[BlueMercury]

That's my GOAT.

[neophyte7]

I have a feeling Ward is going to get fucked up!!!

[daprofessor]

I have a feeling Ward is going to get fucked up!!!

really? what leads u to say that?

[neophyte7]

Dawson seems driven and his much bigger... I see him getting caught with an upper cut while trying to get rough on the inside... just a feeling...

[daprofessor]

Dawson seems driven and his much bigger... I see him getting caught with an upper cut while trying to get rough on the inside... just a feeling...

i think this bout is going to come down to which guy comes out of his particular style first. dawson really isn't an inside fighter. he's intelligent while he's there...but i think he needs to win this fight from the outside and control distance with long punches and combinations. ward on the other hand is a lot more versatile. while he can handle himself on the outside...i think he needs to be on the inside to win this one. there will be a lot of posturing and cat and mouse in this one. i can't see the fight breaking out until the late rounds unless someone makes a mistake early which is highly unlikely.

the thing about this fight...it's not getting the recognition it deserves. both are extremely high caliber fighters that are at the top of their games. it sort of reminds me of alexander/bradley. similar situation....orthodox/southpaw match up....both are good at what they do. i hope there won't be a head butt that ruins this one. i'd like to see the whole thing play out properly with a clear cut winner.

[Cshel86]

i think this bout is going to come down to which guy comes out of his particular style first. dawson really isn't an inside fighter. he's intelligent while he's there...but i think he needs to win this fight from the outside and control distance with long punches and combinations. ward on the other hand is a lot more versatile. while he can handle himself on the outside...i think he needs to be on the inside to win this one. there will be a lot of posturing and cat and mouse in this one. i can't see the fight breaking out until the late rounds unless someone makes a mistake early which is highly unlikely.

the thing about this fight...it's not getting the recognition it deserves. both are extremely high caliber fighters that are at the top of their games. it sort of reminds me of alexander/bradley. similar situation....orthodox/southpaw match up....both are good at what they do. i hope there won't be a head butt that ruins this one. i'd like to see the whole thing play out properly with a clear cut winner.

Totally agree, especially with the comparison to the Alexander/Bradley fight and this fight not getting the recognition it deserves. Dawson's biggest problem, is that for reason, he isn't "first" when he needs to be. I guess he waits too long to counter, but I cant call it.

[checkleft]

Totally agree, especially with the comparison to the Alexander/Bradley fight and this fight not getting the recognition it deserves. Dawson's biggest problem, is that for reason, he isn't "first" when he needs to be. I guess he waits too long to counter, but I cant call it.

Read my mind.

[Franchize]

I think the key to the fight will be Dawson's jab. He has a nice one but how he uses it will be the determining factor in my opinion. He said himself in the 24/7 that until he found Scully, he didn't have an identity as a fighter. I think the aspect of his fight game that illustrated this the most was his usage of his jab. Sometimes he used it as a range finder and to set people up for his hooks. Under some trainers he established it as a weapon and a classic boxing tool. I think if he uses it as a primary boxing weapon kinda like Cotto did vs Floyd, it will pay positive dividends. If he uses it to just keep Ward at bay, Ward will adjust around it. Like Shel said, he needs to be first. He needs to attack with the jab, not defend with it. Also, anyone know who will be the referee for this one? I hope they get a guy who let's em have at it. That'll play a huge part too.

All in all I expect a solid display of boxing (not fighting) and a meeting of the minds in there. Most casual fans mistake aggressive interior fighting for brawling. Ward isn't a brawler. He's an aggressive interior boxer. Ricky Hatton was a brawler. I expect both guys to bleed a lot and get hit with more than they're used to. I expect a 12 round debatable fight and in the end, both guys faces telling the story of an epic battle and them hugging it up because at the end of the day, they're two stand up guys!

sidenote: Another thing I'll be curious to see is what Ward does when opportunities present themselves. Chad is going to leave himself open at times. Will Ward try to capitalize by try to hurt him, or will he cash in by letting his hands go and landing as much as possible. I think in this rare instance, quantity may actually be better than quality for Ward. I think, if it's a slow paced fight, he could easily end up finding himself behind on points simply because Dawson probably will rack up lands with his jab.

This post has been edited by Franchize: Aug 29 2012, 02:42 PM

[daprofessor]

I think the key to the fight will be Dawson's jab. He has a nice one but how he uses it will be the determining factor in my opinion. He said himself in the 24/7 that until he found Scully, he didn't have an identity as a fighter. I think the aspect of his fight game that illustrated this the most was his usage of his jab. Sometimes he used it as a range finder and to set people up for his hooks. Under some trainers he established it as a weapon and a classic boxing tool. I think if he uses it as a primary boxing weapon kinda like Cotto did vs Floyd, it will pay positive dividends. If he uses it to just keep Ward at bay, Ward will adjust around it. Like Shel said, he needs to be first. He needs to attack with the jab, not defend with it. Also, anyone know who will be the referee for this one? I hope they get a guy who let's em have at it. That'll play a huge part too.

All in all I expect a solid display of boxing (not fighting) and a meeting of the minds in there. Most casual fans mistake aggressive interior fighting for brawling. Ward isn't a brawler. He's an aggressive interior boxer. Ricky Hatton was a brawler. I expect both guys to bleed a lot and get hit with more than they're used to. I expect a 12 round debatable fight and in the end, both guys faces telling the story of an epic battle and them hugging it up because at the end of the day, they're two stand up guys!

sidenote: Another thing I'll be curious to see is what Ward does when opportunities present themselves. Chad is going to leave himself open at times. Will Ward try to capitalize by try to hurt him, or will he cash in by letting his hands go and landing as much as possible. I think in this rare instance, quantity may actually be better than quality for Ward. I think, if it's a slow paced fight, he could easily end up finding himself behind on points simply because Dawson probably will rack up lands with his jab.

very good breakdown.

dawson's jab will be key for him...but i believe ward is going to slow this fight down and try to minimize the exchanges. dawson has to set the pace from a distance and keep it there if he wants to win. i think the major difference between the two is that dawson has mental lapses. ward remains focused through out, it's what he does. if dawson should have a mental lapse in this one...ward will take over. dawson also seems to be a little slower in adapting. on the flip side...i can see chad boxing and forcing ward to work his way in...tying him up anytime he gets close. this will be a serious chess match and this fight isn't happening soon enough.