He can comeback but Manny Steward once said two knockouts can damage a fighters resistince even further due damage to the brain. Although Ward didn't spark him he still inflicted a slow beating which shook Chad to the core. I say he can comeback and i do believe he can win a title again but he won't ever be the same fighter. The punch he took i think would of hurt him pre Ward anyways. It was a nasty punch but i do think Chad has lost his identity as a fighter. Awful fight to make even without hindsight to me it was begging for trouble. Scully said in BN this week Chad damaged his muscles and skeleton draining weight off for Ward in a bad manner. He's not in the right place what he needs to do is go be with his kids and wife and enjoy life with them and rehab slowly. Maybe take a 6 months out whilst managing weight then come back and have some low key fights and if he comes through them then try make one more go of it. I think he's destroyed his own career. Lot of BAD decisions..
I'm not sure he was ever that good to begin with, but I certainly hope he got incredibly well paid for the Ward fight. I honestly don't see him making any kind of serious comeback.
This is what happens when you look to fight elite and/or dangerous competition. You don't look invincible and you lose. Much like our favourite son, Carl Froch, Bad Chad hasn't taken a backwards step in competition for around 7 years. Names like Adamek, Johnson, Tarver, Hopkins and Ward litter his resume. Those are some of the best 168 to 175 pound fighters of this era. The only concern for Dawson is that he needs to eliminate the attitude and think smarter. Don't kill yourself making weight to fight Ward, respect his ability to beat you. Don't be so tenacious against a powerful contender, respect his ability to beat you. Punch resistance is the fear but even then it might be a blessing if it forces him to focus more on his boxing skills.
Agree with this 100%. We see it all the time; fighters chasing the money fights at a lower weight with detriment to their health. The Ward fight may well have shortened his career by 3-4 years. To come back in another big fight, probably the biggest payday available, against such a huge puncher was just downright stupid.
He suffered a first round KO - the least definitive type of result there is other than a points robbery. I cast absolutely no aspersions on what he has left based on the Stevenson fight.
Think he got about $600k so not a bad nights work but hardly a massive purse in boxing terms and when you think of the damage he may have done to himself. I think he can come back as it was a one punch KO and not a sustained beating, have a few months off, do some soul searching, get back in the gym in full focus mode. The LHW division isn't exactly bursting with stars and I'd still make Dawson one of the main players in the division.