One More Round With Mark Lyons: Dawson, Haye & Pacquiao/Cotto

Mark Lyons is back with his take on some recent and upcoming fights.

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

Another dominant, yet criticized performance from Chad Dawson (pictured right) and a farce of a PPV card on Friday night. There is a new alphabet title holder at Heavyweight and everyone is ready for the big one this weekend.

My Take on Last Weekend's Fights...

-- Chad Dawson may well be the best boxer in the world. While he remains unknown to the casual fan, he is becoming quite a polarizing figure in hard core boxing circles. He doesn’t hold and he doesn’t run, but most fans are always expecting and wanting more from him. Knocking out Glen Johnson is something that shouldn’t be expected of any fighter but that doesn’t stop people from complaining that he didn’t.

-- Dawson boxed beautifully from the outset, controlled the distance and peppered the Road Warrior with crisp jabs and body shots. Never once was he in any danger and I saw a resounding victory against a man that many thought beat him in their first fight. Color me impressed by not just his incredible skils, but his ability to adapt.

-- David Haye got the job done against the giant. But his bark was way louder than his bite in what was truly a dreadful fight. Hearing that he hurt his hand early makes his tactics more understandable, but it doesn’t give me back that thirty six minutes. With Ruiz on deck, Haye is in danger of another stinker and getting a reputation for engaging in boring fights. That wouldn’t really be fair after his thrilling Cruiserweight run, but like life, boxing is never really fair. Here is hoping he smashes Ruiz in style. But that is far easier said than done.

-- Yes, I watched the Judah/Casamayor card. The most entertaining moment was a ten minute interview with Erik Estrada by the way out of his element Michael Marley. Needless to say I didn’t agree with Marley about Judah’s low blow knockout being electrifying.

Looking Ahead To This Weekend...

-- Fight fans are buzzing for this Saturday night as Manny Pacquiao takes on Miguel Cotto at what I feel is a ridiculous catch weight. If the belt's on the line, the champ shouldn't have to weigh in 2 pounds under the division limit. That being said, it’s two of the best P4P fighters in the world and that is reason for excitement.

-- Cotto is a warrior and really is everything good about the sport. He seems to be stuck in a bizarre style transition where he isn’t sure if he is a boxer or a slugger. His only chance in this fight is to bore inside with almost reckless abandon and try to rough Manny up in close. I’m reading people talk about Miguel’s jab being a key and I don’t see him having any success with that punch. He needs to use it, but just as a means to get inside and not as a weapon. Body work is his key to victory.

-- Pacquiao, just has to be Pacquiao. Using his blazing speed of hand and foot to get there first and take advantage of Cotto’s shoddy footwork. Cotto is not capable of moving and punching at the same time, which is absolute hell against a guy like pacquiao who can change his angles in the blink of an eye. The only real question for me is how Manny will respond to a Welterweights punch, he hasn’t been hit by anybody since he left Jr. lightweight.

-- I see Pacquiao beating Cotto to the punch with his straight left hand from the opening bell. Cotto will score some here and there during some exciting exchanges but pacquaio will dominate this fight on the cards and bust up Miguel’s face en route to a mid to late round stoppage. I hope I’m wrong and the fight meets the world’s expectations. But I’m expecting another clinic from Mr. Pacquaio.

A Fight I’ve been Thinking About...

In lieu of Kelly Pavlik’s apparent desire to never stare across the ring at Paul Williams, lets look at a Middleweight that would relish the opportunity.The highly underrated and extremely rugged Mustapha Hamsho. While Paul has dealt with the pressure of a Margarito, Hamsho’s was of a different variety. His head was in your chest and he could smother Williams on the inside while Paul would enjoy a decided advantage at midrange and outside. In an exciting and bruising affair it will really come down to the judges preference. I’ll take two of three judges to reward Williams more aesthetically pleasing work and he gets a hard earned split nod in a fight that could go either way. One thing is for sure, it will go the distance and they both will almost certainly spill blood.

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Round by Round Blog: Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson II, plus Angulo vs Yorgey

Welcome to The Boxing Bulletin's live blog coverage of HBO's Championship Boxing Show, featuring the rematch between Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson. Also on the bill is a junior-middleweight clash between Alfredo Angulo and Harry Joe Yorgey.

The HBO broadcast starts at 9:30 PM EST, and we'll be doing detailed round by round updates for both fights.

If you're watching at home, please feel free to contribute by posting your scores and opinions of the fights.

Chad Dawson 28-0 (175) vs Glen Johnson 49-12-2 (173 1/2)

Alfredo Angulo 16-1 (153 1/2) vs Harry Joe Yorgey 22-0-1 (153 1/4)

Refresh this page often as updates will be frequent 6:45 PM EST... Check back in with us at 9:30 PM EST for the start of the show, as round by round coverage will begin with Angulo vs Yorgey. 9:20... Coverage will start in 10 minutes. 9:31... The show's starting. Updates will begin momentarily. 9:35... With Angulo's fight up first, Lampley and Kellerman are going over the top names at 154 to start the show. 9:36... Angulo is 164 tonight, while Yorgey has re-hydrated to 166. 9:37... The fighters are in the ring, and the introductions are underway. 9:38... From Bridgeport, PA... Harry Joe Yorgey. 9:38... From Mexicali, Mexico... Alfredo Angulo. 9:39... We're ready to go. 9:42... Manny Steward is joining Kellerman and Lampley in the booth. Angulo coming forward, with Yorgey fighting from the outside to start things off. Angulo presses forward, firing hooks and rights and pushes Yorgey into the ropes. Yorgey slips away, but Angulo keeps the pressure on. Yorgey moving side to side, as Angulo presses. Yorgey flicking jabs out from the outside. Angulo with his elbows tucked, and gloves up, edging forward. He's sticking out the jab as he moves in. 1:30 to go in the round. Yorgey keeping his distance here. Angulo jabbing his way in, and then hooking to the body. Yorgey trying to jab and move. Angulo backs Yorgey into the ropes, and unloads and lands a solid right. Yorgey on the move, Anuglo stalking. Yorgey trying to counter off the ropes, but he's not doing anything to keep Angulo honest right now. Angulo digging in as he pushes Yorgey to the ropes to end the round. 9:47... I don't think this one's going to last too long. Angulo's closing the distance and managing to unload in close when he does. Round 2 underway. Harold has it 1-0 for Angulo. Yorgey moving to his left, then to his right, and flicks out a jab. Angulo pumps the jab as he moves forward. Yorgey backs into the ropes and then fires a combo, but Angulo keeps stalking. Angulo jabbing his way in, and Yorgey slides away to his right. Angulo lands a right to the body. Angulo presses Yorgey into the ropes and fires a right. Yorgey gets out of there, but Angulo is on him right away and gets him along the ropes again. Yorgey is strictly fighting from the outside, while Angulo stalks. Angulo with a hard shot with Yorgey along the ropes. That hurt him. Anuglo goes after him. Yorgey in trouble along the ropes. Angulo pouring it on and down goes Yorgey. He's up, and takes the count. He's on the move, but Angulo's after him hard. Yorgey is in bad trouble. Angulo is pouring it on, landing hard shots. Hooks, right hands, shots to the body. Yorgey is in desperate trouble, as he can't keep distance. Angulo pouring it on with Yorgey on the ropes. Yorgey to his credit is trying to fight back, but he's taking a real beating here. There's the bell. 9:47... It was a hard right hand that hurt Yorgey. 9:49... Angulo immediately starts chasing to start round 3. Yorgey is in trouble, but he's fighting back. He's taking a beating though, and down he goes. He's up immediately, but the ref should really think about stopping this. Angulo pours it on, as Yorgey retreats to the ropes. He's getting pounded here. The ref would be very wise to stop it. Angulo with a huge right hand and down goes Yorgey. He's out. 9:50... Yorgey really didn't need to take that last shot. He was in desperate trouble BEFORE the round started. When he went down early, it was enough. There was no need for that final flurry. Why let a fighter clearly out of his depth take all that extra punishment?? 9:50... That was vicious. It was a left hand, right hand combination that ended the fight. Yorgey is finally up. Good to see he's okay. 9:51... The official time - 1:03 of round 3. 9:57... There was an odd sequence late in the 2nd round which I should mention. Not sure exactly what happened, as I was struggling to type as fast as the action, but I just took another look. Yorgey was on the ropes, and kind of turned around as he came off the ropes and Angulo hit him in the back of the head. The ref came between them and Yorgey retreated to the other corner, and Angulo didn't chase, but seemed to wait for the ref to rule, but the ref backed off and the action started up again. 10:00... We just got a shot of Johnson and Dawson warming up in their dressing rooms. They both look ready to go, so despite the short nature of the first fight, it looks like this one might be starting reasonabl soon. 10:04... I just watched the first knockdown from the second round again. Very questionable decision making from the ref. Yorgey was clearly down, being held up by the ropes and Angulo was teeing off on him, and the ref didn't do a thing. Oh well... not like the result would have been any different, but the man in charge certainly didn't do Yorgey any favors. 10:05... Dawson is 191 tonight, and Johnson is 189. Supposedly Dawson is intersted in fighting in the super six. Hard to imagine him getting all the way down to 168, if he's re-hyrdating all the way up to 191. I think he was around 185 for Tarver II. Either way, it looks like he's filled into a big light heavy. 10:07... Glen Johnson has just stepped into the ring. He's decked out all in yellow, with black trim. 10:08... Dawson is making his entrance. He's in black, with orange trim. 10:09... Mark Lichtenfeld with the introductions. 10:10... Michael Ortega is the ref. 10:11... Johnson looks all business as his name is announced. 10:11... Chad Dawson gets a nice ovation. He's the hometown man. 10:12... Final instructions have been given. We're ready to go. 10:15... Here we go. Johnson immediately begins moving forward. He lands an early right hand. Johnson circling away to his right. Dawson flicking his right jab out. Johnson pressing forward. He's firing the jab, and then coming with the right hand. Dawson staying at long range for now. He's flicking mostly jabs. Glen with his gloves up, pressing forward. He flicks a jab out, and then lands a right hand. Action in the middle of the ring now. Dawson sticking out his right, but not getting close enough to really land it. He's cautious so far. Johnson with a right hand over the top. Dawson with a jab, and a straihgt left to the body. Dawson flicking the jabs out. Now he lands a left hand. Johnson short with a right hand. Dawson comes back with a left, but is short. Johnson moving his head, as he flicks the jab, and tries to comg in with a right hand. Dawson backs away as it misses. Dawson now lands a left hand. Chad doing better in the last minute of the round, while Johnson had the better of things early. There's the bell. 10:15... Dawson's corner tell him they want to see more jabs. 10:16... Glen's corner also wants to see him jabbing. 10:19... Lampley is spouting off punch-stat numbers. Harold has it 1-0 for Dawson. Action in the middle of the ring to start the 2nd. Johnson edging forward, as Dawson slides away to his right. Dason sticking the jab in there. Glen following, trying to get in range. Glen is short with a jab. Dawson is short with a counter left. Johnson with a jab. Dawson misses a left. Dawson sticking home a jab. Glen just misses with a right hand. Now he misses again as he shoots it over the top. Johnson short with a right hand. Dawson flicking out the jab, keeping Johnson from getting off here. Dawson lands a left. Johnson with a jab, and fires a right to the body. Glen edging forward, and is short with another right, as Dawson slips away to his right. Johnson is flicking out the jab, "pawing with it" Lampley points out. Dawson with a left hand. Now Johnson with a right to the body. Johnson now pushes Dawson to the ropes and tries to flurry, but Dawson gets out of there. Now Dawson responds with a nice combo. There's the bell. 10:19... Might be my imagination, but Glen looks like he's pushing his shots a bit. Doesn't seem to have the sting he did during the first fight. 10:23... Round 3. Harold's got it 2-0. Not sure about the first, but Dawson definitely won the 2nd. Dawson with a combo, and slides away to his right. Johnson follows. Dawson flicks the jab out, and Johnson tries to fire a right hand but misses. Dawson moving from side to side, keeping Johnson from getting set and loading up. Johnson follows, and gets tagged with a left. Dawson with a jab. Johnson is short with a right hand. Johsnon now misses with a right hand as Dawson ducks underneath. Now Dawson unloads with a nice 3 punch combo. Dawson looking good this round. Johsnon follows and fires a jab/right, but Dawson avoids both shots. Dawson now lands another combo. Good round for Chad here. Glen fires a hard right, but misses with it. He's just not finding the range with that right hand. Dawson lands a straight left. Johnson edges forward, and misses with another right. Dawson really keeping his distance nicely. Now he lands a left hand. Johnson keeps following, keeps edging forward, now he tries to flurry, but again Dawson slips away without any damge. They exchange with about 10 seconds left. There's the bell. 10:24... Glen's corner telling him he's got to go to the body. 10:27... Johnson comes out moving forward, while Dawson slides off to his right, now his left, and then again to his right as Glen follows. Dawson flicks the jab out to the body and moves away again. Johnson follows, flicking his jab out and then fires a right hand. Might have glanced off Dawson there. Glen pawing with the jab, and trying to follow up with a right, but misses. Glen now jabs, and fires a right to the body. Action in the middle of the ring. Dawson with a jab, and a left hand. Johnson presses forward, and fires the right, but I don't think it landed. Dawson moves things back to the middle of the ring. Glen flickign the jab out, trying to line up his right hand. Now he bangs a right to the body. DAwson responds with a left. Dawson flicking out the jab and moves. Now DAwson fires a hard left. Johnson comes forward with the jab, and fires the right to the body, but Dawson backs away and it doesn't land. Now Glen misses with a hook. Dawson with a nice jab. Dawson flicking out the jab, and Johnson not so eager to attack at this stage as the round comes to a close. There's the bell. 10:28... Johnson's corner is trying to get their man moving. They are telling him he's down 4 rounds. That might be the case, although he may have taken the opening frame. 10:31... Harold has it 4-0. Johnson pressing forward to start the round. Dawson circling. JOhnson trying to get close, but Dawson slides away to his right. Dawson keeping his distance here. Johnson with a 1-2 that lands. Johnson pressing, with Dawson circling to his right. Now Dawson moves to his left and Johnson chases. Johnson with a right hand to the body. Johnson with a right that misses. Dawson lands a jab and then gets out of there. Now Glen closes the distance, but Dawson immediately gets out of there. Dawson with a combo, and then gets on the move again. Dawson was standing his ground a lot more in the previous rounds. He's strictly on the move in this one. Johnson following, but not having much luck. Glen with a 1-2, and Dawson then slips away. Dawson flickng the jab and moving. Glen with a jab, and tries to go to the body with a right. Dawson throws a left. There's the bell. 10:35... Round 6. Harold has it 5-0 for Dawson. I think Johnson had a good argument for the 5th. Dawson circling and keeping his distance. Johnson following, trying to get close enough to land his right. Dawson is flicking that jab, and keeping Glen from unloading. Now Glen with a nice jab. Glen with a nice right hand downstairs. Action in the middle of the ring here. Dawson flicking the jab out. Glen probing with his jab. Glen just misses with a right hand. Dawson coutners with a left. Johnson with a jab. Glen edging forward, and Dawson slides away to his right. Glen comes forward and I think he landed a right hand. Glen with a jab. DAwson coutners with a left. Dawson with a nice left. Dawson on the move again. Johnson short with a jab, and misses witha right hand. Johson with a right hand, and Dawson lands a counter left. There's the bell. 10:36... Johnson's corner is telling him he hasn't won a round. 10:40... Harold gave Johnson the 6th. He's got it 5-1. Glen pressing forward as usual to start the 7th. Lampley says he think if Johnson's won a round, it was the 5th. I agree with Jim. Johnson moving forward, but Dawson circling and picking his spots nicely. He just landed a nice body shot. Glen is stalking, but just not finding the range. Dawson's moving very nicely, and landing most of the clean punches. Action in the middle of the ring now. Glen is not steadily coming forward as much as he was earlier. Now he edges forward, as Dawson circles away to his right. Dawson with a straight left. Johnson tries to fire back with a right. Glen misses with a right hand. Glen now pawing with the jab as he edges forward. Dawson firing the jab out. There's the bell. Not a thrilling round. Johnson looks like he's slowing down a little, and given what the scorecards probably look like, that doesn't bode well for him. 10:43... 6-1 on Harold's card. I'd guess the official judges have similar scores. Johnson presses forward, but Dawson circles away. Now Dawson stops and fires a combo. Glen gets on the attack, but again Dawson stops and fires a combo. Dawson now with a straight left, and turns Johnson and slips away. Johnson follows, as Dawson moves away to his right. Now Dawson moving to his left, as he flicks a couple of jabs out. Glen now presses Dawson into the ropes and fires a right, but again Dawson slips away. Dawson in control here. Glen edging forward, flicking the jab out and trying to find the range with his right, but he's just not landing it. Dawson nicely slips away to his right, and then peppers Glen with a jab/left. Glen keeps coming though. He jabs to the body and follows as Dawson backs away. Dawson now circles to his right, and pops Johnson with a couple jabs. Johnson fires a right hand, but misses with it. Dawson on the move here and Johnson unable to get close enough to land. There's the bell. 10:44... Lampley just said that this is the closest Johnson has ever looked to being an "old fighter". I'd have to agree. He just doesn't seem to have the same snap on his shots as he did last time. He just looks slower all around. 10:47... Round 9. Harold has it 7-1. Glen comes forward, and Johnson smacks him with a combo, and then slides away to his left. Dawson now bangs home a couple of body shots. Johnson keeps coming, as Dawson slides away to his right. Johnson trying to get close, but not having any luck. Dawson flicking out a couple jabs that land. Glen tries to fire a right hand, but doesn't get through. Now Glen lands a decent right hand. Dawson though fires back with a left and slips away. Glen presses forward and tries to dig downstairs, but it's Dawson that responds with what looked like the harder body shot. Now Johnson fires a right hand that may have landed. Dawson though slips away, and then stops and lands a combo. Glen with a right hand into the guard as Dawson backs away. Dawson looking very comfortable. Johnson with a 1-2 that's short. Action in the middle of the ring now. Glen was pressing early in the round, but now he's eased up. He fires a right hand that lands. Dawson responds with a left. Now DAwson with a combo. Johnson might have got a right hand in return. Dawson fires a combo, and Johnson responds as the bell goes. 10:51... Round 10. Alfredo Angulo is ringside, and he gives the thumbs up to the cameras. Glen comes out pressing, while Dawson circles to his left. Now Dawson goes right. Glen pushes forward, and lands a right hand. Glen digs to the body. Dawson responds with his bown body shot. A nice combo from Dawson. Harold has it 8-1. Dawson now flicks the jab as he backs away. Glen follows, but Dawson on the move, keeping a comfortable distance. Glen trying to jab his way in, but Dawson circles away. Glen trying to jab his way in again, and he gets Dawson along the ropes, but Dawson slides off. Now Glen fires a right hand that glanced off Dawson. Glen edginf forward, as Dawson backs away. Dawson stops and fires a shot to the body, and then a straight left. Now Dawson gets on the move again, flicking out his jab. Glen comes forward and misses a right hand. Glen just looks slower tonight. He's again short with a right, and Dawson lands a left in response. Glen closes the gab, and fires a 1-2. Now he misses with a shot. Dawson responds with a decent combo. There's the bell. 10:52... Dawson's corner tells him he's won every round. "Just don't get careless." 10:52... Glen's corner tells him that when he sees Dawson sliding along the ropes, he's got to take chances and go after him. 10:55... Harold has it 9-1. Johnson edges forward, as Dawson slips away, flicking the jab as he does so. Glen flicking out the jab as he comes forward, but he's not getting close enough. Glen fires a hook that misses. Glen is short with a 1-2. Glen lands a right hand. Dawson fires back with a combo. Dawson stuck around a traded there, but then slips away. Now Glen backs Dawson into the ropes and rips a couple shots to the body, but Dawson takes them and slips away. Johnson is short with a couple jabs, as Dawson backs away. Dawson lands a nice left hand. Dawson with a nice combo. Glen keeps coming though, but Dawson circles away. Dawson now rips a left hand on the inside that just missed. Glen edges forward, but a little tentaively now. Dawson hanging around on the inside for a moment, and now flicks the jab out and slips away. Another round in the books. 10:56... "Keep the jab going," Dawson's corner tells him. "You can't stop swinging." - the advice from Johnson's corner. 10:59... Round 12. 10-1 on Harold's card. Johnson with some urgency here, moving forward, while Dawson circles away to his left. Now Dawson moves to his right. Glen with a jab that lands. Glen digs hard to the body. Glen now tries to follow up with a right, but it whizzes over DAwson's head. Now Glen keeps pressing. Dawson backs away. Dawson now fires back with a real nice quick combo and gets out of there. Glen presses forward. He's jabbing his way in, and trying to land a right. Dawson fires off another quick combo, and that drove Johnson back into the ropes. Dawson gets on the move again. He's moving to his right. Action now in the middle of the ring. Glen tries to land a right, but is short. Glen flicking the jab out as he edges forward. Dawson sticks his jab out and moves. Glen gave a good charge to start the round, but now is looking a little tired, as he's not pressing. Dawson circling, but Glen can't get close. Now Glen tries to edge forward, but he's a little tenative and there's the bell to end it. 11:00... Johnson raised his hands at the end, but I'm sure he's aware that he's come up well short. He gave it his all, but he was in wtih a younger, fresher, quicker fighter tonight. Dawson was on the top of his game. 11:01... Harold gave the 12th to Johnson. 11:02... Here are the scores. 115-113, 115-113, and 117-111... all for Chad Dawson. I'm surprised at how close those scores were. 11:04... That wasn't thrilling, but Dawson did what he had to. He moved very well, picking his spots, and managed to have things mostly his way. 11:05.... Dawson is with Kellerman for the post fight interview. "I outboxed him every round. I used my legs. I used my speed. I outclassed him." 11:07... Kellerman mentions Jean Pascal and Tavoris Cloud as possible opponents, and asks Dawson who he'd like to fight. "Bernard Hopkins." Dawson acknowledges that if he can't fight Hopkins, he'd like to fight Pascal. 11:08... Looks like we're not going to hear from Glen Johnson. I think that kind of sucks. Yeah, he didn't come close to winning, but I think it would have been nice to give him a chance to say a few words. 11:09... Well that's it for our round by round coverage. I hope you enjoyed it.

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Quick Predictions for Valuev-Haye and Dawson-Johnson

By Lee Payton

****Check out our round by round coverage of Johnson vs Dawson and Angulo vs Yorgey.****

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to see Valuev-Haye or Dawson Johnson. It's always a sad day when life decides that boxing is going to have to wait. As gutted as I am to miss a freakish heavyweight battle and a light heavyweight championship fight, I'm pressing on with some quick thoughts and predictions.

Here goes...

Valuev vs. Haye

Could these two men be more different? In Valuev we've got a soft-spoken giant. Haye is a vain loud-mouth who at least looks the part of a heavyweight champion. If this was a photo-shoot or a soap opera audition, the Brit comes out on top every time.

Boxing is no beauty contest though. Sometimes this sport is as ugly as it gets.

It might seem odd at first to say anyone has an edge in physicality when one fighter is 7'2, 315 lbs, but the smaller man has much more athletic ability, and I believe that is the key to him winning this fight.

Speed kills and Valuev has shown vulnerability against quicker fighters who are capable of showing him some movement. Haye should be able to switch angles on the outside and jump in with power shots before "Niko" can do anything about it.

If he's smart, Haye will fire his cannon ball fists to the ribs on the inside. With some significant work to the body, he just might bring his humongous foe to his knees.

I'll take Haye to win a wide decision. Valuev won't be able to find him with anything more than the occasional jab.


Dawson-Johnson

Will Glen Johnson ever get old? If it's going to happen, most fans feel that tonight is as good a night as any, because Chad Dawson is a speedy southpaw who can move. Typically, that's enough to beat a 40 year old man.

However, I don't buy into the "Glen is one year older and Chad is one year better" theory. The first reason is that I think the younger man is what he is. I don't see him changing anything in there. He'll do what he does.

Second, I don't think what Chad does was good enough to win the first time around. I saw the old timer push the fight for 12 rounds, while hurting his man a handful of times along the way. Glen Johnson knows what he has to do to win. He also knows that he can't be hurt by this man.

I think Johnson will be the more confident fighter tonight, based on his belief that he won the first time, and his sparring with Lucian Bute. He'll be up for this fight in a big way, and I just get the sense that the timing is right for him to pull off the upset.

I'll take Glen Johnson to win a close decision on the cards.

Check out Michael Nelson's Preview: Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson II Preview

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Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson II Preview

Michael Nelson previews tonight's HBO main event between Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson.

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Despite giving Chad Dawson the sternest test of his career a year and a half ago, losing a decision he deserved to win in the eyes of many, Glen Johnson will enter the ring as more than a 3 to 1 underdog. It's a role the hard Jamaican born pugilist has become accustomed to.

The reasons Bad Chad is a heavy favorite are largely the same reasons he was heavily favored in their first fight. Glen is 13 years Dawson's senior at 40 years old, an age where most boxers are either retired or long past the point of diminishing returns, while Chad is in his physical prime at 27. Being able to compete with the world's best at 40+ is an extraordinary feat that most pundits and fans have a difficult time comprehending. It's the same reason Bernard Hopkins has entered his last four bouts as an underdog.

Beyond father time, Dawson owns most of the physical advantages. He uses dazzling hand speed to land eye-catching combinations, ripping both the body and head in explosive fashion. And while he doesn't have highlight reel knockout power, he has more than enough pop to get anyone's respect. His flashy style tends to score more points with the judges than the Road Warrior's workman-like efforts.

Finally, there's the prevalent assumption that Dawson learned from the rough outing Johnson gave him and became a better fighter while Glen has long hit a ceiling and fought as well as he possibly could last year.

The script has been set for HBO to annoint a new player in the pantheon of potential stars. But Glen Johnson has never been a man to simply play his role and disappear into the night.

The grizzled veteran's ability to exceed expectations and overcome the perceived advantages his opponents have makes him a special in his own right. He has the kind of toughness that comes around a few times a generation - in 16 years, he has scarcely if ever been cut, dropped, or hurt - to go along with an insatiable will to give the man in front of him more hurt than he can handle. He's impossible to discourage.

Dawson's a phenomenal talent, but he's far from perfect, and Johnson's strengths illuminate the chinks in the young man's armor. Glen is a steady grinder, consistent in his punch output and tedious pressure, while Chad throws punches in spurts. When Dawson's hands aren't moving and keeping Johnson's guard busy, Glen is chopping away at his body and sneaking damaging right hands.

The 27 year old's less-than-granite chin is another chink that Johnson took advantage of in their first encounter. Chad's heart and conditioning, combined with Johnson's tendency to let his wounded prey limp away in many of his biggest fights, allowed the South Carolina native to survive a few very shaky moments. But the visible effect of the elder's thudding punches bagged rounds that may have otherwise went to the flashier fighter. I suspect similar moments will arise in the rematch as Dawson begins to find it difficult to escape the old man's unrelenting pressure.

Moreover, while it may be true that Johnson fought at his peak that night, it's also true that Dawson may had done the same. It should be noted that the southpaw's performance in his rematch against Tarver six months ago sailed well below the expectations many had for him, particularly those who thought he would improve on his first Tarver beating and overwhelm the 40 year old to score an eventual stoppage.

Instead, they saw the same uneven, if not efficient, performance from the first meeting - spectacular in some spots, uninspiring in others. The two fights were near mirror images of each other.

If no improvements are made against Glen, Chad can very well see the first L etched onto his record. It would be unwise to expect the judges to hand in the same dubious scorecards that were filled out last April.

The odds make perfect sense on the surface. Look closer and you'll see a man who has carved out a modest, but inspiring legacy from defying such odds. Mr. Dawson shouldn't expect anything less than hell tonight.

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One More Round With Mark Lyons: Haye/Valuev, Dawson/Johnson, Agbeko/Perez, Super Six, etc...

Mark Lyons is back with his take on some recent and upcoming fights.

After a couple of slow weeks we are heading into a great stretch of boxing. I’ll keep my comments brief on the Super 6, and will focus my thoughts on the two big fights coming up in what really is a fantastic month for combat sports.

My Take On Some Recent Fights...

-- Perez and Agebko put on a heck of a battle Saturday night. It wouldn’t make my list as a FOTY year candidate because it lacked some drama, but it was right on the cusp. Perez proved to be just a bit stronger and while I thought the fight was much closer than the final cards, the right man had his hand raised. Is it me, or is their an influx of bruising fighters entering the top level from South America?

-- Leave it to Boxing to institute instant replay to battle some controversy and completely ignore the ability to overturn what shouldn't be a knockdown. A three point swing in what most saw as a close fight isn’t worthy? Yes, I know, baby steps, but if something like that can't eventually be handled by replay, the system will never be of much use.

-- Last week's brawl between Ryan Rhodes and Jaimie Moore would make my short list of the year's best fights. I have to admit to becoming a Moore fan after his epic war with Macklin and I was a bit sad to see him lose before getting a shot at the world level. That being said, Rhodes story is a pretty remarkable one. This late career renaissance has been pretty special and I hope he gets the opportunity to challenge for world honors.

Super 6 thoughts……

-- I can’t say I was surprised by either result. Abraham was my favorite going into the tournament and nothing changed. I thought it was a dominant and brilliant performance. His style is frustrating at times, but incredibly effective. Winky Wright/George Foreman. while many dislike his cautious approach, he always tries to close the show in style when he doesn’t need to and I think that should be respected. Lost in his numbing power is one of the toughest defenses in the sport and a very underrated ring IQ. King Arthur knows what he is doing every second of every round.

-- I don’t have much good things to say about Froch/Dirrell. Andre had the skill to win, but not the will. His mid round performance was akin to watching a horny dog hump a leg, chair, table, etc… This was John Ruiz quality holding, but at least Ruiz had the excuse that he needed the tactic to compete. Dirrell on the other hand has a world of talent, which he showed in the 11th round when he sat down on his punches. But even then, he held Froch after clearly hurting him. I scored the fight for Dirrell by a point but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see that kind of fighting go without reward. Maybe he will learn from it, but I’m expecting him to give us a Usain Bolt impression against Art.

Looking Ahead To This Weekend...

We have a rematch of fight more remembered for the scoring than the sizzling action, and David Haye finally gets the opportunity to walk the walk.

-- The first time Chad Dawson faced off against Glen Johnson I expected the veteran to give Chad his toughest fight but fall short to the young man's immense talent by a 8-4 type decision in a solid fight. The Road Warrior far exceeded that and it was one of the years better fights with far wider scores than should have been. Don’t ever accuse me of learning from previous errors, as I believe Dawson’s speed and resilience controls the action and gets through some rough spots for an 8-4 type decision on Saturday night. It should put to rest the outcry of robbery from the first fight. BTW, I scored that one a draw.

-- I’m not sure if it’s the sleep inducing boredom of watching Wladimir be the most reluctant knockout artist in the history of the ring or the lack of viable challengers to face his more willing brother, but I’m all in on David Haye. Yes I see the flaws, but I don’t care. He is entertaining in the ring and outside of it. If a 47yr old warlord legend was too fast of hand and foot for the lumbering giant sleeping pill that is Valuev, Haye should be able to land as he pleases. David will exhibit more smarts in there than people give him credit for, avoiding Valuev’s hugging, slamming home some hard body shots and becoming the first man to floor the Yeti with a blinding right hand. The winner by seventh round knockout and a much needed breath of fresh air... David Haye!

A Fight I’ve Been Thinking About...

-- Here is one between two rough and tumble HOF fighters that tend to get overlooked. How about Joel Casamayor vs Jeff Fenech at 130? Bruising inside action would be the main course for this evening. Jeff’s relentless pressure meets the Cuban's toughness and boxing skills. I think it would certainly have ugly moments, but there would be a ton of action and it's likely to end up a tight decision. Give me Fenech by split decision in a fight that neither man is hurt, with about ten swing rounds. Joel is once again outraged by the judges and if they do it ten more times, it’s ten more split nods.

e-mail Mark Lyons Read more!

Revisiting Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson

By Andrew Fruman

With Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson set to renew hostilities on November 7, I thought it would be a good time to look back and score their original meeting. It's been awhile since I saw the fight, and as it was one of my favorites from last year, I decided to just watch and enjoy it first while taking a few notes - then carefully score it on my second viewing.

A couple comments before I get to my scores...

-- My prediction going into the fight was a one sided Dawson victory. Johnson had been doing battle with fellow old timers Antonio Tarver, Clinton Woods and Montell Griffin and my feeling was that his age would really show when matched up with a young fighter of Dawson's class. I thought Dawson would be too quick and too sharp, and while he was quick and sharp, I was very wrong about Johnson's ability to still bring it.

-- After watching some of the messy foul filled scraps in recent weeks, it was a pleasure to see such a clean hard fought fight. Holding? None. Dirty fouls? None. Just two high caliber fighters going at each other. I can't wait for November 7. If Johnson hasn't suddenly got old, we're in for another treat.

Now, let's get to my scorecard...

Round 1

10-9 Chad Dawson

Fast paced round, that Dawson took hold of over the last couple minutes. He landed his jab, and his straight left, and threw some nice combos. While Johnson was outworked, he managed to successfully close the gap, landing his right cross, as well as some nice shots to the body – but still found it difficult to unload thanks to Dawson’s impressive combos getting their first.

Could it have gone the other way? No. Easy round to score.

Score 10-9 after 1 for Dawson.

Round 2

10-9 Chad Dawson

I thought Dawson just edged the round, but not without a fair bit of trouble. He moved nicely, and picked his spots to plant his feet and rip combos, but Johnson still managed to wade through it all, closing the gap, and landing what I thought were the heavier punches - just not enough of them to win the round.

Could it have gone the other way? You can make an argument for Johnson as his shots appeared to be heavier, but I don’t think he landed enough of them to really make a solid case.

Score 20-18 after 2 for Dawson.

Round 3

10-9 Glen Johnson

Dawson started nicely, using his jab and creating some distance, but Johnson eventually got inside and made his pressure pay off with a very strong final minute. He landed some damaging right hands – including a couple in the final 10 seconds that had Dawson in a little trouble.

Could it have gone the other way? No. Despite Dawson’s early edge, the damage Johnson did over the final minute was significant, and clearly outweighs Dawson’s work over the first couple minutes.

Score 29-28 after 3 for Dawson.

Round 4

10-9 Glen Johnson

I had Dawson slightly up after the first minute, but Johnson then came on very strong in the middle, landing the most damaging shots of the round with his right hand. Dawson took them well though, and got back to boxing, outworking, and out-landed Johnson in the final minute, but even during that period, Johnson still got some hard shots through. If forced to pick a winner when it’s this tight – it comes down to what you prefer, the fighter landing more frequently or the fighter landing with more force – and I prefer force.

Could it have gone the other way? Yes. You can make a solid argument for Dawson. And I'd have no complaints with scoring it 10-10.

I’ve got it even at 38-38 after 4.

Round 5

10-9 Glen Johnson

After some some fast paced nip and tuck action, Johnson took over down the stretch landing a number of hard power shots, including a really nice left hook late. Dawson had his moments, but wasn’t setting his feet and ripping combos the way he was earlier in the fight. He’s pecking more with his jab from range, and not throwing with the same authority, while Johnson is commanding his space, steadily moving forward and landing the harder shots.

Could it have been scored the other way? No. It was razor close through the first couple minutes, but Johnson closed very strongly and convincingly took the round.

For the first time in the fight, Johnson’s up on my card – 48-47.

Round 6

10-9 Chad Dawson

Very little meaningful shots landed this round, as Dawson made a concerted effort to stem Johnson’s momentum by avoiding exchanges in favor of boxing and moving. Johnson landed a few nice body shots, but for the most part he found himself unable to get close enough to let rip, while Dawson landed enough jabs and left hands to take the round.

Could it have been scored the other way? Dawson didn’t do a whole lot, but Johnson just didn’t land enough to make a solid case. If half point rounds were an option, this would be a prime candidate.

After 6, I’ve got this one a draw, at 57-57.

Round 7

10-9 Chad Dawson

Dawson built on what was working last round to keep Johnson at a comfortable distance, but added a bit more offense. He had a very nice stretch in the middle of the round, where he caught Johnson coming in with some sharp shots. Johnson had a few good moments in the last 30 seconds, but so did Dawson, who looked like he’d got some of the confidence from earlier in the fight back.

Could it have been scored the other way? No.

Dawson’s back in front, 67-66.

Round 8

10-9 Chad Dawson

This was a closely fought round, that I needed to watch an extra time before making my mind up. Both fighters worked hard and landed their share, but I felt that Dawson was doing the better work. He was just landing a little more, and a little cleaner.

Could it have been scored the other way? Yes, this was definitely another candidate for a 10-10 round. Considering I gave the previous really tight one to Johnson, giving this to Dawson evens it up. Not that I’m trying to even it up – but just pointing out that at this stage, I don’t think either man has been given any breaks on my card.

Dawson’s now got a bit of a cushion, up by 2 points, 77-75.

Round 9

10-9 Glen Johnson

Johnson came out strong, and had some good moments early – landing several hard shots over the first minute. I thought he had a slight edge over the next 60 seconds as well, before Dawson started putting things together towards the end of the round.

Could it have gone the other way? Not in my opinion, but I should mention that at the midway point of the round, Al Bernstein and Steve Albert seemed to think the round was very close - and you can make an argument that Dawson had the edge the rest of the way.

After 9, I’ve got it 86-85 for Dawson.

Round 10

10-9 Glen Johnson

Dawson was doing very nicely, until he got hurt with a looping right hand with about a minute left in the round. Johnson pressed his advantage, landing a number of solid shots over the final 60 seconds in what was the best period of the fight for either man. It must be said that while Johnson won the final minute big, Dawson fought back gallantly during Glen’s assault.

Could it have gone either way? No. Johnson’s onslaught over the final minute easily won him the round.

We’re back even on my card, 95-95.

Round 11

10-9 Glen Johnson

This was a hell of a round, with Albert proclaiming half way through that it was "Vasquez-Marquez...only bigger." Maybe we didn't see the same kind of sustained violence as with those little warriors, but this was a terrific round in a very good fight. Johnson just landed the harder, more effective shots and enough of them that even though Dawson had a gutsy rally at one stage, it wasn’t nearly enough to turn things in his favor.

Could it have gone either way? No.

Johnson’s back out in front, 105-104.

Round 12

10-9 Glen Johnson

Good steady work through the full 3 minutes from Johnson. Dawson had a couple decent moments in the middle of the round, but for the most part looked like he was content to play it safe until the final bell.

Could it have gone either way? No. This was one of the more one sided rounds of the fight.

After 12, I’ve got Johnson winning 115-113.

Somehow, all 3 judges had it 116-112 for Dawson. I’ll be blunt. Those are garbage scorecards. Okay, so Dawson up by 4 points is out of the question, but can I see an argument for him winning the fight?

Going over my card, there are 2 rounds which I think are really questionable – rounds 4 & 8. I gave Johnson round 4 and Dawson round 8. Giving both to Dawson, makes it 114-114.

Rounds 2 and 9 were also reasonably close. I gave round 2 to Dawson, and round 9 to Johnson. Could Round 9 have gone to Dawson? Maybe, but I think if building a case for switching one of those rounds, I'd be able to do a better job for Johnson in round 2.

So yes... it's possible to have Dawson up 7-5. But, I think when a fighter is commanding the space, backing his opponent up, landing the heavier punches, hurting the other man... to give the other guy the benefit of the doubt in all close instances is questionable. Even giving Dawson every close one, that's still only 115-113. How those judges came up with 116-112 is crazy. I'll say it again (with caps for good measure) those were GARBAGE cards.

115-113 for Glen Johnson. Maybe a draw. That's how I saw it.

Now bring on the rematch!

e-mail Andrew Fruman Read more!

Early Thoughts on Bradley vs Campbell, Dawson vs Johnson 2, Marquez vs Mayweather, Klitschko-Haye...

By Lee Payton

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Some very intriguing and significant fights have been made recently so I thought I'd touch on the ones that stick out to me. Here's my best guess as to how they will go down once the bell rings.

Can Campbell turn back the clock? Is Dawson all that? Does Marquez have a chance? Can Haye take down Big Brother?

Timothy Bradley vs Nate Campbell

It seems pretty clear on paper, doesn't it? Bradley has advantages in age, size and quickness. He's also a very good fighter, so he should take this thing, right? Not so fast. While "Dessert Storm" obviously has a lot going for him, the fighting grandfather has some weapons of his own. His favourite of those is a nasty right hand, which can be devastating up top or to body. He's also been around the block a time or two. The man flat out knows how to fight, and coming right to him, as I believe Bradley will, has not always turned out well for the opponent.

I think the keys to this fight for Bradley are head movement and punches in bunches. He showed that he's not exactly easy to nail clean even while pressing the fight against Kendall Holt. He keeps a tight, high guard and throws nice short punches on the inside. You need to only look at him to get a sense of his strength. Marvin Hagler would be impressed.

Can he hurt Nate? Probably not. Can Nate hurt him? He has to.

If Campbell can't put a dent in this kid, it's going to be a long night for the former Lightweight Champion.

I'm one of those guys who thinks size is a little overrated in boxing. Punchers don't lose their ability to punch because they added weight, as long as they are in or close to their prime years. They may lose something because they are hitting bigger guys, but most of the time when it seems like a fighter fell off after moving up a weight class, it has much more to do with the opponent than anything else. At this point, 140 is his weight.

Will Nate be able to get the KO he may need to win this fight? Well, he's hurt just about every fighter he has ever faced, so I see no reason to believe he can't make Bradley wince with a solid shot. That said, he's never really been a knockout artist, and if Tim has any trouble absorbing punishment it hasn't surfaced yet.

All things considered, I'm going to take Tim Bradley to walk through Hell on his way to a painful decision win. It should be a great fight.


Chad Dawson vs Glen Johnson II

When these two light heavyweights did battle in April 2008 most expected "Bad" Chad's amazing physical gifts to be too much for the 40 year old war horse. I guess no one told Glen that he was supposed to be content with collecting his final decent paycheck. He pushed young Dawson to the brink, forcing out all the inside stuff the young man never really needed up to that point in his pro career. Dawson grabbed the close decision that not everyone agreed with so they will do it again.

We might be looking at a replay of the first fight. Glen is still going to march forward. He'll still be hard-headed. And he'll still have the same arsenal that was responsible for tearing Dawson out of his comfort zone n the first fight. It's up to the man many call the future of pound-for-pound to make the kind of adjustments great champions are capable of.

That could mean stinking it out a little. Chad has the legs to move for 12, but the way he delivers his offense (bursts of punches at full speed) seems to take something away from his stamina. When he slows down that little bit in the second half, Johnson is going to give him no choice but to fight his ass off again.

I'll take Chad by another hard-fought 8-4. He'll get the win. That's about the best anyone can hope for when they fight "The Road Warrior".


Floyd Mayweather vs Juan Manuel Marquez

Call me crazy, but I am really looking forward to this fight. Forget about the difference in size. These guys don't fight in a way that depends on being the bigger man. Truthfully, even though Mayweather is called a welterweight, there would be a bigger (and more significant) size advantage if he were to fight Shane Mosley.

This fight isn't about weight, it's about two of the most skilled fighters of the last 10+ years going at it. Floyd has the edge on defense, while Marquez' accurate hands give him the offensive advantage.

We've been waiting years now for the great Juan Manuel Marquez to get old. Some will tell you the proof of his decline can be found in the amount of punches he has taken over the last 5 years. I personally think the wars have more to do with the massive step up in class he has taken during that time. When ya fight quality opponents, yer gonna get hit. This guy lives clean and is always in shape. I don't expect to see him fall off at all.

Mayweather is also a gym rat. He was sighted working out throughout his retirement from boxing, but the fact remains that he hasn't been under the lights in a very long time. There's bound to be some ring rust. As gifted as he is, I'm not sure anyone can afford to be even a little off against JMM's lethal attack. Based on all the ingredients I get the feeling that he's going to get touched up more than we've ever seen before.

I think it's a distance fight with "Money" getting a close decision. He'll probably win, but way more people will start believing in Pacquiao's chances against him.


Vitali Klitschko vs David Haye

When Haye dropped out against little brother, I was gutted for a week. Finally, Wlad was fighting someone with a chance. Unfortunately it was not to be. So now "The Hayemaker" is set to take on the bigger, tougher, older brother, who many feel is the real #1 heavyweight out there.

It is my opinion that this Klitschko is the more difficult assignment given that he can actually take a good shot to the mouth. What made the fight with Wlad so appealing was the knowledge that it could end on one punch either way. This fight appears to be a more grueling affair.

Vitali has had it easy since during his two fight comeback, having taken out hopeless Sam Peter and a chubby Juan Carlos Gomez. They could just never reach him. Those two played right into his strengths by slowly plodding forward all night while offering virtually nothing for the 6'7 Klitschko to worry about.

In his current opponent "Dr Ironfist" will be facing an physical dynamo who goes out to put on a violent show. This will be no athletic contest. It's gonna be a fight.

I believe Haye has the tools to do the job, but does he have the discipline to stick to a fight plan for as long as it takes? And how will his chin hold up? I think he's got to stay all the way outside and use his gifts to explode into punching range to have any chance. Bang that body in the clinch until the ref breaks it up. Vit will have no defense for such a tactic other than to hold or grapple. He's going to need focus more than anything in order to resist a slugfest.

It's a tough call. Haye's physical advantages stand him in good stead, but perhaps his whiskers will let him down in the end. I probably have to take Klitschko to gut it out somehow after a monumental struggle. Of course, we don't know how much he is willing to take these days either...

e-mail Lee Payton Read more!

Friday Recap: Adamek stops Banks, Johnson dominates Judah

Michael Nelson recaps the action from last night's Shobox and FNF cards.

Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

Fans were treated to an eventful night of boxing on Friday, as ShoBox produced two scintillating knockouts, both of which will be among the candidates for knockout of the year.

IBF Cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek KO’d Johnathon Banks in brutal fashion in the 8th round of a competitive bout, and Giovanni Lorenzo put Dionisio Miranda down for the count with a perfectly timed right hand in the 2nd round of their co-feature.

Earlier, Glen Johnson chopped down Daniel Judah over 10 rounds in the Friday Night Fights main event.

Shobox...

Johnathon Banks looked comfortable in the opening stanza against Adamek, controlling the action with a sharp jab thrown from his waist. Adamek patiently stalked the bigger man, but got caught with a right hand that stunned him momentarily. While Banks did not press his advantage, the jolting right hand and the several up-jabs he landed were enough to win him the round.

After Adamek’s corner preached patience, Tomasz slightly increased his pressure by pumping his jab a bit more. Banks, still in his comfort zone, found success with his jab as well. Both men were reluctant to let their hands go in a tense chess match.

Rounds 3-4 were more of the same, with Banks briefly buckling Adamek’s knees in the 3rd with a crushing counter left hook. But again, the cautious Banks, weary of Adamek’s powerful short right, never pressed his advantage.

Adamek upped his work rate in the 5th, landing several jabs. Banks still pumped his jab with regularity, with an occasional right to keep his increasingly more aggressive opponent honest. At this point, the stylistic similarities between Banks and Wladimir Klitschko (who Banks often spars with) were obvious: both try to dominate the action with a jab and a periodic big right hand or left hook, both ignore their opponent’s body, both select to hold on the inside instead of throw uppercuts, and both drape themselves onto an opponent’s back whenever their shorter foe bends forward, in an attempt to sap their stamina. While Emmanuel Steward was missing from Johnathon Banks’ corner, his imprint couldn’t have been clearer.

Adamek, now resolute in stepping up his pressure, gave Banks a quick 101 on the significance of a body attack in the 6th round and Banks was visibly bothered every time he got whacked with a left hook to the liver. In the 7th, Banks started turning his back to Adamek, a sign that he was beginning to wilt from Adamek’s body work and persistent jab to the mouth.

Banks landed hard right hand in the 8th that stunned Tomasz again, except this time, perhaps feeling it was his best shot at winning a fight that was slipping away from him, he attempted to follow up. His gas was nearing E though, and he was unable to land anything else significant.

Shortly after he recovered, Adamek landed a beautiful short right to Johnathon’s chin that put him on the canvas. Banks got up on rubbery legs, turned his back to referee Eddie Cotton and did all but say he he had no interest in further punishment, but Cotton wiped his gloves anyways and let Banks continue. Adamek trapped Banks in the corner and hit him with series of punches that rendered him nearly unconscious, slumped in a position eerily similar to how Kelly Pavlik left Jermain Taylor in 2007 (ironically, Taylor too was being trained by Emmanuel Steward at the time).

With the knockout victory, Adamek improved to 37-1 with 25 KOs. Johnathon Banks fell to 20-1 with 14 KOs.

In the IBF Middleweight title elimination that started the broadcast, Giovanni Lorenzo quickly imposed his superior pedigree and size over Dionisio Miranda. Miranda had one good moment in the bout; a long right hand in the 2nd round that snapped Lorenzo’s head back. His moment of glory was quickly truncated by a Lorenzo right that instantly transplanted Miranda on the canvas. Miranda struggled to his feet, but was unable to beat the referee’s count.

Giovanni Lorenzo, now facing a possible IBF title shot against Arthur Abraham, improved to 27-1 with 19 KOs. Dionisio Miranda dropped to 19-4-2 with 17 KOs.

Friday Night Fights...

Earlier in the night on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights, Glen Johnson, now an ageless wonder at 40 years old, dropped Daniel Judah in the first round en route to a workmanlike domination over his younger foe.

While Judah put up a respectable effort in the early going, by the middle rounds he was reduced to showboating and making faces, his way of handling the fact he was in with a far superior fighter. Johnson hurt him several times to the body throughout the bout, but failed to put him away. If there is a criticism to be made of Johnson, it’s that he often lets his wounded prey limp away instead of clamping down on the jugular. Nevertheless, it was another impressive performance by the Road Warrior, securing a 99-89, 99-90, and 99-90 unanimous decision.

Here’s hoping that we see him in with another one of the elite Light Heavyweights – if not Chad Dawson, Tavoris Cloud or Adrian Diaconu – sooner than later.

Glen Johnson is now 49-12-2, with 33 knockouts, while Daniel Judah fell to 23-4-3 with 10 knockouts.

e-mail Michael Nelson
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Bernard Hopkins: Eight is Enough (Part 2 of 3)

By Jeff Pryor

Photo © Ray Kasprowicz

As Bernard Hopkins said while debuting as the newest addition to ESPN's Friday Night Fights broadcast team this past week, there are not many, but few options available to the aging warrior. The relative few who may provide a final foil are...

Chad Dawson (pictured):
No longer the future of the Light Heavy Weight division, with his win over Antonio Tarver he has stamped himself as the present. He's been calling on "The Executioner" for a fight, as Calzaghe has turned him down.

Reason to Execute:
Taking down Dawson, like his victory over Pavlik, removes any lingering debate over whether his Middleweight run benefited from the lack of good young competition to press him. Dawson may turn out to be the next generations marquee talent, and notching his name this late in a career would further Hopkins' claim as the era's greatest fighter, one willing to take on the biggest and best challengers regardless of their youth or dangerousness, at a time when he has no need to prove anything.

Reason to Waive it Off:
What does Chad bring to the table? He beat Tarver? Hopkins dominated Tarver 3 years ago. He struggled against, but beat Glen Johnson? Hopkins destroyed Johnson when Glen was undefeated. He's got a meaningless belt? Yep, meaningless. He has name recognition? No he doesn't. He brings money to the table? Uh uh. If Bernard wins, he's the Light Heavy champ of the world? No he isn't. He allows Bhop to prove he can tangle with the youngsters? Already did it spectacularly with Pavlik. He gets to pass the baton on to Dawson? He tried it with Taylor, didn't work out. He tried it with Pavlik, and may have derailed a budding superstar.


Joe Calzaghe:
The last remaining great contemporary of Hopkins'. Calzaghe has remained undefeated despite his scare in early 2008 against "The Executioner".

Reason to Execute:
Though Hopkins has never made an excuse for his down-the-stretch-fade during their bout, in the immediate aftermath, it was thought that the sheer output from Calzaghe tuckered the ageless wonder out. While that may have had a bearing on what occurred, sometime after the match Hopkins' trainer Freddie Roach revealed that Bernard had been suffering from a thyroid condition for the Calzaghe bout, a condition whose chief symptom is extreme fatigue. Conditioning trainer extraordinaire Mackie Shilstone had tried to control it with diet. According to the doctors Roach consulted, that's a pretty tough task.

While Hopkins was fresh (meaning the first 6 rounds) in their fight, he controlled the pace and Calzaghe like no one ever has before, knocking the Welshman down and cutting his noted output with movement and timing. Even slowing visibly, Hopkins narrowly lost the split decision while Calzage was left to resort to awkward flailing in order to get the volume up high enough to squeak out a poster boy for quantity-over-quality wins. Still many ringside and within the media had the bout scored in Hopkins' favor. The return bout would be huge across the pond, a trip which Hopkins has stated he would be glad to make, in order to get the opportunity to avenge an unjustified loss in his eyes..

Reason to Waive it Off:
For Hopkins there is little reason to avoid the rematch, and in fact he has called loudly for it. Calzaghe's punch power is very slim and while he threw more punches in the fight, the quality was quite inferior as illustrated by HBO's necessity of showing a glancing right hand as chief highlight of the punishment Joe managed to dish out, in all their related promo's since that fight. Seeing as compubox reported that he had landed more punches than any opponent ever had against Bhop, one would have imagined they naturally might have had a rich variety of devastating blows to choose from as highlights; apparently this was not the case.


Glen Johnson:
"The Road Warrior" deserves any big fight he can get, but a close loss to Dawson makes it a hard sell. Perhaps a possible bout (and win) against Adrian Diaconu for the WBC belt would sweeten the pot.

Reason to Execute:
Their is a history between Hopkins and Johnson; their first bout dating back over eleven years found Glen Johnson in deep waters for the first time in an undefeated campaign. A rematch after all these years would serve as nice circuity in both mens careers. As a senior's tour match-up, they don't get much better than this.

Reason to waive it Off:
Glencoffe lost to Dawson in '08; a disputed loss, (with which Hopkins could surely empathize), however lacking real drawing power, Johnson would be a decided step down in value for Hopkins, who has been facing pound for pound, marquee fighters for the last half a decade and not blue collar bangers like Johnson. Additionally, he almost certainly couldn't better the dominating performance he put in during their first go around. It becomes clear the reward simply doesn't come anywhere near the risk.


Roy Jones Jr.:
A relatively decent showing against Trinidad was all but obliterated by his performance against Calzaghe. It had to be a disappointment for Hopkins to watch Roy take a beating, when even a competitive showing would have preserved the chances of a rematch.

Reason to Execute:
Surely even now some part of Hopkins' wants the rematch he's pined for since their first bout nearly 16 years ago. Even the shell of his former self that Roy Jones is, provides a decent payday, especially considering the relatively negligible risk attached.

Reason to Waive it Off:
The disparity between competitiveness in each man's bouts with Calzaghe tells you all you need to know about who the better man is these days. Hopkins knows it, and he's said as much. A bout against Jones at this stage would likely sully his reputation more than a win against him would do to add to it.


Tomasz Adamek:
The reigning Cruiser weight champion brawler, hot off his fight of the year victory over Philly fighter Steve Cunningham

Reason to Execute:
Talk of an all Philadelphia showdown against Cunningham was likely halted with the defeat of said fighter, however the man who bested him has said he is ready and willing to take on "The Executioner". In Adamek, The Cruiser weight Ring Champion, Hopkins has a straight forward fighter and a great opportunity to walk away with another legitimate championship in a new division.

Physically, the height and reach of the two men is almost identical. When Hopkins stepped in the ring against Antonio Tarver he weighed in at 182 pounds, and in the words of Jim Lampley, looked "immaculate", another ten or fifteen pounds would likely sit just fine on his frame. As for their ring styles, Adamek keeps his left low and relies on big right hands; it's not hard to envision Hopkins circling to his right, completely neutralizing the Polish Pugilists chief weapon, the right hand (just as he did with Pavlik) while launching his own overhand rights atop the lowered left glove of his foe. Adamek took more flush, head snapping, shots in his last fight than Hopkins has in all of his 56 fights combined. Hopkins would likely hold the speed advantage and the ring generalship he would employ could frustrate Adamek for huge stretches at a time.

How much higher can Hopkins' all-time status fly? Beating the Cruiser weight champ, forty pounds above his best weight, at age forty four... unprecedented in the history of the sport.

Reasons to Waive it Off:
Fighting the Cruiser weight champ, forty pounds above your best weight, at age forty four? That's unprecedented in the sport... for a reason. Adamek is a big puncher and he's got the type of character that won't break or be discouraged by getting popped by clean counters for twelve rounds, he will keep coming until the end. If Hopkins gasses out as he did in the Calzaghe fight, Adamek can close the show. It's also impossible to know how a fighter will carry the weight up.

Though hopkins looked good at 182 pounds for Tarver, at some point fighters moving up reach a limit. It's high risk, high reward and how many fighters can claim to have fought the premiere middleweight puncher one fight, and the premiere cruiser weight puncher the next? But at what point does the risk no longer make sense?

We'll take one final look at Bernard's options tomorrow...

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