I completely agree. My point was exactly yours - people tend to make assumptions because more often than not, it's the way it is.
That's also part of the problem. Dawson doesn't get fired up until he gets hurt or knows he's behind in the fight. That wasn't always part of his makeup. He's been a much less agressive fighter since the Adamek fight.
The adamek fight is what made me a fan...he got knocked down in that one and got up swinging. With that said, I'm baffled by the notion Dawson was bothered by Pascal's "footwork." That's absurd. Pascal at times was in full retreat mode...completely disengaged. What was Chad supposed to do...run in like Pascal? Chad could have cut off the ring better but he didn't do a terrible job in that arena. His biggest problem was not effectively parrying shots...he simply covered which allowed Pascal to flurry and get out. I stopped listening to Steward, lampley and Merchant by the 3rd round or so...switched the the HBO Latino feed and I don't speak spanish. lastly...it's easy to be aggressive against a guy like Adamek who can only fight coming forward in a straight line.
Chad was never able to consistently time Pascal's rushes, which is a shame because during his forward lunges, Pascal was off balance and there to be hit. Dawson did manage to use his right hook to deflect some of Pascal's rushes, but he failed to follow them up after Pascal was hit by them and vulnerable. Dawson did manage to get the left uppercut timed well in the 11th, but it was too late. He should've managed to stuff Pascal's rushes with it or a straight left much earlier on.
sometimes it takes guys rounds to catch on and time a guy...Dawson had finally picked him up and would have knocked him out. The signs were all there. Same held true for Roy Jones in his first fight with Montell Griffin...saw how the rematch went. Same held true for Antonio Tarver in his first fight with Jones...rewatch that last round and you'll see Tarver catch Roy a couple times...the rematch, history was made. the same held true here. between Dawson getting his timing down, not smothering himself when Pascal was against the ropes...Dawson knocks Pascal out in a rematch.
I wouldn't give the credit to Pascal's footwork, because he wasn't consistently on balance and ready to throw shots either. But Dawson was certainly bothered by Pascal's movement. Chad had success when he would throw punches and pin Pascal in one spot. The remainder of the time Chad would follow, set his feet, follow some more, set his feet and then follow again without throwing any punches. And occassionally Pascal would charge in with a barrage. Pascal exposed, or highlighted at a minimum, Chad's inability to throw punches while moving forward without completely setting his feet. Snapping a double jab while pushing Pascal back would have worked wonders offensively for Chad and also minimized Pascal's charges. Just my thoughts anyway.
again...what's with the "set his feet" stuff? How else are you supposed to punch? :scratcher: Pascal retreated so far back dawson was wise to not over-extend and reach for him...makes it easy to counter. I'm not sure what you're talking about unless you've advocating for arm punching/slapping like calzaghe. That's why he gets off 100 meaningless punches at a time. That's called amateur boxing. Chad fought the right fight, what was exposed is his inability to parry shots. If he'd caught and countered vs covering, we're not having this discussion today. Has nothing to do with speed or footwork.
Can't see that. I think Dawson has regressed since the Adamek fight. IMO its mental rather than a physical or skills decline, my impression would be that an element of complacency entered his game, he still has the instinct of a fighter but he really did lack intentisty/urgency, whatever it is, I'd suspect its due to not fighting enough at that level of competition recently (or just not often enough full stop) plus all the bullshit which surrounded the promotion about him not being promoted properly. ps. I think Pascal would have held on for a close decision at time of stoppage
Hmmmm. I think Chad's lack of offensive was a far bigger problem than his inability to parry shots. Again, I am not advocating slapping by any means. But snapping a double jab WHILE moving forward changes the game for Dawson in my opinion. Sure they wouldn't be devastating punches but they would be effective whether amateurish or not. And it would have set up more effective power shots. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here. A double jab to thwart a speedy, moving fighter is old school. Chad has the range and jab to do it but he was unwilling to commit to it on Saturday night. To me, that's a pretty big problem that was really never noticed before the Pascal fight.
Chad's single jab over pascal's low left knocked Pascal so far back Chad would have had to reach with the second one. Plus, Chad used it wisely at times...sometimes threw it short on purpose then fired a harder one immediately afterward. Again... It's difficult to do much with a guy who completely disengages...and as much as Dawson didn't throw...neither did Pascal. The punchstat numbers were relatively close and yet there's a perception dawson didn't throw enough...well neither did Pascal for that matter. <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Total Punches</TD><TD>Jabs</TD><TD>Power Punches</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD bgColor=#0000ff height=13 rowSpan=2>Pascal</TD><TD bgColor=#0000ff>114 / 430</TD><TD bgColor=#0000ff>24 / 178</TD><TD bgColor=#0000ff>90 / 252</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD bgColor=#0000ff height=12>27%</TD><TD bgColor=#0000ff>13%</TD><TD bgColor=#0000ff>36%</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD bgColor=#ff0000 height=14 rowSpan=2>Dawson</TD><TD bgColor=#ff0000>134 / 436</TD><TD bgColor=#ff0000>57 / 218</TD><TD bgColor=#ff0000>77 / 218</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD bgColor=#ff0000 height=14>31%</TD><TD bgColor=#ff0000>26%</TD><TD bgColor=#ff0000>35%</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
I liked Abraham's chances against Dirrell better than Dawson's against Pascal for ending the fight via ko. Abraham hits like a truck; Dawson doesn't. Neither Dirrell or Pascal seemed that bad, either. I think both Dirrell and Pascal probably make it to the end of their respective fights, however, but it's too bad we'll never know.
Dawson's crazy underrated at this point. It's a damn good thing he has a rematch clause with Pascal - otherwise, it's hard to imagine why Pascal would ever grant him one, seeing as how Pascal is a one-trick poney and Dawson is a skilled boxer who's skills will apply across styles. He's not a gimmick fighter.
:crafty:...how did Froch come to be mentioned in this thread for something Pascal accomplished? Read Marcus Aurelius, read Marcus Aurelius indeed.
I agree with the essence of the basic premise. However...how black are the black fighters? How white are the white fighters? If this doesn't make sense then look at the Argentinians....ostensibly "Latin" yet derived from a particular type of European {the African sort ::} with a totally different type of Indian/Indigenous sort added in. Kelly Pavlik might well be the stereotypical whitey......and Tall Paul might be what we have come to expect from the Afroze......but....what is Sergio Martinez? Is he face first Latin American? I agree on the basic concepts, the basic categories, but the lines are getting a bit more frazzled..... Ultimately, we all have 2 arms and 2 legs.....styles is as much a state of mind as it is state of body, within reason.
:crafty: Good for what ails ya,..I've equipped the conscience, when ya need it, you'll use it, not as a matter of knowledge, but a matter of nutrition,.. most vitamin types need a combination of some sort, this is only part of the vitamin, you and all within the vaccinity are being well looked after.