Does Chad Dawson have what it takes to beat Hopkins?

Of course Dawson can beat Hopkins. Hopkins is being overrated like crazy since beating Pascal.

People like to pretend that Hopkins schooled Pascal but both fights were pretty close.

Dawson has the tools, the question is whether he has the brains and/or heart.

 

Yes, I think he does, if he's at the top of his game he stands a very good chance of beating Hopkins in my opinion.

Sadly however, things don't sound too good in the Chad camp right now.

 

A Dawson with work rate beats any 175 lb fighter comfortably.

 

Thats the only thing that can beat him. He could beat himself by being too defensive, like with Pascal. He has to go at Hopkins from the first round, I have my doubts if he does. IF he brings the fight to the old man like Taylor, and especially calzaghe. Hopkins stands almost no chance.

 

Nope. Dawson is one irritating **** to watch. I hope Hopkins puts him to sleep.

 

Dawson will win easily, the most decisive loss of Hopkins career.

 

Absolutely, which is why Hopkins didn't want to fight him prior to this.

 

Dawson can but he's got stay focused ..Dawson has wanted this for a long time..Now the ball is in his court !

 

Guys like Tarver, Johnson, and Adamek are "lesser"...come on Breh.

 

Hopkins didnt want to fight him prior to this because he knew just how badly he was going to beat Dawson, and probably ruin him.

I was a Dawson fan, but lately he has been dreadful to watch, and I actually think Hopkins is going to maul him something terrible.

You read it here first. Dawson is going to get the beating of a lifetime.

 

Hopkins didn't exactly blow out Pascal, the old man is starting to take more damage than usual these days. Watch Dawson-Tarver I or Dawson-Johnson II. When the guy is focused, he's dominant. He'll be very focused for this fight. The Steward thing is blown out of proportion, Chad wanted a full time trainer, that's not Manny. I'm picking Dawson by stoppage.

 

His reflexes and legs have eroded considerably over the past few years.

That said, I'm still picking Hopkins to pull this one off. Dawson's in with a fighter who will limit how many punches he can get off with, a fighter who can time him with right hands (Dawson's kryptonite), and is just a mentally tougher person.

 

He actually lost rounds in both of those fights. And lets not forget Hopkins beat Tarver almost to death when they fought, and Tarver was younger then too.

If Dawson let Diaconu hit him and even stun him once, what do you think BHOP will do?

And Pascal and Hopkins fought closely, but Dawson LOST to Pascal. :deal

 

I'm probably one of few who wasn't impressed by Dawson's performances against Johnson and Tarver. For somebody considered to be a great light heavyweight by so many, he should've dealt with them in much more dominant fashion - not switching between offense and defense, coasting at times, and letting them win rounds when they shouldn't have.

The last time I've been impressed by Dawson was when he fought Adamek. I thought he looked fantastic, but since that time, I've been really underwhelmed. His skills haven't evolved. He actually looks like he's regressed. He's a very physically gifted, big light heavyweight with decent skills and a lot of vulnerabilities. That's it.

And as far as your last sentence goes...somehow people forget that fact. Unreal.

Give me Hopkins in this one.

 

Before the cutt stopped it, Dawson started putting a beat down on Pascal unlike anything Hopkins ever came close too doing. Chad always shows mental lapses, but that's mostly when he gets overconfident of his skills. For this fight, he's going to come out blazing and work Hopkins from the outside.

Nard's single biggest weakness is his stamina, I expect Chad to carry him too fast, like happend in the Calzaghe fight where Hopkins got gassed and looked real vulnerable. Chad even in his mental lapses doesn't come plodding out like Pascal. And Diaconu had to fight aggressive to land those shots, that's not something Nard likes doing much of.