Dawson Wins Rematch Handily
Aging
vet Antonio Tarver again came up short against undefeated
light-heavyweight champ Chad Dawson, losing a clear unanimous decision
this past Saturday in Las Vegas.
As
in their initial title fight, Tarver struggled to cope with Dawsons
fast hands, especially when thrown in combination. Throughout the first
two rounds, Dawson easily bested the former light-heavyweight champ
behind a peppering jab and huge power shots.
In the 3rd
round Tarver picked up the pace and began moving forward to attack
Dawson. Although Tarver took the round on sheer aggression, the
defending champion was able to avoid any significant damaging blows
from the plodding Tarver.
Both men had their moments in rounds 4-6. In the 4th,
Dawson regained control by pushing Tarver back with hard combination
hooks to the body. Tarver utilized a close guard for most of the round,
but was still stunned by a huge left in the final minute. He returned
the favor in round 5 by taking the fight inside. There, just as
workhorse Glen Johnson did last year, Tarver scored with hard hooks
through Dawsons leaky inside defense.
In the 6th and 7th
rounds, Dawson again wrestled control of the bout behind superior ring
generalship. Dawson kept getting off first with the right jab and hard
left hook to the body. At the end of the round, Tarver responded in
kind with 3 solid left hooks. The reprieve proved brief, and Dawson
went back to work with inside hooks, doing enough damage to put Tarver
back in a defensive shell.
By
the championship rounds, Tarver was far behind. Trainer Buddy McGirt
loudly implored Tarver to make it a dogfight if he had any hopes of
winning the bout. But in the 10th, the Magic Man had slowed,
and his laboring punches were easily slipped by Dawson, who would
sporadically fire back with body hooks and flush jabs to keep Tarver
off-balance. In the 12th, both fighters were guilty of more
inside mauling then boxing. However, Dawson cleaner and more forceful
punching still gave him the advantage.
Final
scorecards for the bout read 116-112 and 117-111 twice for Dawson, who
improved his record to 28-0, 17 KOs. Antonio Tarver fell to 27-6, 19
KOs.
With
Tarver now disposed, Dawson can turn his attention to a rematch that
matters against Glen Johnson. Their first encounter in 2008 was a Fight
of the Year candidate, and Dawsons consistent but unspectacular recent
fights wont be enough to elicit offers of big money fights from
Bernard Hopkins or Joe Calzaghe. And although Dawson has spoken about
dropping to 168 pounds, it remains to be seen if he can make the weight
comfortably.
For
Tarver, he appears at the end of the road after a very successful
career. Through sheer self-promotion, the Magic Man was able to goad
then pound for pound #1 Roy Jones, Jr. into a rubbermatch which
destroyed the Jones mystique. Now at 40 years old, and not having
fought more the twice a year in 9 years, its highly unlikely that
Tarver has the desire to build himself back up through tough fights
away from the spotlight.
Freddie Roach: Rename him ‘Fraud’ Mayweather
Manny Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach has wasted no time criticizing Floyd Mayweathers recent return to the ring.
In
a statement to Doghouse Boxing, Roach dismissed Mayweathers comeback
against pound for pound #2 Juan Manuel Marquez as a useless, boring
fight.
The
fight stinks. Two counter-punchers waiting for the other one to make
the first move is boring and proves nothing, Roach explained. If
Mayweather wanted to prove he was the best all he had to do was wait
one day to see who won Pacquiao-Hatton before signing to fight Marquez.
You might as well rename him Fraud Mayweather, Jr.
Roachs
venom for Floyd is partly a receipt for Mayweathers repeated
dismissals of Pacquiaos skills during his brief retirement. Also, it
adds to the anticipation fans are already feeling at the possibility of
a Pacquaio-Mayweather showdown this year.
Lets
just hope Money Mayweather not only takes care of business on July
18, but does it in impressive fashion. Marquez is no pushover, and
Mayweather could be in for a shocking surprise despite his weight
advantage.
Throwback Fight of the Week: Muhammad Ali vs. Ernie Terrell, 2/6/67
In
1967, Muhammad Ali was one of the most hated heavyweight champs in
history. Following his controversial conversion to Elijah Muhammads
Nation of Islam sect in 1964, many fans were hoping for anyone to
dethrone him.
For the champs 8th
defense, he was paired with Ernie Terrell; a tall, sturdy heavyweight
with a very good jab. Terrell was not intimidated by Alis taunts, and
actually provoked the champion to physically attack him by refusing to
call him by his new Islamic name.
Terrell
later said he hoped to gain a psychological edge in the fight. Instead,
Terrell inspired Ali to give him one of the most humiliating beatings
in ring history.
After
a good Terrell start, Alis great jab took over; swelling up the
challenger (Terrell would later state it was an errant Ali thumb to the
eye that damaged his vision). By the middle rounds, Ali was in complete
control, but refused to go in for the finish. Instead, he verbally
taunted Terrell round after round: calling him an Uncle Tom in the
clinches, and shouting whats my name?! before launching another
stinging combination.
The
final scorecards were lopsided for Ali (148-137 twice, and 148-133).
Ringside reporters were appalled by Alis antics, stating that he was
unnecessarily cruel and even eclipsed the taunts he leveled at a
helpless Floyd Patterson in their 1965 bout.
Muhammad Ali would make one more defense a month later against an old Zora Folley, winning an easy 7th
round KO. He would then be stripped of his title and ability to box for
3 years over his refusal to enlist in the Vietnam War. Upon his return
in 1970, Muhammad Ali would engage in a memorable decade of fights with
Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, George Foreman, and Earnie Shavers.
After
the Ali bout, Terell would fight for another 6 years and never again
challenge for the title. He finished with a record of 42-9, 21 KOs.
Ali vs. Terrell, Part 1
Ali vs. Terrell, Part 2
Ernie Terrell Interview
