John Scully ... As A Trainer

[Light_Speed]

I agree, his instructions weren't very good. After Dawson got dropped Scully told him "He's gonna come so you're gonna have to take a gamble and catch him with the left hand." I'd never tell my fighter to gamble, you're supposed to tell him how to win in the surest manner. Also he panicked and started yelling at Rafael Garcia, it's never good to panic in front of your fighter, it can fuck with him mentally. Overall he looked like an inexperienced trainer in there.

[Heru]

IceMan John Scully gave Chad Dawson the exact right instructions around the 9th (?) round: "you won't win a decision. Lay it all on the line and try to hurt this guy. We came here to Win".

That was perfect instruction at the time.

But BEFORE that, I thought Iceman Scully did an absolutely horrific job of giving Chad tactical and schematic direction to adjust to what SOG was doing.

Did Scully ever discuss or adjust to the left hook? Did he get Chad back outside to use his length? Did he urge Chad to go back to the jab?

When he told Chad to roll his right shoulder it was to roll with the left hook. Dawson's used the shoulder to roll with left hooks against most of his opposition, but Ward is special, he'd find the right distance and angles to bypass that. He could've instructed him to put his glove up instead, but it's tough adjust a fighters' habit mid fight.

Live last night, I noticed Ward's tactics being pretty much geared toward stripping Dawson's jab. The reason why Ward parried Dawson's jab time and time again. All Dawson can do at that point is try to out position Ward (one of Ward's strengths).

Dawson could have adjusted his positioning though, after Ward got the KD, he consistently got too close and just didn't respect Dawson's space.

It's tough to judge Scully's instructions based on listening to just 2 half minutes of his instruction. Dawson was basically swimming upstream from the 3rd round on.

[sammiza567]

i thought john did an amazing job. theres not much you can do when your guy is just outmatched, not to mention drained to hell.

[robotmanny]

You guys are on crack. There's only so much the trainer can do with an UNWILLING fighter. Chad was shook once he felt the speed and power of Ward, plain and simple. It was way more than simple boxing instructions that night, Scully was dealing with him psychologically because it was that deep with Dawson. You could see it in Chad's face, he was just mentally gone and Scully was trying to deal with that to THEN get back to boxing talk.

IMO, he did as much as he could with a frozen fighter.

[!! Shawn]

Quote from instructions after round 2 that confirms my suspicions that their game plan revolved around Chad establishing his jab.

Scully : "Make him not want to be there (inside) so that he will get out, and then you just control him with the jab."

Compare, that with Wards instructions.

Hunter: "Keep feinting, hes frustrated!"

[Russian Crushin]

I dont know what Dawson even needs a trainer, he never listens to them

[Boxingwizard]

Ward was setting Dawson up by drawing shots from him with feints and then bringing it inside and short.

Also, I'm gonna give Scully more credit that underestimating Ward. They knew what Ward brought to the table. If they didn't that was a huge mistake on their part.

Dawson just fell apart, it was poor preparation, a lot of that can be contributed to this trainer.

Floyd Sr. said it best Dawson's should be using lateral movement, and angles, and teeing off of his jab, and only fighting in the inside when necessary. Dawson has a 5" reach advantage, he was COMPLETELY fighting the wrong fight. Dawson was trying to fight Ward at his own game.

Dawson would be standing in the pocket with his hands low ready to throw a telegraphed left-uppercut, and than BOOM he gets hit with a left hook.

Dawson was flat-footed, no lateral movement, no head movement. This is Dawson skills eroding year after year because he constantly switches trainers. I thought Dawson was at his best with Floyd Sr, but Dawson was still a work in progress at that time. And Dawson hasn't had a trainer who can correct his mistakes or bring the out best in his abilities like Floyd Sr has.

[lparm]

Scully is a legend here and has more knowledge of the game than you, me and about 99.99% of all posters on boxing scene.

[hectari]

Iceman is a good trainer, his only problem is he believed in his fighter more than his fighter believed in himself. You can only motivate a man so much.

[-EX-]

I didn't hear too many in-depth instructions from Scully but it wouldn't have mattered...Chad fights one way, and if it doesn't work, he'll lose...

Chad would have lost regardless of who was in his corner...Ward is in a different class...