Dawson “wins” Boxing Loses

By Jason Pribila: “Believe it or Not” the Bernard Hopkins - Chad Dawson fight was going to cost hard core boxing fans $49.95. Believe it… probably not. This PPV went bankrupt this evening.

The fact that Bernard Hopkins entered the ring as the lineal light heavyweight champion is a testament to the once in a lifetime talent of “B-Hop”. The fact he was an underdog proves that Vegas is not about to lose any more money, and they made the kid from Connecticut a favorite.

Much like his first fight with Jean Pascal, Hopkins seemed to be a beat slow. The bright lights seemed to cast a shadow of gray over Bernard’s broad shoulders. Unlike Pascal, Dawson observed instead of punched and the opening round came to a welcomed close.

The second and final round began with a solid right to the body by Dawson. Hopkins recovered and soon started to play “mongoose” and snuck his lead right against the taller faster foe. A lead right led Hopkins over Dawson’s left shoulder and the fight ended.

No, this wasn’t a one-punch knockout, or even a counter right uppercut that sent shock-waves through the boxing world. Instead, we saw a tackle that would make the Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary jealous. The result was Hopkins lying under the bottom rope, in pain, complaining of a separated shoulder.

At this point, one would wish for a “no-contest”, but not in California. Instead, by referee Pat Russell’s discretion, Chad Dawson was handed a title via TKO victory.

A non-boxing move.

A non-boxing night!

HBO’s team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, former Dawson trainer Emanual Steward, and Howard Lederman all agreed it should have been ruled a no-contest. However, no one from the Commission, including the referee were available for comment.

The worst part of this stench is that it will fester. And somehow, the near-sighted, non-promoters involved in this fight will try to spin this into another PPV. And when it happens, it will be the first $50 I put into my 401K


To watch the entire Hopkins vs Dawson press conferenceClick Here

Jason Pribila is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. You could reach him for questions or comments at pribs2000@yahoo.com

October 15, 2011