By Keith Idec
The oldest recognized champion in boxing history is expected to make the first defense of the WBC light heavyweight title he won last month at Prudential Center in Newark on Oct. 15.
Richard Schaefer, president of Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, said a deal is imminent to bring the Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson fight to the home of the Devils and Nets. Sites in Montreal, Los Angeles and Atlantic City also were considered for the Hopkins-Dawson bout, but an upcoming partnership between Golden Boy Promotions and Nets-affiliated Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment to bring fights to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in 2012 sparked talks to stage Hopkins versus Dawson at Prudential Center, where the Nets will play again next season before moving to Brooklyn.
Hopkins, 46, beat George Foreman’s mark when he out-pointed Jean Pascal in their light heavyweight championship rematch May 21 in Montreal, near Pascal’s hometown of Laval, Quebec. Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs, 1 NC) defeated Montreal’s Adrian Diaconu (27-3, 15 KOs) in the co-featured fight that night to secure a shot at the Hopkins-Pascal winner. Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs) defeated Dawson by technical decision Aug. 14 in Montreal and boxed Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs) to a maligned majority draw Dec. 18 in Quebec City, Quebec.
The 12-round Hopkins-Dawson bout will be the main event of an HBO Pay-Per-View card that also could pit Paterson native Kendall Holt against Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse in the co-featured fight.
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
