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As was expected by many, the California State Athletic Commission has finally ruled on the October 15 debacle between Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson, declaring the fight a no-contest rather than a TKO-2 win for Dawson.
This returns the fighters' records to 52-5-2 (32 KO) for Hopkins, and 30-1 (17 KO) for Dawson.
The fight, which took place at the Staples Center on HBO pay-per-view, ended with a TKO-2 ruling by referee Pat Russell when Dawson put a shoulder under a clutching Hopkins and hurled him to the mat. Hopkins injured his shoulder and the fight was stopped.
[ Related: Dawson's Trainer Thinks Hopkins Faked Injury ]
But the TKO ruling didn't seem likely to last. Ring Magazine kept Hopkins as its lineal light heavyweight champion, and the WBC returned their title to Hopkins just a few days later. Hopkins argued that the California appeal should lead to a disqualification of Dawson, but instead they've chosen the lighter and more realistic no contest.
A few have asked over the last two months if there will be a rematch, and maybe there will, but it's certainly not an inevitability or anything. The fight generated no buzz, wasn't high on many wish lists, and bombed both at the gate and on pay-per-view.