Dawson Hoping Hopkins is Next After Tarver Rematch
By Mark Vester
On May 9, IBF light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson makes his HBO debut in a rematch with Antonio Tarver at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Dawson dominated Tarver for twelve rounds last year and few fans are interested in a second fight, but there was a rematch clause in the fight contract for the fight meeting and Dawson is forced to honor it.
"I don't think Tarver deserves the rematch, that's why I'm smiling," Dawson said to The Las Vegas Sun. "Hopefully he can come in and make it a more interesting fight. But I think if he opens up on this one, if he tries to throw more combinations, that's going to work to my advantage because of my hand speed."
Even though he dominated Tarver the first time, he is not overlooking the rematch. Tarver has lost in the past to other fighters, but he always won the rematch. Dawson is ready to break Tarver's streak of winning return bouts.
"Because of how I beat him in the last fight, most people would think it would be hard for me to get up for this one," Dawson said. "But I've trained my butt off for this fight. I don't get how anyone could think I wouldn't be motivated, thinking that I'm just going to go in there and say, 'Aw, I beat him the last time so I'll beat him in this fight.' That's not the case. I want to go in and look better, faster and stronger."
After Tarver, the fight Dawson wants most is against Bernard Hopkins. Since last October's win over Kelly Pavlik, Hopkins has been sitting on the shelf. Dawson sees no other road for Hopkins to take.
"There's nobody else," Dawson said. "But I think if he wanted to fight me it would have happened by now. I don't know if he's waiting to see what happens in the rematch, maybe he's sitting back hoping that Tarver gets a lucky shot in so he can avoid me like that. My dream is to make it on the pound-for-pound lists and the next thing standing in my way is Bernard Hopkins."
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