Once Again, Youth Serves Chad Dawson Well

Once Again, Youth Serves Chad Dawson Well

By Benny Henderson Jr., DoghouseBoxing (May 10, 2009) Photo © German Villasenor

Saturday night from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in Las Vegas, NV, which was televised live on HBO Boxing, the undefeated IBF/IBO light heavyweight titleholder “Bad” Chad Dawson 28-0 (17) earned himself his second unanimous decision victory over former champ Antonio Tarver 27-6 (19), proving once again youth can serve you well.

Although at a ripe young age of forty, Tarver, who once held the same straps he was battling for as well as a handful more, seemed to be a bit hungrier in this go around than he was before.

Dawson fired off from the start taking the firs t two rounds from Tarver by being the busier fighter of the two, but round three Tarver opened up a bit more and seemed to steal the round from Dawson.

Dawson, who threw punches in bunches was out landing the much slower defensive minded Tarver, but the power of Tarver did have an affect on Dawson at times, seemingly throwing Dawson from his game plan of straight up boxing to a bit of brawling.

Tarver had his moments throughout the fight but for the most part was outworked by a much younger and faster Dawson, who took the rematch by the scores of 116-112 and twice by 117-111, declaring Dawson the victor via unanimous decision.

After the bout, Dawson stated, “I felt I was out of my element.” When asked to define his statement, Dawson concluded, “Tarver is a hell of a fighter and he took me out of my game plan.”

With the 175-pound division being filled with the likes of Shawn George, Bernard Hopkins and Glen Johnson as well as a few others whose names I cannot pronounce, it is a toss up as to who Dawson would want to battle next in the ring. So who is next? Dawson not so strongly demanded, “Whoever, bring it on.”

As far as Tarver is concerned, who did not look so bad in my book for this rematch, he does seem to have a bit less of magic left in his bag of tricks. What could be next for Antonio? Maybe a rematch with Rocky?

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