Bernard Hopkins vs Chad Dawson

No punch brought the contest to an end, yet the original verdict gave Bernard Hopkins the first stoppage defeat of his 23-year professional career. His defence against Chad Dawson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on October 15, 2011, lasted only one round and two minutes 48 seconds of the second before an injury, an incorrect ruling and several weeks of administrative argument replaced the boxing.

Hopkins, aged 46, was making the first defence of the WBC light-heavyweight championship he had taken from Jean Pascal five months earlier. That victory had made him the oldest boxer to win a recognised world championship, surpassing the record established by George Foreman. Hopkins entered at 52 wins, five defeats, two draws and one no-contest, while Dawson was 30-1 with one no-contest. The 29-year-old challenger had formerly held the WBC and IBF titles. His only defeat had come against Pascal, and his subsequent victory over Adrian Diaconu placed him back in contention. Hopkins received a purse of $1 million and Dawson $800,000.

The announced attendance was 8,431, although fewer than 4,000 tickets were reported sold. Those present saw little action in the opening round. Hopkins adopted his customary cautious approach, looking to interrupt the southpaw’s rhythm and draw mistakes, while Dawson tried to establish his jab and greater hand speed. A brief flurry from Dawson supplied most of the clean work. There were no knockdowns, no sustained exchanges and little upon which to judge how the tactical contest might develop.

The second round followed much the same course until its closing moments. Hopkins missed with a right hand and fell forward, leaning across Dawson’s back during the resulting clinch. Dawson drove upwards with his shoulder, lifting the champion’s feet from the canvas, and then pushed him away. Hopkins fell beneath the ropes, landing heavily on his left elbow and shoulder, with his head also striking the floor. He immediately rolled over in pain and held the damaged shoulder.

Referee Pat Russell stopped the clock and summoned the ringside doctor. Hopkins said he was prepared to continue, but acknowledged that he could do so only with one arm. Russell ended the contest and, having ruled that Dawson’s action was not a foul, awarded the challenger victory by technical knockout at 2 minutes 48 seconds. The decision caused an angry reaction from the crowd. Hopkins maintained that he had been lifted and thrown, while Dawson argued that the champion had jumped upon his back and that he had merely used his shoulder to free himself.

The immediate medical examination supported Hopkins’s claim of injury. He was taken to California Hospital Medical Center, where damage to the left acromioclavicular joint, connecting the collarbone and shoulder blade, was diagnosed. The injury was genuine, but that did not settle the question of how it had occurred or how the contest should have been recorded. The central point was that Hopkins had been rendered unable to continue by a wrestling-like movement rather than a legal punch.

Hopkins’s representatives appealed. On October 20, the WBC Board of Governors declared the bout a technical draw under its rules and restored Hopkins as champion. That ruling did not alter the official result in California, where the commission retained jurisdiction. At a hearing on December 13, Russell testified that a no-contest was the appropriate decision. The California State Athletic Commission then overturned Dawson’s technical-knockout victory and changed the result to a no-contest, allowing Hopkins to retain both the WBC and Ring Magazine championships.

The premature ending resolved nothing about the relative merits of the two men. Dawson had appeared the sharper boxer during the limited action, but fewer than six minutes had elapsed and neither had established control. A rematch was ordered and held at Atlantic City on April 28, 2012. On that occasion, Dawson won a 12-round majority decision and took the championship in the conventional manner that had been denied to both fighters in Los Angeles.

I thought the original technical-knockout verdict was plainly wrong. Hopkins did not go down from a legal punch. Dawson lifted him with the shoulder and dumped him onto the canvas, causing a genuine separation of the left shoulder. Changing the result to a no-contest was the only sensible decision.

Hopkins had just become boxing’s oldest world champion by beating Jean Pascal at 46. His appeal was built on craft, defiance and the ability to make younger men fight at his miserable pace. Dawson presented a different problem. He was tall, quick, southpaw and technically disciplined, although his reserved personality meant he never attracted the following his ability deserved.

Very little happened before the finish. Hopkins was already leaning, holding and trying to disrupt Dawson’s rhythm. Dawson became frustrated and used his shoulder to throw him off. I do not believe it was a calculated attempt to injure Hopkins, but it was not a legal boxing move either. Referee Pat Russell should have recognised that immediately.

I also reject the suggestion that Hopkins simply invented the injury to escape. The medical evidence confirmed the damage. Whether he fancied the task is another question, because Dawson’s speed and physical strength were giving him problems. The rematch settled the argument properly when Dawson won on points. This first meeting settled nothing beyond demonstrating how badly boxing can handle an unusual incident.