Chad Dawson vs. Adonis Stevenson
While most people are focusing on the solid Showtime card this Saturday, there is two solid fights flying under the radar on HBO. It is a bout that features the king of the light heavyweight division "Bad" Chad Dawson in his first fight back after being stopped in the 10th round by Andre Ward. To do so Dawson will be traveling once again to Montreal, Canada to take on fellow southpaw Adonis Stevenson in defense of his light heavyweight title.
Dawson is one of the most skilled fighters in boxing, but he is also one of the most frustrating for fans. The reason he can be so frustrating as that at times he shows an unwillingness to trade punches. Which was evident in his last fight against Ward. He also has never had a solid team around him constantly changing trainers. In his career he was worked with Emmanuel Steward, John Scully, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Dan Birmingham, and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad who will be in his corner come Saturday night. Dawson has also talked about how at times he has struggled to get motivated for a fight, which is never a good sign for a top level talent. However Dawson does have above average defensive skills, good footwork, and fast hands which is why he is the top dog at 175 pounds. Despite sometimes rubbing fans the wrong way inside the ring, and not being a very good promoter outside of it, Dawson once again finds himself with a big fight on a big stage. His career record to this point is 31-2 with a mediocre 17 knockouts, he also was stopped once in the fight against Ward. As bad as Dawson was beat up in his last fight he sure didn't take an easy fight in his return to the ring. Dawson's chin and heart will be challenged by devastating puncher Stevenson.
Although Stevenson has two cinder blocks for hands, he has never been in the ring with top talent. Unlike Dawson who has gone toe to toe with Tomasz Adamek, Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, Jean Pascal, Bernard Hopkins, and Andre Ward, Stevenson's biggest challenge thus far has been Don George. Stevenson is 35 years old and this could be his only chance be a champion. His record is strong at 20-1 with an unreal 17 knockouts, however in his lone loss he was stopped in the 2nd round. If he wants to beat the slick, defensive Dawson who at times has been accused of running, Stevenson will need to make it a phone booth fight. In Stevenson's last 10 fights only 1 has gone the distance, so he will be looking for that one big punch to turn out the lights for Dawson.
This fight will be a battle of skill vs. power. Will Dawson be able to box circles around Stevenson? Or will the untested veteran step up for his shining moment and knock Dawson out early? Those questions are what make this fight so compelling, and don't forget that even though he was born in Haiti, Stevenson is now a "Canadian son" and the fans in Montreal will be loud and raucous. Dawson is going to have to show the world why he is the man to beat in the light heavyweight division or risk an uncertain future.
PREDICTION: Chad Dawson is just too skilled for Stevenson to knockout. I expect Dawson to be stunned at least a few times during the fight, but his class will show over time and he will outbox Stevenson on his way to a unanimous decision victory.
Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Darleys Perez
The first fight on Saturday night could easily steal the show. That is because both fighters in the ring are all action. Also both men have very different and equally exciting styles. The favorite going into the fight will be Yuriorkis Gamboa, but his opponent Darleys Perez is a very dangerous man. The fight is a lightweight title fight for a belt that was vacated.
Gamboa is cocky, fast, and powerful and has also been tested by some of the best including: Daniel Ponce De Leon, Orlando Salido, and Jorge Solis. Gamboa is very fast both with his footwork and hand speed, but that doesn't translate to good defense. Which is surprising because most Cuban fighters are known for their elite defense. In fact the knock against Gamboa is that he is a sub par defensive fighter, in part because he is so cocky and doesn't believe he can be hurt. Lucky for Gamboa he has a good enough chin to fight like that for the time being. Gamboa has a career record of 22-0 with a strong 16 knockouts. Against Perez he will probably look to move efficiently but sit down on his power punches to hurt Perez. Gamboa needs to restrain some of his cocky bravado and fight a smart fight if he wants to continue his climb in the rankings.
Perez is somewhat of an unknown commodity, mainly because he has never faced any top level talent. Gamboa represents the biggest test of Perez's career. He is already 29 years old and if he wins this fight it would do a lot to help him gain bigger fights in the near future, especially if he looks ultra impressive. Perez has a record of 28-0 with 19 knockouts, but again those wins have come against far less talented fighters than Gamboa. Perez isn't as fast as Gamboa but is better defensively and puts constant pressure on his foe. He always comes forward and looks to control the pace throughout a fight. If Perez can stun Gamboa early he could win psychologically and beat him up all night.
Gamboa is the favorite but it wouldn't be a huge shock if Perez won. Although he hasn't been tested he does have a high ceiling and good punching power. But if Gamboa realizes it's time to stop being so cocky and to take every challenge seriously he could wipe the floor with Perez. Overall it should be a good action fight with a lot of back and forth.
PREDICTION: Yuriorkis Gamboa is going to look very sharp tonight and win via unanimous decision.
Comments
Post a Comment