Dawson vs Ward- rating their strengths....

I have Ward winning. He is a more fluid fighter with better rhythm and inside game, more focused and resilient than Dawson is. Great fight though, I can't wait.

 

thats pretty much how i see it going down too. i think the height, reach, and speed of Dawson will trouble Ward in the early and mid rounds, but not enough to sweep them all convincingly. besides Wards mental toughness and ability to adapt, its Dawsons bad habits and mental weakness that i think will make him start to lose down the stretch. i mean, if he thought BHOPs "tactics" were bad and difficult to overcome, hes gonna go thru hell fighting against Ward.

Dawson has this habbit of always looking to set up his shots until he has a perfect target instead of just letting his hands go. he doesnt like to take enough risks. Ward is a sharp dude and thinks quikly. i think that timidness will allow Ward to get off first in this fight. and from what ive seen from Dawson, it looks like he wants nothing to do with fighting on the inside. Ward is an animal on the inside. so when everything else fails, im sure he'll be in Dawsons chest.

but dawson is pretty damn elusive himself and i can see him being too quick on his toes to get dragged into that. i might be wrong, but we'll have to see. Dawson fighting @ 168 and Ward damn near being on a 1 year lay off should make this interesting. but yeah, im going with Ward for a clear UD. i cant wait for this fight. nothing better than two young top P4P prime fighters goin at it. should be a good technical match up :bbb

 

Ward is gonna wrestle Dawson all over and beat him on the inside. Barring a KO from Dawson, Ward should win this handily with his better combination punching and workrate. Dawson IMO peaked awhile ago.

 

Dawson is a great combination puncher, probably better than Ward.

hes just too afraid to let them go. :-(

 

That's the difference between the two and that is what is going to win it for Ward, his willingness to throw. Dawson is frustrating as hell to watch. Can't believe I've sat through 2 Hopkins/Dawson bouts

 

This is most def a tough match up for Ward.. Im trying to figure out how he is going to get on the inside verses an opponent who has good handspeed with a great jab.. I have to many questions for this fight, does Ward switch to southpaw to give Dawson a difficult look.. If Ward wins this fight Its going to be a Chess Match... Hopefully I will close enough to see Ward and Dawson work.. Never been to a fight at Oracle..Wonder hpow the sight lines are...

 

This is true.. seeing Dawson get of a 4 and 5 punch combo is nasty to watch.. Ward is good at controling range.. What is Dawson going to do to get in range to make sure he can get a combination or 2 off... I have so many questions for this fight..

 

Good thread RTB.
This is a great "trade fight" but I can't help thinking that Ward may become even more effective then Hopkins ever was at neutralising his opponent's strengths.Chad likes distance,Ward is great at closing distance and of course,everyone expects Chad to have a size advantage but Ward showed against Froch that he can match anyone for strong-arming.I can see Ward using head movement to avoid that spear of Chad's but the key for me is how fast he follows that up with counters.If Chad can't create distance then we're looking at a wide UD.
However,I'm hoping Chad has found something that wasn't there before he beat Bernard.Self-belief,moving laterally and not standing and admiring his jab(i.e following up with doubles and getting that left hook working better over short distances) could make this a closer fight.Dawson is capable of lovely combos,but he spends far too long admiring his work or being generally inactive.I made the mistake of underrating Ward before and whilst he'll never be an exciting crossover star,he's as good at playing to his strengths as anyone on the P4P list.
Outside Mayweather,Ward is the guy who I think is hardest to come up with a winning gameplan against.He's strong in the trenches,can get dirty when needed,and seems to draw out mistakes and jump over them like a school of piranha.So when Ward gets inside Chad needs to get a good uppercut going,because when we're talking about strengths,the trench is Ward's house,and he'll be ready for Chad's straight lefts,so hooks are important.
If making weight is no problem for Chad,then he should have a slight advantage in strength.He probably has the edge in having a better jab too.
Ward can lead with both hands though,and this is why I worry that anyone facing Ward is facing the possibility of every advantage they should have(on paper anyway) being negated.
Again Chad probably has the edge in power,but we're talking about an opponent that as far as I've seen,has no real weaknesses.
Chad has for me,one of the most underrated trainers around in Scully.I always feel that can be like having an oxygen tank in your corner,especially for someone with motivational issues.Busy,busy and more busy!
I'm warming to Dawson,and I applaud him for taking this fight.
But I don't think his strengths are enough to beat "The Neutraliser"
Hope it's a close fight though.