Showtime Boxing: Chad Dawson – Adrian Diaconu

SHOWTIME, America’s No. 1 boxing network, will continue its sizzling 2007 schedule when it pits undefeated World Boxing Council (WBC) Light Heavyweight Champion “Bad” Chad Dawson (24-0, 1 NC, 16 KOs) against unbeaten WBC No. 1 contender Adrian “The Shark” Diaconu (24-0, 15 KOs) on Saturday, Sept. 29, live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

The championship showdown will originate from the ARCO Arena in Sacramento , Calif. , during the premium network’s free preview weekend and will be available in approximately 54 million homes, a record for SHOWTIME previews.

Tickets to see the event in person priced at $30, $50, $75, $100 and $250 are on sale now and can be purchased most easily by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at (916) 649-TIXS or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
Tickets are also available at the ARCO Arena Box Office and at all Sacramento-area Ticketmaster outlets.

In the co-feature, International Boxing Federation (IBF) Bantamweight Champion Luis Perez will defend his crown for the first time when he squares off against IBF No. 15 contender Joseph Agbeko. Don King Productions and Gary Shaw Promotions, LLC, will present the championship doubleheader.

Dawson, a southpaw from New Haven , Conn. , will have a fresh face in his corner as previous trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., has been replaced by the veteran Eddie Mustafa.

“I felt like I had to make a change,” said Dawson, who is promoted by Gary Shaw. “Floyd is a great trainer, but our personalities just weren’t clicking.”

“Mustafa understands what I need to do to get better,” said Dawson, who is considered by many to be the most versatile of the light heavyweight champions. “I am still young and learning every day. Eddie is great at identifying weaknesses and making them disappear.”

Dawson ’s longtime friend and manager, Mike Criscio, does not see any problems with the change in trainers.

“I have known Chad since he was 11 years old,” Criscio said. “I have seen him go from a boy to a world champion. Simply put, Dawson is a phenomenal athlete. Just about any trainer can be with him at this point in his career and win with him. Dawson , however, also needs a trainer that will push him and get the best out of him. Mustafa is the right man for that job.”

Dawson has a tough test in front of him as Diaconu (die-AH-kuh-nu), aptly nicknamed “The Shark” for his ferocious attacks to the body, will attempt to pressure the champion into making mistakes.

“Since Diaconu has an aggressive style, my game plan is to keep the jab in his face and work off of that,” Dawson said. “I know I am quicker and more agile than him, so I know I can out box him.”

Diaconu is in a position similar to the one that Dawson was in when he fought Polish-born Tomasz Adamek for the WBC 175-pound belt in February 2007. Dawson had an impressive record, yet his resume wasn’t exactly eye-catching. However, the 24 year old dominated the champion and scored a 12-round unanimous decision to capture the world title.

“ Chad has to be careful because we know this guy is tough. Diaconu has a great record, but he has not fought anybody at Chad ’s level,” Criscio said. “ Chad was not very tested either when he won his title because he was so young at 24. So, Diaconu is almost in the same position for this fight as Dawson was with Adamek.”

“I respect all of my opponents,” said Dawson, who will make his second title defense. “I know Diaconu is solid, but when I bring my “A” game to him, it is going to be tough for him to hang with me.”

Dawson looked sharp in his initial WBC defense as he registered a sixth-round TKO over tough Jesus “Chuy” Ruiz June 9, 2007, on SHOWTIME.

“I knew Ruiz wasn’t going to get by my jab,” Dawson said. “It is too fast for almost everybody. After the first few rounds, you could tell he was going to be helpless as the fight moved on.”

Widely known as a fearless boxer in his adopted country of Canada , the Romanian-born Diaconu yearns to make it big in the United States . Diaconu is scorching hot, with seven of his last nine wins coming by way of knockout.

Diaconu earned his world championship shot by bloodying the tall and agile Rico Hoye and scoring a third-round TKO on May 9, 2007, in a WBC light heavyweight title eliminator.

“That was the biggest fight of my career up to that point because I was fighting for a title shot,” said Diaconu, who fights out of Montreal , Canada . “My fight with Dawson , without question, will be the toughest and biggest fight yet. This is what I’ve been waiting for since I put the gloves on when I was nine years old.”

Diaconu looked the part of contender in his fight against Hoye. After flooring Hoye twice in the second round, Diaconu nailed him with a vicious lead right cross and a savage left hook that ripped open his left eyebrow.

Although blood began pouring from the wound, Hoye remained upright as Diaconu reloaded and then scored with another flurry of leather. Dazed and with blood gushing from the cut, Hoye dropped to one knee and the referee quickly stopped the one-sided fight at 32 seconds of the third round.

“My fight with Hoye didn’t last very long because I was able to bring the pressure to him,” Diaconu said. “I will use a similar strategy against Dawson . I will bring the action to him because I know I am naturally stronger.”