If Joe were to Beat Dawson, His ATG status would be cemented...

[mspiegelo]

Joe C is no doubt, a great fighter. He has an unblemished 46-0 record. He dominated two rising stars with undefeated records in Lacy (effectively ruining him in the process) and the formidable Kessler in unifying the super middleweight titles. Though clearly past their primes, he was able to dominate Jones, and eek a close decision out with Hopkins. "At the end of the day," it can not be argued that he is a very special fighter. If Joe were to beat Dawson though, another undefeated prospect in Joe's new weight class, to unify the ring, IBF, and IBO titles, he will have cleaned out two divisions in addition to putting the names of two legends on his resume.

While I think Joe's resume would marinate over the years, so to speak, if he were to retire today (meaning he would gain more appreciation for his accomplishments over time), I think that by beating the last man who can challenge his complete and utter dominance from 168-175, he will augment his legacy even further. I'd love to see him give Hopkins a rematch, but it ain't gonna happen I'm afraid, and BHOP might have done Joe a favor by whooping Pavlik. I hope Joe takes this step to try and cement his legacy as an ATG. I used to think Dawson would destroy him, but now I'm not so sure.... your thoughts?

[The Hammer]

NO, if Joe were to fight and defeat Dawson, the Euro haters like bsrizpac, Daggum, and DiegoFuego would just say Dawson is a bum.

Same as they now say about Kessler and Lacy.

[ominslash]

Not only would Dawson be a bum another name will pop up that he is supposedly ducking, i just seen someone mentioning Abrahams name.. seriously

[Kball15]

Way to much risk.

He would probably lose that fight, and gain almost nothing for it in return.

The only fight he would take at this point is a rematch with Lacy lol.

Or actually, if Taylor wins next week i could see that fight happening... that would be very interesting...

[egreezy]

NO, if Joe were to fight and defeat Dawson, the Euro haters like bsrizpac, Daggum, and DiegoFuego would just say Dawson is a bum.

Same as they now say about Kessler and Lacy.

how do you know how ppl would react if that happened? dawson has the full package and has tools in departments kessler and lacy are limited. so it wouldnt matter what anybody called him because it would be a better win.

[The Hammer]

how do you know how ppl would react if that happened? dawson has the full package and has tools in departments kessler and lacy are limited. so it wouldnt matter what anybody called him because it would be a better win.

You don't know much about boxing if you can't see that Kessler is more highly skilled and a harder puncher than Dawson.

[egreezy]

You don't know much about boxing if you can't see that Kessler is more highly skilled and a harder puncher than Dawson.

are you saying dawson does not do anything in the ring better then kessler? ok then you missed my point buddy.

[johnm is...]

If Calzaghe were to beat Dawson, there's no possible way to discredit him. And anyone who tries should lose all boxing conversation credibility, and be beaten with sticks. Lots of sticks.

[Clegg]

I think Dawson is the best fighter out there that Calzaghe hasn't fought. I would pick Chad to beat him to be honest.

If he does choose to fight on, I hope Dawson is his choice of opponent.

I'm not sure how much Dawson would benefit Joe's legacy, but obviously it would improve it. I think Dawson will go on to great things, so it may even turn out to be Calzaghe's best win if he can pull it off.

[βetamax]

I agree, I basically said the same thing in another post. If he retires now his legacy is questionable since it will always be argued that he never beat a prime, P4P champion. He would a lot of respect from doubters if he were able to beat Dawson.

And by the way, Dawson is a better fighter than Kessler and has the better resume as well. He's shown that he has a great all around fight game and potential to be a long time champ at the division unlike Kessler who's one-dimensional which raises questions about how he fares against elite fighters. He got completely outclassed against Calzaghe since he was a stylistic nightmare for him but Dawson brings more to the table.