By James Slater – There is talk of light-heavyweights Tavoris Cloud and Chad Dawson meeting up in around February or March of next year (Dan Rafael reports that promoter Gary Shaw has begun talks with Don King). This news has spread fast, and no wonder: what a fascinating fight this would be.
Cloud, unbeaten and the holder of the IBF belt, is slowly becoming known as one of the better all-action fighters in the game today (slowly, because Cloud, for one reason or another, has fought just three times in the last two-and-a-bit years).. While Dawson, despite his recent upset loss to Jean Pascal, is looked at as one of the most naturally gifted boxers out there. Put them both together, and you have a classic Boxer Vs. Puncher match-up!
Though southpaw Dawson’s main objective is to gain revenge over the only man to have beaten him, Pascal had the right to take one interim fight before giving “Bad” Chad his rematch (Dawson entered the August fight having a rematch clause) and the Haitian-born Canadian opted to take on Bernard Hopkins on Dec. 18th. So, by way of a “comeback” bout, the 28-year-old may wind up going in with Cloud, also aged 28.
Presumably, the winner of Cloud-Dawson would then go on to meet Pascal in a huge unification bout next summer (providing Pascal has not fallen foul of “The Executioner”). So, if Dawson, with his fine skills and underrated punch-power, can overcome the aggressive Cloud, his return with Pascal will be an even bigger deal than it would have been had they met in an immediate rematch. But can Dawson get past the 21-0(18) powerhouse who has yet to lose?
Before the Pascal fight, had you asked a bunch of experts, most of them would likely have told you that Dawson, were he to meet Cloud, would win. But now, these same experts may well wonder aloud whether or not the tall southpaw will ever be quite the same due to the 11th-round TD loss he suffered in Montreal a couple of months ago. Pascal proved to be too tough, both mentally and physically, for Dawson – could Cloud do the same?
The two men have one big name common opponent in Glen Johnson, and when comparing the two on this score we don’t get any clear answers. Dawson struggled with “The Road Warrior” when the two first met, back in April of 2008, but that was largely due to Dawson’s decision to fight Johnson’s aggressive-minded fight. In the rematch, last November, Chad used his slick boxing skills and he won handily. Cloud, when he met Glen in his last fight, back in August, had just one way to fight, his usual all-action way, and the 41-year-old stood right there with him, giving him a hard night.
If, then, Cloud and Dawson do meet, the result may well have a lot to do with which tactics Dawson, 29-1(17) adopts. If he boxes with the kind of hit-and-move, use-his-speed and class approach he used in the second fight with Johnson, he should have too much for Cloud; maybe even confusing him and giving him something of a boxing lesson. If, however, Dawson either chooses to go mano-a-mano with Cloud or is dragged into such a fight, the night could belong to the reigning IBF boss.
This is what makes the prospective fight such an intriguing one! Let’s hope it’s made.