“And now the time is here, and Dawson faces the final curtain…”
I hope Bernard Hopkins’ once again enters the ring to Artie Rabin’s customized version of “My Way.” Why? Because I like it. It’s an old school song for an old school fighter.
But the song really is irrelevant — other than the fact that I’d much prefer it to some hip-hop song I’ve never heard of. What is relevant, however, is what will happen once Hopkins steps inside the ring, not what happens as he walks toward it.
And once the Philadelphia native steps inside squared circle, he will be staring down Chad Dawson, a counterpart eighteen years his younger.
If Dawson is to win the fight, the key will be the effectiveness of his jab. The long and lanky Dawson must find success with his snapping jab or else the forty-six year old champ will be given no reason to be uncomfortable. With regards to that very jab, I doubt that Dawson will land much cleanly. It’s likely that jab will land on Hopkins’ elbows and forearms more than it does his chin, but he’ll have to be persistent and keep throwing it — it must not be abandoned.
If Dawson does get frustrated and vent that frustration in the form of abandoning his jab in favor of power punches, that would mean the fight is going very very well for the aging champ. There’s no doubt Hopkins will use veteran tricks to throw Dawson off his game and make it a dirty fight — as per usual in a Hopkins bout. I’m sure he’ll try to fight a bit on the inside, rough Dawson up using elbows, forearms, and headbutts – oh my!
It’s par for the course for Hopkins to fight a little dirty. When you face an opponent like BHop, you aren’t just battling the Executioner physically, but you also have to have the mental fortitude to put up with the crafty veteran’s mind games. Jean Pascal failed Professor Hopkins’ psychology test and I’m not all that convinced Dawson will pass with flying colors.
With that said, Dawson is well-rounded boxer in his prime fighting years. Las Vegas sees “Bad” Chad as a -140 favorite, Hopkins a +100 ‘dog.
If you’re a gamblin’ man, this is probably a fight you’ll want to bet — not because there is an obvious play — but because this is one of the rare times in boxing lately where you can actually make money on both sides of the betting aisle. For instance, against Victor Ortiz, Floyd Mayweather was a -500 favorite when the bell sounded; and Manny Pacquiao is a -1000 favorite over Juan Manuel Marquez for their Nov. 12 bout.
So on Saturday night, we’ll find out who the class of the light heavyweight division is. Dawson’s motivation couldn’t be clearer — a chance to win the Ring Magazine light heavyweight title and be recognized as the best light heavyweight on the big blue marble.
For Hopkins, the motivation is a bit different. At forty-six, the future Hall of Famer has accomplished almost all you can in the sport; his last win against Pascal crowned him oldest prizefighter to ever win a championship.
His motivation this fight? To keep his title — to keep it for over two years, in fact. If he does that, he will surpass the Old Mongoose, Archie Moore’s record as the oldest champion (Moore defending his title until he was 48 years old).
“I look forward to making history and breaking the great Mongoose, Archie Moore’s, title defense record at the Light Heavyweight record,” Hopkins said at the New York press conference. “I believe when he was 47 or 48 years old he defended that title. That to me is impressive. I want that title. I want that record. I want that history.”
I don’t know if he’ll get that record, but I do think old man Hopkins gets a step closer to it with a victory on Saturday night. Only father time will tell.
Kyle Kinder can be reached via Twitter.com/KyleKinder
