With trainer Emanuel Steward gone, Chad Dawson has enlisted the help of fellow southpaw Winky Wright for the last month of training before he faces WBC light-heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins on October 15.
Citing an unwillingness to travel to Detroit, Dawson severed ties with Steward after just one fight, a unanimous decision victory over Adrian Diaconu in May. Although Dawson looked tentative in that bout, his promoter Gary Shaw denies rumors that the split wa acrimonious or due to Dawson’s struggles with Steward’s style.
“It wasn’t an ugly separation by any means,” Shaw stated. “I have a world of respect for Emanuel and I know he’s top-notch, but we couldn’t get them to travel to one another, so there was no other choice but to move on. Chad’s training camp is in Pennsylvania. He didn’t want to train in Detroit again for this fight. But with all of his commitments and responsibilities, it wasn’t feasible for Emanuel to stay in the Poconos that long. So they’ve parted ways amicably and John Scully is back in, with Winky Wright providing his expert eye.”
Wright, who is not retired but hasn’t fought in a match since losing a 2009 decision to Paul Williams, will serve simply as an in-camp advisor to Dawson and will not man his friend’s corner on fight night. Wright also has his own experience with Hopkins; in 2007, Wright moved up to light-heavyweight to challenge Hopkins in an ugly, clinch-filled contest that saw Wright split open by a headbutt and lose a unanimous decision. While many are looking at the lack of fire and killer instinct in Dawson’s last two fights with Jean Pascal and Diaconu as reasons Hopkins will win, Wright believes Dawson has the range, speed and athleticism that befuddled the Executioner in losses to Jermain Taylor and Joe Calzaghe.
“Bernard is sneaky and crafty, but I think that Chad has a style that can beat him,” Wright explained. “He’s tall and quick, with a good defense and hand speed. He can move, but he’s not scared to get in there and fight. Bernard wants to try and take you out of your fight. Chad doesn’t need to do that. He needs to do what we’re showing him and make Hopkins fight our fight. We can win this.”
Dawson’s stock as a top Pound 4 Pound fighter began a downward slope in late 2008, when he moved from Showtime to an exclusive deal on HBO. He won two wide but unexciting decisions in rematches against veterans Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. His conservativeness would cost him in his very next fight, when he lost an 11th round technical decision to Jean Pascal after being too defensive in the early rounds. With the return of early trainer John Scully, Dawson hopes to rediscover the speed and offense that punctuated the beginning of his light-heavyweight title reign.
“Scully knows how to go to get me in shape,” said Dawson. “With him in my corner, you will see a return of the Chad Dawson from 2007/2008 in this fight. I am the best light heavyweight in the world and I’m going to prove it.”
Dawson vs. Hopkins will aired via HBO Pay-per-view.
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