By Jake Donovan
Chad Dawson has been calling out all of the top light heavyweights ever since he moved up from the super middleweight division two years ago. Glen Johnson has long lived by his most famous quote of not being the best but still wanting to fight the best, with 10 of his last 16 fights coming against light heavyweight opposition universally ranked Top-10 or better.
It's only fitting that the two collide on April 12, ending a stateside drought of meaningful light heavyweight action pitting actual light heavyweights against one another. Glen Johnson's 8 th round stoppage of late replacement Hugo Pineda this past Saturday in Atlantic City helped seal the deal for a Showtime showdown against "Awesome" Chad Dawson, to take place April 12 live on SHOWTIME.
The venue has yet to be confirmed. The St. Pete Times Forum, in Tampa, FL, has been the most oft-rumored site, but certainly not finalized. Nor has the event's suggested co-main event, between cross-town rivals Antonio Tarver (Tampa, by way of Orlando) and St. Petersburg's Jeff Lacy, which for the moment has yet to advance beyond the rumor mill.
Wherever it lands, it's only fitting that SHOWTIME airs the bout, as America's #1 Boxing Network presented the last stateside fight between top light heavyweights, when Chad Dawson recovered from a 10 th round knockdown to otherwise put on a boxing clinic in dominating Tomasz Adamek in Kissimmee, FL on the eve of the Super Bowl.
Since then, Dawson has actively campaigned for a fight against any top light heavyweight willing to sign on the dotted line. There were apparently no takers, with the closest being undefeated Top-10 contender Adrian Diaconu, who was scheduled to face Dawson last September on SHOWTIME before an injury forced him to the sidelines just two weeks before fight night, the last of an injury-riddled month that all but crippled SHOWTIME's intended dream schedule.
Dawson wound up facing late replacement Epifanio Mendoza, who wilted in four rounds, having offered even less resistance than Dawson's previous opponent, Jesus Ruiz, who absorbed a beating before crumbling in the 6 th round of their SHOWTIME-televised bout three months prior.
It was the Ruiz bout where Dawson was paired up with comebacking former top light heavyweight Antonio Tarver, who decisioned Elvir Muriqi in the evening's main event. Dawson sought a fight with Tarver before and after their June doubleheader, and ever since, only for Tarver to play the status card, claiming the 25-year old was not only in any position to call him out, but wasn't even close to being on his radar.
Tarver would instead go on to face Contender Season Three reject Danny Santiago this past December, scoring a fourth-round knockout in a bout that drew stark industry-wide criticism before and after. Once again the offer was on the table for a Dawson-Tarver bout, only for the 39-year old Tarver to once again dismiss the fight as not being worth his time.
Luckily, another 39-year old Floridian took an active interest in a Dawson fight, when Glen Johnson threw his well-traveled hat into the ring. The two sides, along with Gary Shaw (who promotes Dawson) and Seminole Warriors Boxing (Johnson's reps) worked out a deal with Showtime, reserving the April 12 date.
All Johnson wanted, aside from a well-deserved significant payday, was a tune-up prior to, with his most recent bout having taken place last July, with a November fight falling through and no back-up plan in place. The request was granted last weekend, when Warriors landed Johnson a slot on the DiBella Entertainment-promoted show in Atlantic City, headlined by Paul Malignaggi's decision win over Herman Ngoudjo on Showtime.
Johnson dropped Pineda in the seventh round and battered him the following round en route to forcing an 8 th round stoppage. It was his third straight win, all by TKO, since dropping a close decision to familiar foe Clinton Woods in September, 2006.
Johnson insisted after the fight that Dawson "has never faced anyone like me… I hope he's ready for this fight." Yet in the undefeated 25-year old, he faces his first under-30 opponent in five years, when he was held to a highly controversial draw against then-unbeaten Daniel Judah in a fight where everyone but two of the three judges believed easily went to Johnson.
Nicknamed "The Road Warrior", Johnson has fought all around the world, and all too often to less than desirable results, enduring losses and draws ranging from heartbreaking to downright corrupt along the way. There have also been plenty of good times, including his 2004 campaign in which Johnson scored wins over Clinton Woods (three months after being held to a disputed draw), Antonio Tarver and a career-best performance with his 9 th round knockout over future Hall of Famer Roy Jones. The trifecta was more than enough for Johnson to earn near universal recognition as 2004 Fighter of the Year.
Six years into his career, Dawson has yet to enjoy the type of 12-month stretch that would earn him Fighter of the Year accolades, though there's still plenty of time. Just now entering his prime, and still peaking, Dawson represents not only a tough out for any light heavyweight, but considered by many to be the future of a light heavyweight division riddled with thirtysomethings, many of whom seem more intent on fighting each other while freezing out the younger guns.
Such has been reflected in what once appeared to be an endless stretch of showcase and catchweight fights, resulting in mass confusion at the top.
April 12 may not provide that answer, but it's as great a step as any in putting an end to an ugly trend and hopefully paving the way toward long-sought light heavyweight clarification.
