By Ant Evans: Undefeated WBC light heavyweight title challenger Chad Dawson says he will turn champion Tomasz “Goral” Adamek ‘inside out’ when they meet in a mouth-watering main event on Showtime next Saturday (February 3).
“He’s a one-dimensional fighter,” southpaw Dawson said of Adamek. “He’s strong and tough but he’s only got one way to fight – straight ahead – and I’m gonna take full advantage of that. I’m going to use my jab and turn him, turn him, turn him. He won’t know where he is.”
With a 23-0 (15KOs) record Dawson is undefeated and, at 24, is the young US hope for a 175lbs currently ruled by an Englishman (IBF champ Clinton Woods), a Hungarian (WBO champ Zsolt Erdei), an Italian (WBA king Silvio Branco) as well as Pole Adamek.
“No-one knows where Bernard Hopkins is going to fight next,” Dawson told SecondsOut. “He’s talking about fighting heavyweight but, whatever he does, it is time for an young America to take his spot at the top of the light heavyweight division. It is my time.”
Dawson has credentials. He is a heavy-handed and speedy southpaw who, at 6ft 2inches, can deploy a long right jab from halfway across the ring.
Although this chance against the roughhouse 31-0 Adamek may have come too soon, the box-puncher proved himself a world class fighter by climbing off the canvas to defeat former champ Eric Harding last June.
“I’m improving all the time,” he said. “This fight I’ll put it all together.”
After spending years in the shadows of former Floridian gymmates Winky Wright and Jeff Lacy, New Haven based Dawson has made the decision to leave long-time trainer Dan Birmingham to work with Floyd Mayweather Senior at the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas.
Birmingham is widely regarded as one of the best trainers in the world but, despite the timing, Dawson believes he made the right move to chance trainers just before the biggest fight of his life.
Dawson said: “Dan was with Jeff Lacy, he was with Winky Wright and I didn’t feel like I was getting his full attention. I’m going into a world title fight and I need someone’s full attention. I got the chance to hook up with Mayweather here in Vegas so I took it and he’s been teaching me a lot of things here.”
And Mayweather – who will be replaced as Oscar De La Hoya’s trainer over the next few days after making a ludicrous $2million fee demand – characterises Adamek as a brute slugger who will be picked apart by his new charge.
Mayweather can seldom contain his contempt for any fighter who is willing to take a punch to land a better one, and believes next Saturday’s fight will be a cake walk.
Mayweather told SecondsOut: “I’ve seen a few (tapes) and this guy should be put on a meat hook and used as a punching bag. My guy will turn him, stick him, make him miss, stick his again. This is an easy fight.”
