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By Jake Donovan - It’s a question to which we’ve sought a definitive answer as far back as the late 1990’s.
Who is THE man at light heavyweight?
This weekend’s featured attraction won’t completely close out that topic. It will take a series of fights at the top level to finally clear out the clutter.
But the good news is that a thinning of the herd is finally upon us.
With the lineal champ looking in one direction, and the old-time sentimental favorite going another, there’s no question that the winner of the Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson rematch (HBO, Saturday, 9:30PM ET/6:30PM PT) leaves the XL Center in Hartford, CT with a sizeable lead in the quest for light heavyweight supremacy.
Helping that cause is the fact that Dawson is widely looked upon as the future, and perhaps even the present, of the division. In a pool of 40-and-over contestants, it’s easy for the 27-year young Dawson (28-0, 17KO) to stand out from the rest of the pack.
Age alone, however, doesn’t guarantee you the keys to the kingdom. Dawson has done his part in the ring to earn the “one to watch” label so frequently bestowed upon him. His off-the-canvas decisive decision win over Eric Harding three years ago offered the first signs that 175 would one day become no country for old men.
Ditto for his title-winning effort against Tomasz Adamek less than a year later, this time sprinting out to an early lead before suffering a knockdown late in the fight. Rather than collapse under the pressure, Dawson kept it together long enough to cross the finish line with room to spare. [details]
Who is THE man at light heavyweight?
This weekend’s featured attraction won’t completely close out that topic. It will take a series of fights at the top level to finally clear out the clutter.
But the good news is that a thinning of the herd is finally upon us.
With the lineal champ looking in one direction, and the old-time sentimental favorite going another, there’s no question that the winner of the Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson rematch (HBO, Saturday, 9:30PM ET/6:30PM PT) leaves the XL Center in Hartford, CT with a sizeable lead in the quest for light heavyweight supremacy.
Helping that cause is the fact that Dawson is widely looked upon as the future, and perhaps even the present, of the division. In a pool of 40-and-over contestants, it’s easy for the 27-year young Dawson (28-0, 17KO) to stand out from the rest of the pack.
Age alone, however, doesn’t guarantee you the keys to the kingdom. Dawson has done his part in the ring to earn the “one to watch” label so frequently bestowed upon him. His off-the-canvas decisive decision win over Eric Harding three years ago offered the first signs that 175 would one day become no country for old men.
Ditto for his title-winning effort against Tomasz Adamek less than a year later, this time sprinting out to an early lead before suffering a knockdown late in the fight. Rather than collapse under the pressure, Dawson kept it together long enough to cross the finish line with room to spare. [details]
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