Dawson vs. Johnson II – The Rematch – Set for November 7
The Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson rematch will be held on November 7 in Hartford, Connecticut, and will be broadcast live on HBO World Championship Boxing. The fight features two of the top three light heavyweight boxers in the world, and is a rematch of a very close match held in April of 2008.
Dawson vs. Johnson II
| “Bad” Chad Dawson 28 (17) – 0 IBF Light Heavyweight Champion; currently rated #7 pound for pound
| “The Road Warrior” Glen Johnson 49 (33) – 12 – 2 Wins over Roy Jones, Antonio Tarver and Clinton Woods
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Dawson vs. Johnson Rematch Preview
In their first meeting, Dawson edged out Johnson in a somewhat controversial decision. Dawson dominated the beginning of the fight, but Johnson was able to withstand the storm and rallied in the middle and later rounds. It certainly appeared that Johnson did more damage to Dawson, but at the end of the day it’s about who wins more wins than whom.
Johnson cried robbery after the bout, and after a career full of bad breaks you can’t blame him for that. But in reality, it was a close fight that could have gone in either direction. This writer scored the fight in favor of Dawson, by a narrow 115-113 score, or seven rounds to five.
Either way, it’s a close fight that warranted a rematch, and credit should be given to Chad Dawson for making the rematch happen. Glen Johnson is a perennially avoided fighter, and is consistently frozen out of big fights. Dawson however stepped up to the challenge for the first time, had a rough go of it but escaped with a win, and has shown his true colors by stepping back in their for a second fight.
Since the two men met for the first time, Dawson has beaten Antonio Tarver twice (the second was a ridiculously unnecessary rematch that Tarver enforced with contractual rights), while Johnson has also added two more wins to his resume.
Dawson vs. Johnson Rematch Prediction
Chad Dawson is undefeated as a professional fighter in his eight year career. He captured a light heavyweight title by besting then undefeated Tomasz Adamek, who is now the best cruiserweight boxer in the world. Following that performance came a few middling opponents, the first Johnson fight and the two Tarver fights.
Along the way, Dawson has steadily improved his all-around game, morphing himself from a dynamic offensive fighter with a tendency for mental and defensive lapses, into a complete fighter with exceptional offense. You can certainly credit Glen Johnson for that transformation, as perhaps he literally beat it into the head of Dawson that he couldn’t get away with the same mistakes he always made at the highest of levels in the sport.
Johnson has shown no signs of aging, but at 40 years old, his age can’t be ignored. Boxing is rife with stories of course of fighters “getting old overnight”. However, that isn’t likely to happen to the indefatigable Road Warrior. So the question is whether Dawson has improved enough since their first encounter a year and a half prior to control the constant pressure game that Johnson brings to the table.
Dawson most certainly has. His problem in the first fight was that he became over enamored with his offensive success early on as he laid into Johnson with powerful flurries and combinations. The problem was that Johnson didn’t so much as blink at the onslaught he was facing, and he was able to lure Dawson into a close quarter, toe to toe battle. Dawson won’t make the same mistake again.
Expect both fighters to start off quickly, but particularly Dawson as his blazing hands begin peppering Johnson from all around the ring. Only this time, Dawson will expect Johnson to keep on coming, and as a result, Dawson will keep on moving. By circling the ring, and using his size and speed to keep Johnson at the end of his punches, Dawson will have a much easier go of the fight this time.
Unfortunately for Johnson, he brings nothing new to the table at this point in his career. “Bad” Chad however will have learned from his mistakes, and will take home a far more comfortable decision in their second encounter.
Image Credits: Dawson- Sarah Fina of Gary Shaw Productions; Johnson- Lourdes Carrero of Seminole Warriors Boxing; Dawson-Johnson Press Conference- Richard A. Esposito
