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Chad Dawson Training Camp Notes
Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward is hard at work at the
Kronk Gym in Detroit with his new client, former WBC light
heavyweight champion "Bad" Chad Dawson (29-1, 17 KO's), for
Dawson's upcoming 12-round match-up against
Romanian/Canadian light heavyweight contender Adrian Diaconu
(27-2, 15 KO's).
The two will meet on the undercard of the May 21 "Dynasty
II: Pascal vs. Hopkins" rematch at the Bell Centre in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and it will be more than a
non-title clash of top 175-lb contenders for Dawson. If he
wins, Dawson will face the winner of the Pascal and Hopkins
in an effort to regain the belt.
Steward, known for his ability to analyze fighters and
formulate winning fight plans, says he sees why Dawson is a
champion and is currently working to change some technical
errors in the style of the 6' 1" southpaw. "He's
unbelievable; phenomenal balance. He goes in and out and
changes directions very, very well. He's a terrific
positional fighter. A lot of guys are always out of
position, but Chad is sensational at getting in the right
position to punch. He's a natural athlete with a track
background. A lot of boxers are that way, very gifted
athletes."
As far as weaknesses, Steward says Dawson may be trying too
hard to emulate his boxing idol. "He fights closer than he
should. We're working on a problem where he's dipping down
too low. His hero was Pernell Whitaker, who used to like
dipping down and ducking and dodging in close. This is
something that's not good for Chad Dawson to be doing. I
like my tall fighters to fight tall."
At Kronk, Dawson is sparring with a wide assortment of
fighters. "This week and next week will be our really tough
weeks. We'll probably do about sixty rounds of sparring this
next week or so."
While many experts maintain that Dawson is actually the most
skilled fighter on the card that night, main event included,
Steward says victory of Diaconu is far from a given.
"He's a good fighter. He's very under-rated. He punches well
and has good coordination. Plus there will be a big crowd of
support for him from the Romanian fans in Montreal. I think
his reception from the fans may exceed Jean Pascal's that
night, in fact."
Dawson is also, once again, working with well-respected
conditioning coach Axel Murillo. Steward says that between
them, the two men keep the former champion active for most
of the day.
"After the gym, he goes home and showers and eats and
sometimes likes to go to a movie or go bowling. Three days a
week we all go to a fine dining restaurant, normally
Italian, and just connect as people and go through strategy.
Chad is a very quiet person. The most unique thing about him
is he's into his family like nobody else. He's 24/7 on the
phone with his kids. The man is a very good father. Give him
a laptop and a telephone to talk to his kids and that's all
he needs. I don't know if he goes two hours in any day
without communicating with his kids."
"Dynasty II: Pascal vs. Hopkins" is promoted by Groupe Yvon
Michel Inc. and Golden Boy Promotions and presented by
Casino de Montreal, Videotron and Coors Light. The 12-round
WBC, WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World
Championship rematch will take place Saturday, May 21 at the
Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada and will be televised live
on HBO's World Championship Boxing in the United States
beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT and distributed
live on pay-per-view in Canada on Canal Indigo, Bell TV,
Shaw TV, Viewer's Choiceand Sasktel in French and English
beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. Dawson vs. Diaconu is presented
in association with Gary Shaw Productions and InterBox.
Tickets, priced at C$500, C$350, C$250, C$175, C$110, C$75,
C$50 and C$35, go on sale on Friday, April 1, 2011 at 12:00
p.m. ET and may be purchased at the Bell Centre box office
or by calling (514) 790-2525 or (877) 668-8269. Tickets will
also be available online at www.evenko.ca. A limited number
of VIP tables priced at C$4,000, C$3,000 and C$2,500 will
also be available for purchase by calling the Bell Centre
box office or GYM at (514) 383-0666.
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