After a fairly long layoff, Fanatic is back. Shit’s been crazy in my world lately and it’s not getting any better. Hopefully I’m back for good but we’ll see.
Over the weekend Glen Johnson and Tavoris Cloud contested a hard-fought battle that could have gone either way. This coming weekend, king of the light heavyweight division Chad Dawson faces off against his most worthy opponent, Jean Pascal. For a brief moment, the boxing world is paying attention to a very weak division. I’ve been thinking a lot about 175 this week and I’m back to discuss.
Although Jean Pascal is Chad Dawson’s best match at this point, Glen Johnson has been referred to as the #2 guy in the division. Unfortunately, he’s already lost to Bad Chad twice. Until this past Saturday, Pascal was the only logical opponent for Dawson. To reach that status, all Pascal had to do was beat a mediocre Adrian Diaconu. Honestly, I thing he’s going to get raped this weekend.
Fortunately for us, a new contender has emerged. The gatekeeper tag is overused in boxing, but I think it fits for Johnson. He’s never going to beat Chad Dawson but he’ll probably beat most others. I thought he is a great match for anyone who thinks they are ready for Dawson. I felt Glen Johnson was the ultimate test for Tavoris Cloud.
I thought Cloud answered the test with flying colors. Johnson pulled out every trick in the book to beat Cloud but it wasn’t enough in the end. I scored the bout with Cloud winning by a point (I gave the final round a 10-10, I know that’s weak). He’s not as skilled a Johnson but it didn’t matter. He imposed his will on a better man and managed to claim a close victory. I couldn’t find a Youtube video of the fight, but there were a couple of moments where Johnson was on the verge of hitting the mat. Tavoris Cloud worked his but off and should be proud of his performance.
Cloud beat the man I consider to be the second best fighter in the division. Jean Pascal has been waiting all year for his date with Dawson and he’ll get it, but Cloud has proved to be the most deserving contender for Bad Chad Dawson. The problem…well…just watch the video below.
Chad Dawson made Glen Johnson look like a bum last year. It was clear Johnson didn’t belong in the ring with him. It was sort of a depressing night of boxing, because it was clear there isn’t a single fighter at 175 that could do better. Pascal is only going to make Dawson look better on Saturday. Cloud? He may be the next in line but he doesn’t have much of a shot.
You can impose yourself on a more skilled fighter. You can’t on a fighter who is faster, smarter, and more skilled. Cloud does not stand a chance. So who’s left after Pascal and Cloud? Diaconu, Beibut Shumenov, and Nathan Cleverly. Not exactly Murderer’s Row. Boxrec tells me Mark Tucker is the best American prospect at 175, but I couldn’t point him out if my life depended on it.
I know this sounds pessimistic, but maybe I should look on the bright side. Cloud can fight Dawson sometime next year. By that time, Lucian Bute or someone from the Super Six Super Middleweight Tournament may want to move up for the challenge. Our best hope for the light heavyweight division is that many guys at 168 will move up. Bute, Andre Dirrell, and Andre Ward are all serious contenders for Dawson. Do any of them beat Dawson? Probably not, but at least it will be competitive.
For most, none of this stuff is important. Most watch boxing to see a good fight. They could care less about the implications unless one of them can fight Mayweather or Pacquiao. So for those who skipped to the bottom paragraph to see how I wrapped this up, please watch the fight on HBO this weekend. Despite the hype, you probably won’t see a great fight. You will see the best fighter in the world outside of Mayweather and Pacquiao. Enjoy.
Filed under: Boxing, Magic Fanatic's Posts Tagged: | Chad Dawson, Glen Johnson, Jean Pascal, Mark Tucker, Tavoris Cloud
