Boxing Spotlight: Dawson To Fight Diaconu On Pascal vs. Hopkins Undercard

After the World Boxing Council ordered an immediate rematch between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins, Chad Dawson was forced to step aside and wait for the opportunity to regain his WBC Light Heavyweight title.

However, the opportunity arose for Dawson to face Diaconu on the undercard of the Pascal vs. Hopkins II bout. The only thing that was left to settle was a contractual assurance that if Dawson beats Diaconu, he will get a mandatory shot at the main event winner in his next fight.

According to Gary Shaw, Dawson’s promoter, the deal has been reached and even HBO has agreed to buy the upcoming Dawson vs. Hopkins or Pascal bout.

Of course this deal hangs on whether or not Dawson actually beats Diaconu. Should Diaconu (27-2, 15 KOs), a native of Romania living in Montreal, defeats Dawson, of New Haven, Conn., however, the main event winner is not obligated to fight him.

Who is Adrian Diaconu?

Diaconu is a Romanian fighter, living and fighting out of Montreal. Nicknamed, the Shark, Diaconu is an old school brawler who throws a devastating right and is relentless at pursuing his opponents in the ring at the expense of getting caught with some hard hits himself.

Diaconu represented Romania at the 2000 Sydney Olympics as a Middleweight. His only two losses have come at the hand of Jean Pascal, in two epic slugfests that took place in Montreal.

The Shark has been compared to many fighters but his best fights have resulted in two losses. Should you see him fight, he will remind you of a poor man’s Antonio Margarito. This fight against Dawson is his chance to show the world that he is indeed worthy of a title shot. Dawson should be his ticket out of obscurity.

Chad Dawson, the Hype

Dawson turned to the professional ranks in 2001, after being the 2000 United States National Under-19 Amateur Champion at 165 pounds while compiling a 67-13 amateur record. Nicknamed, Bad Chad, Dawson has dominated at the pros with a record of 29 wins, 1 loss and 17 knockouts.

Known as a technical fighter, Dawson has shown deadly power on his left hand and has impressed with his agility and footwork in the ring. Several journalists have even compared him to a young Roy Jones Jr., though he has yet to show that kind of ability. His only loss came at the hands of Jean Pascal who won the bout thanks to a massive head cut that Pascal inflicted through a head butt.

Some might argue that Pascal was the first real skilled fighter that Dawson has faced and his loss only exemplifies that he is not as talented as some might think. Should the re-match between Pascal and Dawson take place, there will be no more excuses for Dawson and he will have to prove to everyone and himself that he is in fact the real deal.

Great Expectations

The fight will take place on May 21st, 2011 in Montreal. In the end, the Dawson-Diaconu bout will produce a decent fight, but it will not really be a good test for Chad Dawson. Expect a hungry Dawson to defeat Diaconu in what should be a hard fought but one sided fight.

Should Pascal defeat Hopkins that will secure a real test for Dawson and an opportunity to show the world, that he is in fact capable of defeating a quality fighter.