Chad Dawson: “I’m coming out and dominating. That’s what I’m gonna do.”

By Scoop Malinowski

Former WBC Light Heavyweight champion Chad Dawson discusses his September date with Bernard Hopkins, Adamek vs. Vitali, what he’s gonna do to Bernard, and more…

BoxingInsider:  What kind of fight do you need to fight to offset and defeat Bernard?

Chad Dawson:  ”A very strategic fight. The same way he gonna fight. I don’t believe Bernard is gonna come in and try to bully me. No. Point in case, Jermain Taylor. Every time Jermain was punching, Bernard wasn’t punching. The only time he got off was when Jermain Taylor got tired. He didn’t let him get off. But whenever Jermain Taylor was punching, Bernard was backing up. He does not want to engage with these young boys. Because he knows. It’s possible he could be caught with something and this fight would be over. I don’t think he’s gonna engage with me. I don’t think he’s gonna do that. My gameplan right now – I’m not gonna get out of my gameplan, I’m going in there level – I mean, everything is good. Just had a new baby boy. I gotta provide for my kids. I’m going in there, I’m hungry. I’m real hungry. I’m back hungry. I gotta be the Chad Dawson that fought Tarver the first time. When I fought Glen Johnson the first time. That’s the Chad Dawson I gotta be.”

BoxingInsider: About the Pascal fight, what happened there, you were not yourself it seemed.

Chad Dawson:  ”I don’t want to make excuses. Pascal won the fight. He won the fight. He beat me. I trained for four weeks for the Pascal fight. A lot of stuff was going on, legal stuff. I took it all to camp.”

BoxingInsider:  Aaron “Superman” Davis told me years ago he believed the key to defeating Hopkins is a very good jab. Jermain Taylor then showed that as his jab seemed to control Hopkins. Your jab is an excellent jab and might even be stronger than Taylor’s.  Do you think your jab is the key to beating Hopkins?

Chad Dawson:  ”Yes. Yes, the jab is going to be the key to winning the fight. The jab keeping him at bay, never let him get the opportunity to get off when he wants to get off. Bernard pretty much picks when he wants to fight and when he doesn’t want to fight. He’ll let you fight a little bit, then he’ll come back on. Then he’ll try to tie you up, let you get tired. That’s not me. I’m coming in balls to the wall. It’s gonna be a great fight.”

BoxingInsider: Jermain Taylor showed how effective a good jab can be on Hopkins. Do you think your jab  is better than Taylor’s? It’s longer and comes from southpaw stance.

Chad Dawson:  ”Yes, definitely better. The fact that I’m gonna be taller than Jermain Taylor, my reach is longer. I have a much better jab than Jermain Taylor did. I’m just going to keep working on that in camp and coming out in the fight and dominating. That’s what I’m gonna do.”

BoxingInsider: Do you see yourself as a better fighter than Jermain Taylor was during his prime years at 160?

Chad Dawson:  ”I’m not taking anything away from Jermain Taylor but he was a fight I was trying to get too when I was young. We both turned pro at around the same time. Jermain Taylor was a great fighter who was a great champion. I like his style. I like everything about his style. But I think I’m a better fighter than Jermain Taylor.”

BoxingInsider: You are the only man to defeat Tomasz Adamek. Are you surprised at the success he’s been able to go on to at cruiserweight and heavyweight?

Chad Dawson:  ”Very surprised. Very surprised. I mean, I didn’t know he can pack the weight on like that. He’s up to 218, he’s got a big fight with Klitschko. I’m happy for him, happy he’s doing his thing up there. It sill gives me some kind of happy feeling to see that the only loss he has on his record is mine. I gave him his only loss.”

BoxingInsider:  How do you rate his chances to defeat Vitali Klitschko? Or is that just a very difficult challenge for him to overcome?

Chad Dawson:  ”It’s a tough test. But everyone thought that Arreola was gonna be a tough test. It’s a tough test. I think he has to have his A game. It’s gonna be a tough test. It’s possible. Anything is possible. So he can do it.”

BoxingInsider:  Going back to your fight with Adamek, what is it that makes him effective and hard to box? You pretty much dominated the fight but you did run into some trouble late (knocked down) in the fight. What are some of the technical things he does that are problematic?

Chad Dawson:  ”Honestly, I can’t say. The night we fought I was in the zone that night. It was nothing…I mean, I won 11 out of 12 rounds. It was nothing really that I could say that he does…I executed every aspect of the fight that night. Everything.”

BoxingInsider:  Of all your fights in your career, what was your best, what was your finest performance?

Chad Dawson:  ”My finest performance – my favorite performance is the first Glen Johnson fight. Because I showed heart, determination. That was the first fight I really got hit. And hurt. And I fought a great fighter, so. I think that was my most memorable, and a fight that I showed a lot.”