By James Slater: As fans may be aware, talks are well underway regarding a fight between unbeaten Andre Ward, the world’s premiere super-middleweight, and once-beaten Chad Dawson, the best light-heavyweight in the world at present. According to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, a deal for September 8th is “close,” and the fight will be for Ward’s title at 168-pounds.
Still to be decided is the fight’s venue (Ward, naturally, wants the fight to take place in Oakland, Dawson would prefer Atlantic City or Las Vegas), but both men are hugely up for the fight and as long as Dawson, a tall guy at just over 6’1,” can make 168 okay, the potential classic will soon be here.
Fans who love a slugfest may not be up in arms in excitement over the in-the-works match-up, but fans of great boxing skill will be hugely intrigued by Dawson-Ward. Ward is being looked at by many good judges as a future all-time great, while Dawson, fresh off his win over living legend Bernard Hopkins, is a hugely talented fighter entering his prime years. Again, the weight factor of having to shed seven-pounds might take some of the strength out of Dawson, and Ward, boxing at his natural weight class, will likely enter the ring as the betting favourite, but this match-up has the look of a very tough fight for both men.
Dawson was out-strengthened and bullied somewhat by Jean Pascal (in his sole pro defeat to date), but that fight aside, he has used his skill and class and boxed his opponents to defeat (aside also from the tough first fight with Glen Johnson, when Dawson got his tactics wrong; making up for it in widely out-pointing “The Road Warrior” in the return). Against Ward, also a classic boxer who is no hard slugger, Dawson will not have to worry about being out-muscled or bullied. No, this one will come to skill, skill and then more skill.
The boxing purists will love this one, and the winner will be elevated even higher on the current Pound-for-Pound charts. At this early stage, I’d have to lean towards Ward, the slightly younger man, but Dawson could easily prove me wrong. The planned September 8th fight looks like a dead-cert distance fight, however.