Hopkins vs Dawson: Emanuel Steward Points Out Dawson's Mental Flaws

BoxingScene.com talked with trainer Emanuel Steward, who parted ways recently with Chad Dawson just ahead of Dawson's October 15 fight with light heavyweight world champion Bernard Hopkins, the biggest fight of Dawson's career. And while Steward believes that Dawson is a bad style matchup for Hopkins, he's not sure that Dawson will truly be ready for Hopkins' fight:

"The biggest thing going up against him is not having that consistent focus, and that's what Bernard is about. Joe Calzaghe [who defeated Hopkins in 2008] is a fighter who stays focused and stays in a rhythm for the whole twelve rounds. He never loses focus. Chad fights in spots, stops and then fights in spots."

Dawson (30-1, 17 KO) is working with John Scully, a fine trainer who has worked with Dawson in the past, and Winky Wright, a southpaw with experience against Hopkins, is also helping out.

But it's just such a risk to take to switch trainers so close to a fight. Steward says that Dawson's "mind is in a different zone than most fighters," that he cares most about being home, close to his family. It's certainly an admirable trait, but compared to some guys, maybe it makes him soft. Maybe he just doesn't care as much about his career as a guy like Bernard Hopkins. And maybe, even being 46 and Chad Dawson being wrong for him style-wise, that's what gives B-Hop the edge again.