by James Slater: The weights are in for tomorrow night’s eagerly anticipated WBC light-heavyweight title clash to be held in Canada. Unbeaten southpaw “Bad” Chad Dawson tipped in at a ripped and ready 174.1-pounds, while his opponent, once-beaten former super-middleweight champ Jean Pascal, tipped in at almost exactly the same weight; 174.2-pounds.
Both guys, as expected, looked in superb condition; ready to do battle for 12-rounds or less. Neither guy dislikes training, and the work has clearly been done for this fight; arguably the biggest in either guys’ career. 24 hours from now, with a big T.V audience tuning in in both Canada and the U.S (with more countries getting the fight, too) the two best 175-pounders in the sport will do battle, with the winner set to emerge as THE premiere light-heavy on the planet. Who will this be?
Dawson is generally being looked at as the favourite, but perhaps only slightly. Pascal, having recovered from the shoulder injury, can both box and bang, and if he is an underdog, he is definitely a live one. Dawson, who has been labeled “boring” in the past, will not have the opportunity to box cautiously or at all negatively tomorrow night. Pascal has said he’ll jump right on his man, and Dawson had better believe him! Of course, Dawson feels he will be able to time Pascal’s rushes and catch him with a big shot as he wades in (if he does so) and Dawson has proven in the past that he can punch sharply. But Pascal has some chin. He showed this in his losing war (on points) with Britain’s Carl Froch down at 168-pounds. The two men knocked lumps out of one another for 12 thrilling, mesmerizing rounds, and neither guy went down. How perfectly would Dawson have to hit Pascal to make him taste the canvas?
Tomorrow night’s action may not be as thrilling as that Froch fight was, as Dawson is a far better boxer than is “The Cobra,” but the skill on display should be something to behold. The work has definitely been done in the gym, and now both guys look ahead with as much anticipation as the rest of us to the fight itself. Where the real toil will take place.
For what it’s worth, I see a Dawson victory, on points. But “Bad “Chad may have to work like he’s never worked before so as to keep Pascal in his place. There could be a few scares for the undefeated southpaw (as there was in his first, tough fight with Glen Johnson), especially early on – but in the end, the boxer beats the puncher. Pascal may be more than a limited banger – far more in fact – but does he have the silky skills Dawson has?
Look for Dawson to emerge as the #1 light-heavyweight out there, courtesy of a clear 12 round UD victory.