Hopkins-Dawson Rematch Less than 2 Weeks Away
By Gerardo Lopez

We are less than 2 weeks away from the 2nd Showdown between Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (52-5-2, 32KOs) & “Bad” Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs) and while some critics are giving Dawson the pre-fight edge, most of the buzz still surrounds the fact that a 47-year-old man is competing at the highest level of his career in a professional sport where the average retirement is around 30-35 years of age.

Bernard Hopkins has proven he can still compete with the youngest and the best ones of his weight class and although he is currently a 3 to 1 underdog for his upcoming bout, his recent metamorphosis to an offensive fighter has the boxing community and fans all over the world eager to see if he can come up with another historic victory. Hopkins has already shown his array of offensive tools when 11 months ago, he outboxed Jean Pascal to become the oldest boxing world champion in history. If you don’t know much about B-Hop (Hopkins), the style that has defined him throughout most of his career has been defense, not offense. However, this change of tactics so late in his career poses a great matchup problem for Chad.

"I am not going to trash talk for this one. Everyone knows what I'm capable of in the ring. They have seen it over 50 times before in the last 20-plus years. I absolutely want to prove that I can beat Chad Dawson, another guy that is almost two decades younger than me, and I am confident I will on April 28." said Hopkins. The future hall of famer is no stranger to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, as he has fought 16 times with an impressive 15-1 (9 KOs) record. On April 28, Hopkins can become the oldest reigning champion at the age of 47, following the footsteps of boxing legend Archie "The Old Mongoose” Moore.

Although “Bad” Chad will enter the ring as slight favorite, his resume is in desperate need of a win against Hopkins. A victory against Hopkins would definitely put him at the very top of his weight class. Dawson, a former WBC and IBF light heavyweight world champ and who will turn 30 next July, has only one loss against Jean Pascal. He has scored victories over Antonio Tarver and Glenn Johnson. This will be Chad’s first fight in Atlantic City.

It seems that this "rematch" has the feel of a first time meeting between both light heavyweight fighters since the first bout lasted less than two rounds. The WBC ruled the bout as a “No Contest” because Dawson pinned Hopkins down and as a result Hopkins’ elbow hit the canvas and his left shoulder was separated. One can argue that Hopkins, who has been a defensive boxer all his life, can score big in the judges’ scorecard if the fight last 12 rounds and he stays defensive throughout the fight as this is his normal self. However, an offensive type of fighter like Dawson can be in danger if he becomes more defensive than usual rather than staying true to his normal style of attacking, jabbing, and applying pressure.

Many people have catalogue Hopkins’ fights as simply boring. However, no matter how boring his fights may have been in the past, what fans want to know is whether or not B-Hop can still pull off the victory this late in his career. This is the question that generates excitement in anticipation for this combat. It is a fact that Hopkins and Dawson have been training hard for the past 6 weeks to give fans and the boxing world, once and for all, an unbelievable show. Bernard has stated more than once that he is saving his best for last, we shall see very soon. The fight is in TWO WEEKS…

"Hopkins vs. Dawson: Once And For All," is a 12 round bout for Hopkins' WBC and Ring Magazine light heavyweight world championships. It is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions and sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City. The bout will take place on April 28, 2012 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey and be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/7:15 p.m. PT.
 
Tickets, priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 can still be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.