This weekend, Chad Dawson returns to the more familiar
confines of light heavyweight after an ill-advised attempt to drop down to super
middleweight to meet his The Ring magazine champion counterpart Andre Ward last
September.
Dawson, 30, will be looking to defend his WBC and The Ring belts against power-punching Canadian transplant Adonis
Stevenson in Montreal. It won’t be the first time Dawson has appeared in
Montreal. He’s fought there twice previously with mixed results, losing for the
first time in his pro career in the Great White North against Jean Pascal.
Dawson looked toothless, devoid of ideas for much of the contest before
rallying late to almost score a comeback stoppage before the bout went to the
scorecards via unintentional headbutt. He returned in his next fight and
soundly outboxed Adrian Diaconu. Unperturbed by returning to Canada, Dawson
comments, “I’m just going to go in there and do
what I have to do to get the win.”
While “Bad” Chad, 31-2 (17), has been derided in some quarters for what some
believe to be an unappealing style, it should be noted he’s the only man not
named Klitschko to have defeated Tomasz Adamek. Dawson also holds two wins a
piece over Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson as well as a points decision over
the legendary Bernard Hopkins.
The Stevenson fight appears a dangerous one with many believing Dawson’s skills
will be too much for his opponent dubbed “Superman.” However, Stevenson is a
dangerous puncher who, if he can find
his best shots, stands every chance to score the upset.
Anson Wainwright - The last time
you fought, you dropped down to 168 and faced Andre Ward. Taking nothing away
from his win, you seemed badly affected by the weight loss.
Chad
Dawson - During training camp, I felt like I was making the weight with no
problems. Once fight week came around, it started to get more difficult. The
day before the weigh-in, I had to lose close to nine pounds, so it got tough to
make the weight at the end. I didn’t realize how weight-drained I was until I
got into the fight. I’ll be a lot stronger at light heavyweight. That’s a fact.
AW - How have you been able to
rebuild from such a crushing loss?
CD -
Light heavyweight is where I’m most comfortable and everything will be back on
track after this fight. My promoter, Gary Shaw, is a big part of my team and
he’s always got my back. As you can see, I’m in another big fight and there
will be plenty more. I’m just taking it one step at a time. I’m grateful for the
team around me.
AW – Presumably, you would
love for Ward to step up to 175 to meet him again?
CD -
There’s a big difference fighting at light heavyweight. That’s certainly a
fight we can do down the road if Ward decides to move up.
AW - You return to action when
you take on Adonis Stevenson. Now that you have Googled him, what are your
thoughts on him and what the fight means to you? [Editor’s note: During the pre-fight press conference in April, in the
midst of gamesmanship, Dawson claimed he didn’t know who Stevenson was,
therefore having to Google him.]
CD -
He’s a tough guy with a big punch but I’m the better boxer. He’s coming up in
weight so we’ll see what he brings to the light heavyweight division. A win
against Stevenson gets me one step closer to where I want to be.
AW - You’ve fought in Canada
at the Bell Center, to be more specific, twice previously. You lost to Jean Pascal
but beat Adrian Diaconu. What are your thoughts on returning to Canada?
CD -
They have big crowds there and the fans are passionate about boxing, so it
makes for a great atmosphere. I’m just going to go in there and do what I have
to do to get the win.
AW - You’ve changed trainers
again. You’re now working again under Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, having left John
Scully. Can you tell us more about that?
CD - I
have nothing bad to say about Scully. I just felt it was the right move to go
with Eddie moving forward.
AW - You’ve been one of the
top dogs at light heavyweight now for several years. You’ve fought and beat the
likes of Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson and, more recently, Bernard Hopkins as
well as heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek to name just a few. But do you feel
you get the credit you deserve?
CD - I
don’t pay attention to that stuff. I know if I go out there and fight like I
know I can, everyone will be talking nice. I have to work hard and get back to
business.
AW - When you beat Bernard
Hopkins last year to win the WBC title, it made you a three-time world champion
at 175. What goals do you still have in boxing? What is your motivation going
forward?
CD - I
want to look good in this fight and my goal is to get back to that pound-for-pound
status.
AW - If we look at the light heavyweight
division, there's plenty going on. What are your thoughts on 175?
CD - I
feel I’m the best in the division and my goal is to stay on top.
AW - Tell us a little about
your life away from boxing.
CD -
I’m a devoted family man who likes to spend time with my wife and kids. I love
hip-hop and playing basketball.
AW - In closing, do you have a message for Stevenson?
CD -
Let’s give the fans a great night of boxing.
