hopkins aint knocking dick out at this point and he will never fight a slick boxer like dawson...fight never comes off
Hopkins could knock him out. Hopkins stunned Calzaghe briefly. He hurt Pavlik on a few occasions. He hasn't been knocking guys out but I can see the power is there to do that if he commits to finish. I happen to think Dawson has a more questionable chin than both, and as a southpaw he is open to Hopkins straight right which are perfectly timed. Glen Johnson is not a great puncher, I don't care if you knock Roy out cold. He's not that big of a puncher, against most reasonable opponents he has hardly done **** despite throwing hundreds of punches yet he can hurt Dawson badly with one right hand? Still, the odds are it goes to the cards with Hopkins hurting him a few times, landing good shots, and its very close. We know how good he is against southpaws. Dawson ain't seen nothing like Hopkins for physical strength and inside fighting, he could very well look like a lost child, its an unknown factor. There is the opposite side, the problems Dawson causes Hopkins too. I'm just presenting Hopkins case, because most are going for Dawson and I don't think its cut and dry.
Hey Iceland! Good post. At this point I'm inclined to think Dawson would lose to BHop for much the same reason he would lose to Slappy Joe: experience would "find a way,"
Hopkins might be able to stop this kid. Regardless, we don't need that old man ruining all our young talent.
:good Thats what i was about to say. They really dont fight alike cause taylors jab actually had bernard thinking alot but when it comes to chad that wont be something bernard has to worry about. I also believe Hops has more power at light heavy and people cant possibly rule out a hops KO of chad.
Exactly the same way I see it. Dawson's got a lot of sizzle and flash to his game, but I'm not convinced he's got the intangibles to adjust against the top fighters of the old guard just yet...of course, we won't know until we see it, but the jump in class between Johnson and Tarver to someone like Hopkins (and Calzaghe, for that matter) is significant and for my money, it'd be too big for me to pick Dawson over either of them. He's got too many minor holes in his game they'd capitalize on, and both of their chins are too good for Dawson's power to alter their gameplans. Against Hopkins, Chad's tendency to take breaks and leave himself open for a straight right is hard to ignore- if Glen Johnson was landing it at will, I don't feel good about his chances of stopping Bernard's (who thows it faster, straighter, and sneakier), and Chad's willingness to engage would negate some of his own speed advantages. It'd be a great test for him mentally because he couldn't afford any lapses, but I don't think he'd pass. I'd have to go for a Hopkins decision. If he fought Calzaghe, I think he'd get smothered by a fighter who doesn't stop throwing, uses more angles than he does, and has an educated pressure game aided by feints and an unorthodox style to help him set traps. Dawson could have success early (most of Calzaghe's better opponents do), but I don't like his ability to adjust on the fly compared to Calzaghe- that's one of his best attributes.
Hopkins is going to ruin this generations future boxing prospects out of spite, just so he can talk about "the good old days" with nostalgia and how him and Roy were a level above "kids these days".
The Hopkins that fought Pavlik could beat anyone at 175, but Dawson is my pick because his legs are just much younger and fresher....
He was fighting in spurts against Tarver because he was toying with him. Watch his fights against Harding, Adamek, and Johnson. Dawson was definitley not fighting in spurts. Say what you want about Dawson's chin, he was never knocked down against Johnson, that just proves his chin is good.