Dawson decisions Johnson for a second time

The main event of a card from the XL Center in Hartford showcased Chad Dawson in his hometown against Glencoffe Johnson, who is certainly no stranger to fighting on the road. The
bout was for the WBC interim light heavyweight title, but is recognized as
a fight between the two best light heavyweights in the world.

This fight is a rematch of their first encounter in which Dawson won a close
and somewhat controversial unanimous decision.

This fight began as expected, with Johnson stalking while Dawson utilized
his much better movement. In the opening stanzas Dawson distanced himself
perfectly while thowing an occasional combination. Unlike their first
encounter, Dawson was sure not to waste too much energy early. As the fight
progressed, Johnson was able to fight more agressively, but Dawson was sure
to pick up on his movement; often running from Johnson.

Occasionally, Dawson would jump in for a flurry. His offense is so fluid and
impressive looking that, despite his lack of power, the crowd was impressed.
Johnson did not show much, despite being a naturally agressive fighter. On
some rounds, Dawson used so much movement that it was very hard to give him
certain rounds even though Johnson barely landed. The pace of the fight
remained the same throughout the entire fight. It was clear that Dawson
commanded, but the crowd was not too pleased that the fight was not as
exciting as they had hoped.

The final scores read 115-113, 115-113, 117-111. All for the
still-undefeated Chad Dawson.

The first televised fight showcased Alfredo Angulo against Harry Joe Yorgey
in a jr. Middleweight fight for the interim WBO Jr. Middleweight title. The
fight started at a fast pace with both fighters looking to make their mark
early and not caring all that much for defense. Yorgey landed more blows,
but it was evident that Angulo’s chin was able to absorb those punches. The
second round saw Angulo press the action further, as he was able to get
Yorgey onto the ropes more frequently. Exactly halfway through the second
round, Angulo landed a powerful right hand that snapped Yorgey’s head back.
He was badly hurt, and Angulo was primed to end the bout right there.
Another right hand sent Yorgey to a knee, and Angulo still managed to land
two punches afterwards without a warning from the referee.

Yorgey quickly made it to his feet and was able to throw punches and keep
Angulo off of him. Still, Angulo’s power was too much, and another right
had had Yorgey’s leg’s shaky. The referee separated both fighters as if he
was going to issue a standing eight count, but he did not, and it allowed
Yorgey precious seconds to recover. He made it out of the second round, but
not after taking a dozen or so power punches.

The third was even worse for Yorgey. Angulo picked up right where he left
off, and a right hand shook Yorgey up. Angulo tried backing away so as to
allow Yorgey to fall, but Yorgey held on tight. After the referee broke the
fighters, Angulo was all over Yorgey and ready to go for the kill. This
time it was a left hook, and it instantly knocked Yorgey unconscious.
Another right hand for good measure didn’t help matters much, but it
certainly made for a scary yet impressive stoppage victory for Alfredo
Angulo at the 1:03 point of the third round.