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Saturday, November 7, 2009

HBO: 11-7-09 Dawson - Johnson II

"Bad" Chad Too Much For Johnson

Chad Dawson wins a 12 round unanimous decision over Glen Johnson

Heading into a rematch with Glen Johnson, Chad Dawson had many questions to answer to the boxing pundits. First, is he durable enough in the later rounds? Next, how would he look against Johnson, who has proved to be his toughest opponent to date? No, Dawson's toughest opponent was not Tomasz Adamek. Adamek may have been younger and in his prime when compared to Johnson, but Dawson had a rougher night against Johnson. No one questioned Dawson's 12 round unanimous decision victory over Adamek. Many fight fans thought that he lost the first encounter to Johnson due to Johnson's effective aggression and clean punching. That is what led to this rematch occurring. Lastly, can Dawson close the show impressively with a knockout? Stay pretty with MMA headgear.


Tonight, Dawson showed the mark of a maturing young fighter. Why did he show the mark of a maturing young fighter? Dawson dominated a tough veteran fighter, who gave him hell in their first fight in 2008. He thoroughly outclassed Glen Johnson in their rematch en route to a clear 12 round unanimous decision victory.

In the 1st round, Johnson came out aggressively throwing the jab. A southpaw, Dawson fired his right jab and followed it with straight lefts. Dawson started to attack Johnson's body with the straight left and immediately looked much more composed than in their first bout. Dawson found his range quickly and started to land some hard, accurate combinations. With Dawson having the clear edge in hand speed, Johnson was reluctant to trade at the pace he did with him previously. Also, Johnson did something he had not done in their first fight that really hurt him tonight. Johnson was firing his shots from too far away, which enabled Dawson to counter punch him easier.

In the 3rd round, Dawson was countering too quickly for the 40 year old veteran to answer. Johnson was getting beat to the punch by left uppercuts and vicious right hooks. Dawson was clearly into his rhythm by the 4th round as he nailed Johnson with his crisp combinations and was no where to be found when Johnson wanted to fire back.

Dawson was more willing to trade in the 5th round. He stopped moving as much, which led to Johnson getting closer and landing some effective rights to the head. Johnson was scoring for most of the 6th round, but Dawson started to take control again toward the end of the round and cruised from there.

Johnson was frustrated. One could see that age had taken a toll on him just as much as Dawson's much improved ring smarts. Dawson learned a lot since their first bout. He figured out how to stay away from exchanges with Johnson by dictating the pace of the fight from the outside by utilizing his right jab. Then, he would move in and land his combinations and get right back into his range where he was comfortably controlling the fight. Overall, Dawson showed that he was mentally sharper in this fight with Johnson.

From the 8th round on, Dawson continued to hammer Johnson with body shots, right hooks and straight lefts. Johnson was never endangered of being knocked down, but he was getting to a point where he was not competitive anymore.

Dawson's fights seems to have the same pattern. At times, he appears to have the talent to take out the opposition, but chooses to fight a more defensive fight. Dawson did not take the risk of trying to knockout Johnson. Perhaps, it was because he remembered the events that transpired from their previous meeting? Or maybe Dawson figured why engage in more exchanges when he is dictating the fight?

The following facts remain clear: Chad Dawson is an extremely talented fighter, who has improved with each fight mentally and physically. Dawson showed a great depth of acquired knowledge from his previous experiences in the ring. He was certainly controlling the fight and did not falter at all in the later rounds. Dawson finished the fight at the same pace he started. His combinations looked sharp and he appeared more sure of himself than he has in past fights.

Dawson might be the best in the light heavyweight division. He fought the most effective way for him to succeed. Who could fault him for doing that? Could he have been more aggressive and attempted to go for a knockout against Johnson? Maybe fans want him to go for the knockout more, myself included, but doesn't Chad have to do what's best for Chad and his career? After all, he got the results he was seeking. Well, he's obviously making the right decisions and sports an undefeated record that now stands at (29-0, 17 KO's) and has a variety of options ahead of him. Some possible future opponents include undefeated and hard hitting Tavoris Cloud (20-0, 18 KO's), Jean Pascal (24-1, 16 KO's) and ring legends Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KO's) and Roy Jones Jr. (54-5, 40 KO's) Hopkins and Jones may fight each other early next year if they both win their upcoming bouts on December 2nd. Dawson could face Hopkins or Jones in the middle or late part of 2010.

Alfredo Angulo KO's Harry Joe Yorgey in 3 rounds

Alfredo Angulo (17-1, 14 KO's) battered and destroyed a previously undefeated Harry Joe Yorgey (22-1-1, 10 KO's), scoring a brutal 3rd round knockout. Angulo started fast, landing overhand rights and applying a lot of pressure. He attacked Yorgey's body as he was against the ropes. In the 2nd round, Yorgey landed a solid right and left uppercut. Angulo continued to pressure Yorgey. Then, Angulo nailed Yorgey with a hard, solid right hand to the head that dropped him. Angulo chased Yorgey after he got up, landing a left hook to the body. Angulo connected again with an overhand right that wobbled Yorgey. Both exchanged a barrage of punches with Angulo landing the cleaner shots.

Unfortunately, Yorgey suffered a traumatic end in the 3rd round. A right hand from Angulo rocked Yorgey again. Then, Angulo landed a left hook to the head. Finally, Angulo hit Yorgey again with a flush left hook to the head that left Yorgey unconscious on the canvas. The referee or Yorgey's corner could have stopped this fight sooner. However, Yorgey was still throwing, but his punches were not having the same effect. Hang a punching bag without drilling with a heavy bag stand..


Sometimes a fighter's heart is bigger than his head. That's when a referee or especially a fighter's corner needs to take control. This clearly did not take place tonight. Yorgey was getting battered, but was too tough to quit. When Angulo moved in again and inflicted more damaging punches, the referee should have stepped in to halt the bout or Yorgey's corner men could have thrown in the towel before Angulo's destructive left hook knocked him out. One could see where this fight was going. Or maybe some could not? Angulo was coming on too strong for Yorgey to handle, but Yorgey had so much determination to keep fighting. A message to Yorgey's corner: "It's better to admit your losses, so one can come back to fight another day." Let's all hope Yorgey will recover quickly after suffering this devastating knockout.

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