What i've done is i've lifted top tiers out of my top fifty at the poundage, fiddled it a little bit to minimise guys with no footage and used the remaining 32 names plus some subs to develop a seeded tournament to uncover "the best of the rest" at the poundage, with you, the denizens of the world's greatest boxing history forum, casting the deciding vote. Pick your man! Write however many details you like or don't in a post below. But maybe try to post, to keep things moving a little bit. You have three days. And let's be nice. No reason for disagreeing over total fantasies after all! 15 rounds, 1950s rules and ref. Ten points must. Weigh in is 18 hours before the fight. I'll only vote if it's tied, then I'll decide the result. Round of Thirty-Two Fight 11: Dariusz "Tiger" Michalczwski vs "Bad" Chad Dawson DARIUSZ MICHALCZEWSKI (48-2) Dariusz Michalczewski took the lineal light-heavyweight championship from Virgil Hill in 1997 and did not lose it until 2003 when time and Julio Cesar Gonzalez caught up with him. It does not matter that Ring Magazine gifted Roy Jones their title in appreciation of his brilliance – Michalczewski was the real champion, and you have to go all the way back to the great Archie Moore to find one who ruled for more years. Michalczewski packed in an astonishing fourteen successful defences while on top of the hill. His opposition was sometimes less than inspiring but he won his fair share of big fights. Against Virgil Hill he did what Henry Maske couldn’t and solved Hill as early as the second round, unveiling his lack of power and taking risks to cut off the ring on his fleet-footed foe. When Hill tried for volume, Michalczewski just picked punches, unerringly finding the right blow before going right back to his stalk and destroy style. The fight was not close. He showed more superb adaptions versus ranked stylist Lee Barber, a road-warrior who found himself picked and re-picked by an inexperienced fighter who again and again found a perfect mid-range to outpunch the bigger man in neat, controlled bursts. He needed a granite chin to win a 1999 shootout with Montell Griffin but became only the second man ever to stop the American when referee Joe Cortez interceded as Michalczewski brutalised him against the ropes. Graciano Rocchigiani, who caused Henry Maske all those problems, was battered to the only stoppage loss of his career. Lesser ranked men like Derrick Harmon, Richard Hall and Drake Thadzi tended to be stopped. CHAD DAWSON (32-4) All but finished at thirty-two years of age Chad Dawson was obliterated in a single round by Adonis Stevenson in 2013, out-fought by Jean Pascal in 2010 and narrowly edged by Nathan Cleverly victim Tommy Karpency in ten rounds towards the end of 2014. The other hand is weighed heavily in his favour, however. Dawson holds two wins over Glen Johnson, two wins over Antonio Tarver and a win over Bernard Hopkins making him a proud holder of victories over every post-Jones pre-Kovalev light-heavyweight of genuine significance apart from Zsolt Erdei, whose history of avoiding name fighters is legendary. His supplementary wins, too, are superb. He handed 31-0 Tomasz Adamek his first loss; clambered off the canvas to defeat the era’s elite gatekeeper Eric Harding in a bloody, absorbing contest; and firmly outpointed the ranked Adrian Diaconu.
Really interesting fight but I like the pressure and strength of DM over the underrated skill of a prime Dawson. Dawson didn't do so well with the pressure that Glen Johnson brought who was nowhere near as good as DM. Dawson looked great against Adamek but it was well known how badly weight drained Adamek was trying to make 175. I see Dawson having success early but ultimately being worn down by DM's pressure.
I can see Dawson really working the body here, how he did vs Adamek. DM didn't like southpaws, and he wouldn't like Dawson. The word Dawson would put into the body would undoubtedly pay off late, if he can get there. Dawson, to me, was more talented; dealt with a style similar to Michalczewski's (Adamek); and presents similar issues to ones which DM struggled with (Rocchigiani/Hall, southpaw-ness, guile, bodywork); but I can't seem to outright favour him. My issue is the jab, I think. It's just hard to see Dawson nullifying the jab, it's extremely difficult to see him winning without doing so. I think Michalczewski works off jab, comes in behind it, and sets up some more potent offense, but only simple stuff, otherwise he'd end up coughing up blood for weeks. 1-2-3s, 1-2-1s, 1-1-2s; the simple stuff. Hard to pick an outright winner, but if forced, I go with Michalczewski.
Easy work for Dariusz Michalczwski who hardly drops a round in out-timing Dawson's quicker punches. Dawson, clearly frustrated, was rapped hard through the 12th and 13th as he tried to land a hail mary and seemed out on his feet at the start of the 15th which Dariusz was content to jab his way through to pick up a twelfth round and win a wide, wide decision over a clearly disheartened foe.
