CHAD DAWSON W12 GLEN JOHNSON

Everyone knows that Chad Dawson has speed and skill, but on Saturday night he needed to dig down and show true grit to defeat the amazing veteran Glen Johnson in their light-heavy title thriller on Showtime. Regardless of what one thought of the decision I think we all can agree it was a tremendous showing by both men in a fight infinitely more exciting than Antonio Tarver’s sparring-session points win over Clinton Woods in the main event.

The crowd booed the across-the-board unanimous scoring of 116-112 in Dawson’s favour, and certainly it was Dawson who was the fighter looking the more hurt and weary. Dawson did some very impressive scoring, though, really rattling off the combinations from his southpaw stance.

There were times, especially in the fifth and 10th rounds, when I thought that Dawson was on the verge of going down, but he gamely rallied and fought his way back from the brink.

Dawson hit Johnson with everything he had, body and head, yet the 39-year-old Jamaican veteran just kept coming forward, truly the Sherman tank that his trainer Orlando Cuellar had said he would be.

After nine rounds I scribbled the note: “The last 3 rounds will be life and death for Dawson.” So they were. In the 10th, a right hand seemed to have him briefly out on his feet. There was blood inside Dawson’s mouth and he was in trouble, yet he kept moving as if boxing by instinct and somehow dredged up enough reserves of heart and stamina to fight it out in the last two rounds, which I thought could have gone either way.

Johnson’s disappointment at not getting the decision was understandable but I thought that Dawson eked out the win, 115-113. His punches weren’t stopping Johnson’s advance but they were sharp, points-scoring blows.

What we now have to see is whether Dawson learned from this gruelling experience and is the better fighter for it or whether, as Tarver believes, he is a "wounded duck" after this ordeal. The projected fight between Tarver and Dawson should supply the answer.