Staples Center, Los Angeles - Chad Dawson (31-1, 18KOs) stopped Bernard Hopkins (52-6-2, 32KOs) in the second round to capture the WBC light heavyweight title. The outcome was very freakish and controversial.
Welsh star Nathan Cleverly says he would like a unification fight against new WBC World Light-Heavyweight Champion Chad Dawson in Wales.
This one will be changed to a no decision and a rematch ordered. One question: if the ref had done his job properly and notified Bernard Hopkins that he would lose his title if he didn’t continue the fight with Chad Dawson, would B-Hop have fought on?
Former undisputed junior middleweight champion Ronald "Winky" Wright is not buying Bernard Hopkins' side of the story, where the veteran claims to have been pleading with the referee to continue fighting on Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Chad Dawson (31-1, 18KOs) stopped Hopkins (52-6-2, 32KOs) in the second round to capture the WBC light heavyweight title.
Staples Center, Los Angeles - Chad Dawson (31-1, 18KOs) stopped Bernard Hopkins (52-6-2, 32KOs) in the second round to capture the WBC light heavyweight title. During the second, Hopkins leaned over on Dawson, who used his shoulder to push him off. Hopkins went down near the ropes and told the referee, Pat Russell, that he suffered a shoulder injury and couldn't continue. Because there was no foul involved, Russell ruled the fight in favor of Dawson and made him the TKO winner.
Staples Center, Los Angeles - Chad Dawson (31-1, 18KOs) stopped Bernard Hopkins (52-6-2, 32KOs) in the second round to capture the WBC light heavyweight title. During the second, Hopkins leaned over on Dawson, who used his shoulder to push him off. Hopkins went down near the ropes and told the referee, Pat Russell, that he suffered a shoulder injury and couldn't continue. Because there was no foul involved, Russell ruled the fight in favor of Dawson and made him the TKO winner.
At the post-fight press conference, Chad Dawson continued to rip Bernard Hopkins over Saturday's controversial main event at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Dawson (31-1, 18KOs) stopped Hopkins (52-6-2, 32KOs) in the second round to capture the WBC light heavyweight title. Hopkins, who rushed in to throw a punch, leaned over Dawson - who used his shoulder to push Hopkins off. The veteran fell and suffered a left shoulder injury. He was unable to continue and the referee ruled a TKO victory for Dawson.
By Jake Donovan - It was an ending so bizarre, that not even Ripley himself could believe it. A card sponsored in part by ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not’ ended in truly inexplicable fashion as Chad Dawson was awarded a second round stoppage over the legendary Bernard Hopkins in the main event Saturday evening at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. With the controversial win, the 29-year old southpaw has become - for the moment - the recognized lineal light heavyweight champion. How long that moment lasts will depend on the number of appeals filed and the steps that the California State Athletic Commission chooses to take given the way the bout ended. Hopkins was ruled unable to continue after he was shoulder lifted and tossed to the canvas by Dawson, landing on his elbow and jamming his shoulder blade. Some will argue that the aborted ending was a blessing in disguise as the early action – or lack thereof – suggested the styles matchup would play out exactly as expected. Dawson was the busier fighter – as to be expected as he enjoyed a height, reach and considerable age advantage over the 46-year old Hopkins – but not landing a heck of a lot as his jab mostly caught air. Hopkins did what he does best, which is bring the action to a grinding halt. Any punch landed or even thrown was immediately met with a clinch or his circling away from Dawson’s effective punching range.
It was a crowded scene at Friday’s weigh-in for the 'Believe it or Not' HBO Pay-Per-View, headlined by WBC light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins defending his belt against former champion Chad Dawson. It just so happens that one of the most notable names in the crowd was Haitian-Canadian Jean Pascal, a man who knows each man very well.