By Robert Morales
Chad Dawson has had several top trainers work his corner. We're talking recognizable guys like Floyd Mayweather Sr., Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and most recently Emanuel Steward.
They may have the names, but Dawson wants more and that's why he has gone back to relatively unknown John Scully, who trained Dawson in 2004-05. Even though that was early in Dawson's career, he said that's when he was learning the most and doing what he believes he does best - stopping opponents inside the distance.
Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs), a former light heavyweight champion from New Haven, Conn., hasn't had a knockout in four years.
He probably won't get one next Saturday, either, when he challenges 46-year-old phenom Bernard Hopkins for his light heavyweight title at Staples Center (HBO pay-per-view). But he believes this move gives him the best chance to, if not knock out Hopkins, beat him.
"One thing about me, I love to learn," Dawson said. "I feel like if I'm not learning anything from a trainer, I feel like it's time for me to go. So not knocking any of my past trainers or anything like that, but working with Scully - just thinking about working with Scully back in the day - that's when I was the happiest.
The writing was on the wall regarding the eventual reunion after Dawson's only loss to Jean Pascal in August 2010. With Muhammad in his corner, Dawson lost an 11-round technical decision by three, three and seven points. The bout was stopped because of an accidental head-butt that left a cut above Dawson's right eye.
Dawson switched to Steward and won a unanimous decision over Adrian Diaconu this past May. Dawson still wasn't happy with just a decision. That, and wanting to train in the Poconos instead of going to Detroit to train with Steward, led to Scully.
"I got bored," Dawson said. "I lost to Pascal, and that's a fight I should have never lost. I felt like if I had Scully in my corner for that fight, that wouldn't have happened. That's why I'm back with Scully. I don't care what the critics say. People say that I use trainers; I switch trainers from here to there. But at the end of the day, I have to do what's best for my career."
