By Tom Donelson (photo by Ron Gallegos)
Super Middleweight Chad Dawson
Chad Dawson (20-0, 14KO) is a young super middleweight talent that aspires to become successful world champion. Dawson is a tall lanky boxer with power. Last April, he was fighting Efrain Garcia in his hometown of Connecticut as part of an ESPN2 televised card. Using his reach and power, he stopped the veteran Garcia to satisfy the hometown fans. Dawson showed what the future could be. In a deep middleweight and super middleweight division that is streaming with young talent, Dawson has the tools to be a major force.
On a recent SHOBox card, he faced off against veteran fighter Ian Gardner. Against the awkward Gardner, Dawson took a major step forward in terms of his level of opposition. SHOBox personality Nick Charles stated, “Dawson set up his power off his jab and mixed his attack well.”
Against Gardner, he showed patience and cut off the ring. Never getting over anxious, he stayed within himself as he continuously nailed Gardner with various combinations. Gardner could never get untracked and Dawson controlled this fight against a smaller but more experienced fighter.
For the past decade, many of the best middleweights and super middleweights were Europeans, even in the era of Bernard Hopkins. The best super middleweight over the past decade has been Joe Calzaghe but now there are new American fighters that are ready to take on the best from Europe. Jermain Taylor is the new reigning middleweight champion and Jeff Lacy is getting ready to challenge Calzaghe next March. Dawson is part of new wave of American middleweights ready to take on the world.
A southpaw fighter, Dawson combines his boxing skills with pure power. He has the frame to move up to light heavyweight and even as high as cruiserweight. The future is unlimited. His most notable wins before defeating Gardner, were against veteran Brett Lally, Carl Daniels and Efrain Garcia.
The Ian Gardner was a fight that should have happened a year earlier. He was prepared to fight Gardner in 2004, but failed a pre-fight drug test when he tested positive for marijuana usage. This lead to a six month suspension and he lost an important bout that could have propelled him into stardom sooner.
Dawson has the talent to reach the upper echelon of his division and in 2006, expect to see Dawson start to challenge some top ten contenders. .
Dawson is a natural light heavyweight and this may be his best weight. A natural 190-pound, Dawson’s height and power gives him advantages over most middleweight fighters. His power should translate at the higher weight divisions if he decides to move up.
Featherweight Robert Guerrero
Robert Guerrero (16-1, 9KO) recently suffered a heartbreaking career setback when he suffered the first loss of his career on December 2, to unheralded Gamaliel Diaz by split decision. Heading into this fight, Guerrero fought some tough veterans and was the NABF champion. Among his victims were Sammy Ventura, Adrian Valdez, Cesar Figueroa and Enrique Sanchez. Guerrero knocked out his previous five opponents, and they were far from tomato cans. His opponents won 71% of their fights and four of them recorded 67 knockouts in 96 victories. It appeared that Guerrero was prepared for the next step - becoming a legitimate contender for a title, but the loss pushed back his plans for a title shot.
Guerrero is an excellent boxer with decent power. His sharp shooting style makes every landing punch count. The recent loss to Gamaliel Diaz showed some weaknesses that need to be corrected if he is to make the move from being a prospect to legitimate championship contender.
Nick Charles observed, “The loss showed that he just couldn’t make adjustments. He wasn’t sharp and neglected defense, which resulted in two black eyes.” What this fight showed was that Guerrero could not come up with a Plan B when Plan A was not working.
This fight represented the first time that Guerrero had to deal with adversity and he did not make the needed adjustments. As Nick Charles quipped, “The talk before this fight was he didn't need more tune ups and was ready for anybody. This isn't true until he learns from this loss and raises his game in the areas mentioned.”
Guerrero is a dedicated young fighter who trains hard and takes his craft seriously. Guerrero is still a legitimate prospect who possesses the tools to make that next step towards becoming a contender. He knew after the last fight, he didn’t do what was needed to win but the real question, what lessons did he learn?
