins show from round one to the final bell as Pavlik failed to deliver anything significant that would force Hopkins to abandon his game plan to suit his. The masterful display of boxing artistry and quick left hooks even silenced the pro-Pavlik crowd who were chanting his name in round two.

The complexion of the fight never changed from round one to round 12, aside from the occasional flurries Pavlik would let out, which, unfortunately for the Pavlik fans, were very few and far between. Pavlik would throw a left jab and Hopkins would either counter and hold or dance away after countering with a quick left or right.

From round one to four, Pavlik tried to catch Hopkins with his lead lefts and straight rights but failed to land anything of significance. He did connect with his left jabs several times in these rounds but never managed to build on it. Hopkins was simply masterful in his game of not getting hit while punishing Pavlik with his quick left hooks upstairs and one-two combinations everywhere else. The most notable actions in the first four rounds of the fight occurred during round two as Hopkins connected with a quick left hook to the chin that hurt Pavlik. A flurry followed and another hard left hook connected for Hopkins. Pavlik looked in trouble and Hopkins was poised to dictate the complexion of the game: beat Pavlik to the punch; don’t engage for too long; either hug or dance away quickly; and never let Pavlik finds comfort on working his way behind the left jab. Something Hopkins would execute masterfully until the final bell.

The story of schooling and manhandling continued during the second third of the fight as Hopkins proved to be too elusive for the Youngstown native. The target was there for the left jab, but Hopkins would no longer be available to receive the big right even before Pavlik unloaded it. It was very frustrating for The Ghost and the crowd were now chanting Hopkins name. The fight, however, had started to become interesting as Pavlik was now having success, albeit sporadic, in bringing the fight to Hopkins. Pavlik had increased his work rate and Hopkins has slowed down his pace. Could this be the point that the tide would turn to the favor of the youngster as said by some analysts who theorized that Hopkins legs would betray him at the second half of the contest?

However, Hopkins skills, intelligence and speed were simply several notches above Pavlik’s. There would be occasional roughhousing from rounds six to ten—a kind of fight that was supposed to favour Pavlik and his underrated uppercuts—but Hopkins would prove to be too slick and smart for him. The referee took away a point for Pavlik for hitting whilst holding during round eight only to even it for The Ghost as he deducted a point for Hopkins for holding in the following round.

Round 11 was the most interesting round for Pavlik as Hopkins turned to clinching. It was Pavlik’s best round. Hopkins would throw one and then clinch. But by doing that, he never allowed Pavlik to connect flush. He would give one, take one and hold. Was The Executioner now abandoning his brilliant game plan due to his supposed inability to mount a sustained offensive assault or was he feeling the power of Pavlik who had now connected with several telling shots to his body during the previous rounds? The answer would be neither; Hopkins was simply conserving energy as he planned to finish round 12 and the fight strongly, thereby proving all the media critics wrong – Hopkins was spitting defiance to all those who said he couldn’t last 12 rounds with a younger and supposedly stronger fighter.

Hopkins engaged, stood in front of Pavlik, exchanged flurries and mocked Pavlik, who just couldn’t connect with his much touted right hand. It was the most exciting round of the fight as Hopkins connected with some hard shots, rocking Pavlik. The action heightened with ten seconds left on the clock and the older Hopkins simply appeared to be the fresher of the two.

“Whoever I fight now, I’m going for the knock-out,” Hopkins said during the post-fight interview. He also said he wants to fight Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones, Jr. again. As for Kelly Pavlik, it’s back to the drawing board.

Who is the boss at 175 now?

Posted at boxingcapital.com
link: click here

A breath of fresh hope for the light-heavyweight division was seen by the world of boxing last night in Nevada as Chad Dawson (27-0, 17 KOs) outworked, out-sped, out-jabbed and out-pointed Antonio Tarver (27-5, 19 KOs) for the IBF and IBO belts in a fight that could be summed-up by one word: speed. Though it is logical to conclude that the fight has not produced a king yet for the division that has been debased by senior fighters who loved to fight at an invented sub-division of catch-weight, there is no argument that we have witnessed (one of) the division’s future, who could lay strong claim to the throne in the near future.

While the light heavyweight division could not lay claim to being the most seeded, as such distinction belongs to either the welterweight or the lightweight divisions, it is a home to many great and borderline great names that could each make a case for them as being the leader of the division.
Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs), Roy Jones Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs) and Bernard Hopkins (48-5, 32 KOs) —the veteran blood at 175lbs are always there ready to take on anybody who dare claim the mythical title. Adrian Diaconu (25-0, 15 KOs) and Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) — the fresh blood at 175lbs are also poised to claim the kingship after they are through with their forthcoming respective bouts. Of course Glen Johnson (47-12, 32), the guy who unofficially defeated Dawson, will always blot Dawson’s résumé until rematch is given. Tarver is out of the picture for now.

There will always be the case for Calzaghe who was ranked number one by the Ring Magazine after his successful first outing at light heavyweight. Calzaghe is fighting Jones next month in what will be his second fight at light heavyweight and reports that the Welsh southpaw is planning to retire after the Jones fight has only left a big question as to his supposed status as top dog. There are a lot of young good guys in the division who are aching to be given the chance for a career-defining fight.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25 KOs), who was interviewed while watching the Tarver-Dawson bout at ringside, could make an argument about it all day and shout to the world that ‘Bad’ Chad is the current number one fighter in the mythical pound for pound rankings, but until some issues and unfinished business is settled, the division will remain what is it — a free-for-all division; and Mayweather, a retired loudmouth who should stay retired.

We are now looking forward for some good light heavyweight rumblings next year. In order for him to strengthen his standing at the light heavyweight ranking, Dawson should give Johnson a rematch and settle not only the issue about his chin, but more than that, the issue who really the better fighter is. He could also choose to fight first the winner of the upcoming Pavlik-Hopkins match next week and then share the ring once more with Johnson. Either way, it will be a tall line-up for the speedy boxer and a great treat for the boxing loving people.

It will be very hard for any knowledgeable boxing fans to take Dawson seriously knowing that Johnson has given him the worst beating he had in all his fight. There were several times in their fight where Dawson looked spent and ready to go. But how the judges scored the fight a big UD for him is a matter of mystery. Dawson simply has to settle the score.

Dawson could easily be the best overall fighter in the division today, but other top fighters in the division could give him some stylistic nightmares, given that he doesn’t have the power to deliver a stoppage or even just bother any of them with his light punches. Both Calzaghe and Roy Jones have the skills and reflex to cut his way off and tie him behind the ropes; Pavlik and Johnson are great swarmers; while the unbeaten dangerous puncher Diaconu could match him in a game of busy-punching and out-match him in a game of banging. A win against two of these guys would certainly solidify his status at light heavyweight. Especially if those wins were against Johnson and Pavlik. It is only then that we could take Mayweather’s pronouncement a little bit more serious and exclaim “we have a leader!”

The battle for light heavyweight supremacy rages on!

(A preview of the coming Dawson-Tarver bout)

Posted on boxingcapital.com
link: click here

He would badmouth ‘Bad’ Chad whenever he gets the chance and the youngster would strike back with his own words of wisdom to the guy he called “old news” by saying “your mouth can’t fight for you once you get in that ring.” The tactic for Antonio Tarver (27-4, 19 KOs) is very obvious; he wants to get into Chad Dawson’s (26-0, 17 KOs) head. Tarver was hoping for Dawson to lose his focus, forget about boxing and go all out and reckless on October 11.

The psychological ploy suits 39 year-old leftie Tarver perfectly as that the brightest spot for him to win the fight is to brawl, work the body and test Dawson’s chin. Considered by some as the future of the 175 division, ‘Bad’ Chad for his part, is expected to rely on his speed and busy punching to outwork the crafty veteran and hope for Tarver’s legs to go somewhere on the distance.

The question of age is there for Tarver hanging like a Damocles’ sword right above his head. If we are going to believe Dawson and the number, being 39, is indeed ‘old news’ especially in this combat sport where speed is an imperative skill to earn the ‘W’s’. By the looks of it, 26 year-old Dawson is very lucky he is fighting on Saturday night against an older version of the guy who destroyed the Roy Jones legend. Dawson is fast, can throw a variety of punches from many angles, and has a reliable straight shot. More than this; he’s a mean work machine and he can bang and brawl and box at the same time. He is bad news for a guy who is pushing 40. Or so it seems?

The question of age remains to be seen as Tarver looked like his old self in his last outing against Clinton Woods (41-4, 24 KOs) while Dawson looked terrible in his last fight against Glen Johnson (47-12, 32 KOs). ‘Magic Man’ Tarver may be old in number but people seemed to forget that he started his pro career at the age of 28. If their last performances against their respective opponents is any indication, Dawson is set to rendezvous with old but bad news come fight night on Palm’s Casino in Las Vegas. Bad Chad is fool to believe he would be facing a shot Tarver. Aged? Yes. But Tarver is still young.

Tarver possesses all the tools to make ‘Bad’ Chad look bad. He’s wily, skillful and experienced enough to weather whatever storm Dawson is planning to unleash in Nevada. His last three fights were a testament not only of his capacity to rebound in big leaps after a big defeat but also of his staying power in the ring. His KO4 win against Danny Santiago (29-4, 19 KOs), though certainly inferior and seemingly trivial compared to his signature KO2 win against Roy Jones, Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs), has an obvious story to tell; one well placed shot and you are in trouble. The way he hammered and sent Woods into submission also tell a similar story.

In his horrible performance on the Johnson fight, Dawson has exposed himself to the world that he is very beatable, even to an old man. The way he was hurt several times by Johnson in his last fight led to many to believe that his chin is weak and that he has the tendency to bow down under pressure. He was lucky enough to get away with a UD victory in a fight where many felt he lost. His mindset, motivation and confidence in this coming fight can also be questioned as he refused to rematch with Johnson and turned down a big payday fight against Romanian Adrian Diaconu (25-0, 15 KOs).

But yeah, Dawson is the better overall fighter between the two. He’s more complete though his capacity to adapt and reformulate his game to the other fighter’s offense is as questionable as his chin. But being the younger and certainly the faster fighter between the two, expect him to put on the pressure and bring the fight to Tarver early on in the fight. He would try to wear Tarver’s body and hope for the legs to go away along with it. He has the footwork and speed to confuse and beat Antonio to the punch. If Dawson can survive the first three quarter of the fight, there is a big chance for him to win by UD. Expect Tarver to welcome the aggression gladly as it would boost his chance to connect to the chin. If Dawson’s chin is really as weak as it seemed to be on the Johnson fight, then it’s over for him inside ten rounds.

It’s going to be an exciting fight between the two southpaws who will be battling for the IBO and IBF light heavyweight title.