Undefeated light heavyweight Chad Dawson will return to HBO on June 19, and everyone seems to want the fight to be against WBC titleholder Jean Pascal. Dawson holds the sanctioning body's interim title, having held their full title in the past before this, that and the other thing.
These titles are moronic.
Anyway, Pascal-Dawson is an attractive fight on basically every level, assuming Dawson and promoter Gary Shaw understand they have to go to Quebec for it to be worthwhile. Dawson's last three headlining fights (two with Antonio Tarver in Las Vegas, one with Glen Johnson in his home state of Connecticut) have been abysmal live draws, while Pascal has become quite a star at the gate in Quebec.
Simply put, Dawson has no fanbase. Pascal has a big one. Everyone makes the most money in Quebec.
Pascal is currently on the mend following successful shoulder surgery, having fought with the injury for years before it became too much in his valiant rematch win over Adrian Diaconu to close 2009. Dawson hasn't fought since his dominant but deadly dull rematch win over Johnson.
Pascal-Dawson would also mean that Dawson, 27, would be picking on someone his own age for the first time in quite a while. With four straight fights against either Tarver and Johnson (both now 41 years old) and wins over aging veterans before that, Dawson really hasn't faced anyone his own age during the meaningful portion of his career.
It really is enough to wonder if maybe he doesn't look quite so fast if faced with someone who actually has some handspeed left. What's the last quick fighter he faced? Has he ever faced someone you'd describe as being "quick" when he fought them?
I do wonder if Pascal will try to squeeze in a tune-up fight between now and June, which is entirely possible. Not a major challenge, just a fight where he can make sure the shoulder's good before facing arguably the best light heavyweight in the sport.