Antonio Tarver vs Chad Dawson

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00:00:00the title.

00:00:05Moving forward for the last couple of years, antonio tarba and chad dawson seemed destined

00:00:10to slug it out in a matchup that underlines the generation gap at light heavyweight.

00:00:15Tarba is one month shy of 40, yet having fought only 31 times as a pro, he may be anything

00:00:20but ring-worn.

00:00:21Better yet, he's proven he's still a division leader when he took the ibf title from clinton

00:00:26woods earlier this year.

00:00:28The 26-year-old dawson is unbeaten and has established championship credentials of his

00:00:32own, but everything he's accomplished has led to this fight, the most significant of

00:00:36his young career.

00:00:37So stand by for tarba versus dawson, but first, let's welcome in karen bryant.

00:00:45All right.

00:00:46I'm here with two ladies who have a lot invested in tonight's outcome.

00:00:48I'm here with denise tarba and crystal dawson, of course the fighters' wives.

00:00:52Now denise, I want to start with you.

00:00:54Sometimes fighters go away for camp before they fight because they say that helps keep

00:00:58them focused.

00:00:59Yet antonio stayed home with you.

00:01:00So I want to know what it is about your home life and what your head space was like before

00:01:04this fight.

00:01:06My head space or his head space?

00:01:07Both of you.

00:01:08I'm actually calm.

00:01:09I believe in his ability.

00:01:10I know he's going to be victorious and I think he travels away in the beginning before he

00:01:15got married, when he got more settled in.

00:01:17Now I'm his nutritionist.

00:01:18I prepare his meals through time today, prepare, you know, help him prepare the train.

00:01:22So I think it's more of a comfortable surrounding and he actually gets to see what he's fighting

00:01:26for.

00:01:27Well, that's a good way of thinking of it.

00:01:28Now I want to know, because he's always been outspoken before a fight and I'm saying outspoken,

00:01:33I mean, you know, sometimes kind of mouthy and rattling people, which is part of the

00:01:36game.

00:01:37But how does this one compare to the other fights?

00:01:39Because this time he truly seems a little bothered.

00:01:41Well, I think that for some reason he believes that the purists and other people think that

00:01:46he's an ordinary fighter.

00:01:47But nothing about antonio tarba is ordinary.

00:01:50He's an exceptional fighter.

00:01:51He's an extraordinary human being.

00:01:53And so this time he wants to prove that and he wants to showcase that, that he's extraordinary

00:01:57and he's going to prove that tonight.

00:01:58All right.

00:01:59Well, thank you for that.

00:02:00Now, Crystal, I have a couple of questions for you.

00:02:01I know you are expecting a baby in March, so congratulations to you guys on that.

00:02:05It's an emotional time being pregnant.

00:02:07It's an emotional time watching your husband fight.

00:02:10Is this one any more emotional?

00:02:11Because Chad, this time actually seemed to get a little riled in the pre-fight where

00:02:14usually he isn't like that.

00:02:16Yeah, I think it's because Chad has been, you know, anticipating this fight for a long

00:02:20time.

00:02:21About two years now.

00:02:22So, I mean, now he's finally getting the opportunity.

00:02:25He's like anxious and he's ready to do his thing because I know he's going to win.

00:02:30Is this getting any easier for you watching your husband fight?

00:02:33Um, no.

00:02:36No.

00:02:38And now since I'm pregnant, it's becoming a little more, I'm even more nervous or I

00:02:42guess anxious.

00:02:43Not nervous because I think he's going to lose.

00:02:45I know he's going to win.

00:02:46So I mean, it's just, it just comes with the fighting.

00:02:49All right.

00:02:50Well, ladies, thank you both for joining us here and good luck to both of you tonight.

00:02:53And now we've got something for you at home.

00:02:55We want to give you a look at what's coming your way on Showtime Sports.

00:03:00So there you have it.

00:03:01A look at what's coming your way on Showtime Sports.

00:03:04Right now I want to send it back to you, Steve.

00:03:08Thanks Karen.

00:03:09Coming up next from the Pearl Theater here at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

00:03:14Our main event, magic man Antonio Tarver set to take on undefeated former champion

00:03:19Chad Dawson for Tarver's IBF light heavyweight title.

00:03:27Tarver and Dawson have been on a collision course for several years and with each passing

00:03:32moment it gets more and more acrimonious.

00:03:34Not that this needed any extra hype, but if this fight is as intense as the war of words

00:03:39that preceded it, it could be the fight of the year.

00:03:43Tarver's one of boxing's best trash talkers and if he intended to make this personal,

00:03:48he succeeded because the usually reserved Dawson has responded in kind.

00:03:57Boxing is a form of art, you know, and I think that I've perfected the art of boxing.

00:04:03I mean, I've been at this game for over 20 years.

00:04:06I love boxing.

00:04:07You know, it's something that has been embedded in me since a youngster.

00:04:10I love being the best.

00:04:12This is a fight that I feel like at this point in my career is necessary in order to

00:04:17really put a stamp on my greatness.

00:04:25I sacrificed a lot to get to this point where I'm at.

00:04:27I'm here and I'm still sacrificing.

00:04:29Think about a lot.

00:04:30I think about my kids.

00:04:31I think about my wife.

00:04:34I think about the fight coming up.

00:04:35Now the time is finally here and I get to show everybody I mean business and show him

00:04:39I mean business, you know, and put him on the retirement seat.

00:04:42The rest of the room, do you have any questions?

00:04:45I got a question.

00:04:46You got any excuses tonight, Roy?

00:04:48When they mentioned Roy and all the other great light heavyweights of the 90s and in

00:04:53this era, they would have to say, you know, Antonio Tarver, best of them all.

00:04:57Everybody still looks at him as the king of the division, you know, so in order for me

00:05:01to be the king of the division, I have to be the king.

00:05:05Dawson going for a world title in only his third bout at light heavy.

00:05:09Popped up out of nowhere.

00:05:10I saw his fight with Adamic.

00:05:11He's a good young fighter.

00:05:12I'm 26 years old.

00:05:13I was a world champion when I was 24.

00:05:14I mean, not a lot of guys can say that.

00:05:18Take nothing away from him, but I don't see greatness in him.

00:05:21So I don't know how this guy's resume spells Tarver, you know.

00:05:27I just don't see it.

00:05:28I want to talk about me and Chad Dawson.

00:05:29He's going to dance with the Magic Man this time.

00:05:30As a person, I don't like him.

00:05:31No.

00:05:32I won't do it.

00:05:33Talk your way into a real fight.

00:05:34You can't fight for him, and you can't save him, baby.

00:05:41Nah, he talks too much.

00:05:44He's a wounded duck.

00:05:45Right now, I'm the last person he want to see.

00:05:46Trust me.

00:05:47Honestly, the first person to ever get under my skin.

00:05:48He can talk all the trash he want, but, you know, when that night comes, it's going to

00:05:49be me and him, just like he said.

00:05:50My new name is going to be Bad Chad, a.k.a. the Magic Man, because I'm going to make him

00:05:51disappear.

00:05:52His worst mistake would be his disrespect.

00:05:53I don't like him.

00:05:54I don't like him.

00:05:55I don't like him.

00:05:56I don't like him.

00:05:57I don't like him.

00:05:58I don't like him.

00:05:59I don't like him.

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00:08:16I don't like him.

00:08:17A typical Dawson assault.

00:08:19And then this movement that includes another quick combination is just what we expect to

00:08:24see tonight against Antonio Tarver.

00:08:34An important element of Tarver's attack is the jab.

00:08:38He simply can't use this punch too much.

00:08:41For him, a slow, more methodical tempo makes sense.

00:08:44He won't initiate wild flurries.

00:08:48And as Dawson comes in to throw the body punches, Tarver will be looking for this game changer,

00:08:52a left uppercut.

00:08:53Dawson tends to lower his head a little, as Clinton Woods does here, and if he does, Tarver

00:08:58will look to deliver this uppercut.

00:09:00Watch for it, especially early in the fight.

00:09:12So as we close in on one of the most eagerly awaited light heavyweight fights in years,

00:09:16as a reminder about tonight's poll question, we invite you to text your response to us

00:09:19at SHOTV, that's 74688.

00:09:23Who will win Tarver versus Dawson?

00:09:24Text 1 for Tarver by KO, text 2 for Tarver by decision, text 3 for Dawson by KO, 4 for

00:09:31Dawson by decision, text 5 for draw.

00:09:34Text your response to us here at SHOTV, that's 74688.

00:09:38Standard text messaging rates apply.

00:09:46Solid betting favorite, Chad Dawson, who gave up his WBC belt without a second thought to

00:09:53fight Tarver, rather than a lesser fight with Adrian Diaconu.

00:09:58For years, Dawson felt Tarver was avoiding him.

00:10:01Tarver's rationale, Dawson had to earn this opportunity, as if to say, hey, you passed

00:10:06your test with Glenn Johnson, a guy I split with, so now you can fight me.

00:10:12The waiting infuriated Dawson, who said, getting rid of Tarver is not just my mission,

00:10:18it's a public service.

00:10:19Well, Dawson really wants to shut Tarver's mouth.

00:10:23He's very confident under the glare of his most intense spotlight, soaking in his first

00:10:29big fight atmosphere, a fight that's garnered a lot of attention.

00:10:35Yes, Chad Dawson, as he makes his way to the ring, has waited a long time for this moment,

00:10:41and he doesn't want to blow it.

00:10:45The wife of Chad Dawson, Crystal Dawson, looking on right now, getting ready to see

00:11:05her husband in action in the biggest fight of his life.

00:11:27Well in the words of champion underdog Antonio Tarver, everything is at stake.

00:11:32A loss tonight could be the end.

00:11:35At yesterday's fighter meeting, he said he'll fight with passion, with heart, he'll put

00:11:39Dawson on his behind.

00:11:41He used another word, starts with A, but perhaps very revealing, he added, if this is it, I'm

00:11:48going out on my shield.

00:11:50But I gotta tell you, whenever a fighter hints of the possibility of losing, that is sometimes

00:11:55a red flag.

00:11:58Also, Tarver dismissed grumblings of a weight problem in training.

00:12:04Tarver said he had no problem making weight, but Eddie Mustapha Muhammad, the trainer of

00:12:14Dawson, at the weigh-in yesterday, was absolutely adamant when he saw Tarver coming at 174,

00:12:20that he overshot the mark, dried out, and had to dry out a lot to make it to the weight,

00:12:26and he thinks it's going to be a big factor in the Dawson body attack.

00:12:30Will it add to those woes?

00:12:32We'll see.

00:12:35Well, that said, he does have a flair for the dramatic.

00:12:38You can never count Tarver out.

00:12:41He's been here before, he's been in a lot of big fights, and he is determined to prove

00:12:46his critics wrong.

00:12:54Well, we showed you Crystal, let's show you Denise, saying that her husband is number

00:13:02one, Antonio Tarver.

00:13:12Let's check the numbers as we go to the tail of the tape.

00:13:15Obviously, the big story, Tarver nearing 40, almost 14 years older, though he concedes

00:13:24nothing to age, but you've got to wonder about the legs if this goes deep.

00:13:29Dawson with the two and a half inch reach advantage, and at yesterday's weigh-in, both

00:13:33came in under at 174, and we'll check out the notable unified rules for this world title

00:13:40fight, there is no standing eight count, no three knockdown rule, a fighter cannot be

00:13:44saved by the bell in any round, if an accidental headbutt causes a fight to end within four,

00:13:49it's a no decision.

00:13:51After four rounds, they go to the scorecards, and if a punch causes a cut, and the injured

00:13:55fighter can't continue, he loses by TKO.

00:14:03So here at palms casino resort in Las Vegas, we're getting ready for Antonio Tarver versus

00:14:08Chad Dawson for the IBF light heavyweight championship, let's get the official introductions

00:14:13from our ring announcer, the classy, Jimmy Lennon Jr.

00:14:16Ladies and gentlemen, before we present our main event fighters, at this time, we ask

00:14:27for your attention for a solemn moment as we acknowledge the passing of one of boxing's

00:14:33respected personalities, highly regarded and much loved boxing trainer Oscar Suarez, passed

00:14:39away last month at the young age of 47.

00:14:43The acclaimed Suarez trained numerous world champions, including Prince Nassim Hamid and

00:14:50Johnny Tapia.

00:14:52At this time, ladies and gentlemen, we ask you to rise and remain silent as our timekeeper

00:14:57tolls ten in honor of Oscar Suarez.

00:15:13Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, may God rest his soul.

00:15:44Ladies and gentlemen, live from the Pearl Theater, a very good evening to you and welcome

00:15:51to the beautiful Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the featured bout of the

00:15:57evening brought to you by AT Entertainment and Gary Shaw Productions in association with

00:16:03the Palms Casino Resort and Showtime.

00:16:06This bout coming away is sanctioned by the IBF president Merian Muhammad, supervisor

00:16:12David McCullough, the IBO president Ed Levine, supervisor John Dodono, and the Nevada State

00:16:18Athletic Commission, the chairman is John Bailey, Commissioner Skip Avancino Jr., Bill

00:16:22Brady, T.J. Day, and Pat Lundvall, with the executive director, Keith Kaiser.

00:16:28Our physicians at ringside, Dr. Anthony Ruggiroli, Dr. William Berliner, and Dr. Damon Savala,

00:16:34and our timekeepers at the bell, also keeping count of the knockdowns, Jim Cavan and Ernie

00:16:40Haurigi.

00:16:41Introducing our three judges, scoring this bout from ringside, from Tustin, California,

00:16:47Max DeLuca, from Las Vegas, Nevada, Dave Moretti, and also from Las Vegas, C.J. Ross.

00:16:56Presenting our third man to the ring, our referee in charge of this bout, from Las Vegas,

00:17:02Jay Nadey.

00:17:06All right, fans, here we go with our main event of the evening,

00:17:1012 rounds of boxing for the IBF and IBO light heavyweight championship of the world.

00:17:16And now, ladies and gentlemen in attendance, and boxing fans joining us around the world,

00:17:23live from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, it's showtime.

00:17:31Introducing to you first, the challenger on my right, fighting out of the blue corner,

00:17:37wearing blue, black, and silver trunks, and hailing from New Haven, Connecticut.

00:17:43He weighed in at a ready 174 pounds, undefeated in his campaign in the ring, with a record

00:17:49of 26 wins, no losses, won no contest, and 17 wins coming by way of knockout.

00:17:57Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome tonight's challenger, the former WBC light heavyweight

00:18:02champion of the world.

00:18:03Introducing the undefeated, Bad Chad Dawson.

00:18:18And his opponent across the ring, the defending champion on my left, fighting out of the red

00:18:24corner, wearing silver trunks with black trim, fighting out of Tampa, Florida.

00:18:29He weighed in the same as his opponent, 174 pounds, with a record of 27 wins and 4 losses.

00:18:36He has 19 wins coming by way of knockout as a three-time world champion.

00:18:43Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the current and defending IBF and IBO light heavyweight

00:18:50champion of the world.

00:18:54Introducing Antonio, Magic Man Tarver.

00:19:06Once again, our referee in charge, Jay Nadey, now to give instructions.

00:19:14Do you have any questions?

00:19:16Just keep your belly buttons, that's the demarcation line.

00:19:19Any questions, let's go to work.

00:19:21Touch gloves, let's go to work.

00:19:29Alright, let's take a look at the text message results.

00:19:31Who will win, Tarver versus Dawson.

00:19:33And 32% said Dawson by knockout.

00:19:35That's the leader, in yellow.

00:19:41Well, the two southpaws brace for action, as do boxing fans and insiders alike.

00:19:46Al, how important are these early rounds?

00:19:48Very, very important.

00:19:50I think these first couple of rounds will tell the tale.

00:19:52The aggressiveness of Dawson.

00:19:54How well does Tarver counterpunch.

00:19:56I think it's going to be all important.

00:19:58The champion, Antonio Tarver in the silver with the black trim.

00:20:02Chad Dawson, the favored challenger in the blue, black and silver trunks.

00:20:09Dawson comes in with a very definite plan.

00:20:11Tarver, as Al pointed out, basically reacts.

00:20:13He and his team do not watch tapes.

00:20:15They feel that Tarver's skill, will, strength and experience

00:20:17have gotten him this far.

00:20:19Why change now?

00:20:21Backing right hooks by Dawson to get things going.

00:20:23You know, Tarver came out advancing.

00:20:25He's got a lot of momentum.

00:20:27He's got a lot of momentum.

00:20:29He's got a lot of momentum.

00:20:31He's got a lot of momentum.

00:20:33He's got a lot of momentum.

00:20:35He's got a lot of momentum.

00:20:38Tarver came out advancing and continues to advance.

00:20:40Chad Dawson doing something a little different.

00:20:42Moving around and backwards a little bit.

00:20:44Yeah, look for Dawson to do a lot of moving.

00:20:46Try to keep a fast pace.

00:20:48Try to wear the older Tarver out.

00:20:50Dawson has to watch for Tarver's strong left hand and uppercut.

00:20:52And you pointed out, particularly after throwing the hook.

00:20:54You can see in round one, Chad Dawson committed to go to the top.

00:20:56He's got a lot of momentum.

00:20:58He's got a lot of momentum.

00:21:00He's got a lot of momentum.

00:21:02He's got a lot of momentum.

00:21:04He's got a lot of momentum.

00:21:06Chad Dawson committed to go to the body.

00:21:08They believe that's the ticket to get to Tarver.

00:21:16Straight left.

00:21:18Just missed by Dawson.

00:21:20Both tactical fighters.

00:21:22Tarver more defensive minded.

00:21:24Fights in spurts.

00:21:26Does what he has to do to win.

00:21:28Dawson more aggressive.

00:21:30But Dawson doesn't look for the knockout.

00:21:32He just tries to win each round.

00:21:36We see early in this match

00:21:38more combination punching from Chad Dawson.

00:21:40We expect that.

00:21:44Tarver's never been stopped.

00:21:52A minute to go in the opening round.

00:21:56If there's a surprise here in this first round

00:21:58it is that

00:22:00Tarver's moving forward more

00:22:02than I would have thought he might.

00:22:06Yeah, he usually lays back.

00:22:08There's a combination.

00:22:10But it was blocked by the gloves of Tarver.

00:22:14See early the hand speed of Chad Dawson.

00:22:16If there's a big edge in this fight for him

00:22:18it's that.

00:22:20And you're right.

00:22:22Tarver coming forward early

00:22:24he's a very deliberate starter.

00:22:26We usually don't see this from him.

00:22:28And it's not to say he's definitely winning this first round

00:22:30but he is attacking.

00:22:32And there's that upper cut that we talked about.

00:22:35Missing wildly with the

00:22:37straight left.

00:22:39That's his signature punch, Tarver.

00:22:43And Dawson making Tarver miss there.

00:22:47Very elusive and fast.

00:22:51Chad Dawson.

00:22:53More than a feeling out process

00:22:55in the opening round.

00:23:05Take your time, baby.

00:23:07Move your jab.

00:23:09Cut the man off.

00:23:11Familize.

00:23:13We got to go to his body.

00:23:15I know you got to get in your rhythm.

00:23:17Let me give you some water.

00:23:19Where's the buckets?

00:23:21That's all.

00:23:23That's all.

00:23:25Speed kills, baby.

00:23:27Give him some water.

00:23:29Looking good, baby.

00:23:31Looking good.

00:23:34Take a drink, baby.

00:23:36Straight.

00:23:38Move that head side to side.

00:23:40Slip and slide.

00:23:42That's all you got to do.

00:23:46Eddie Mustafa Mohammed

00:23:48like the venerable Jimmy Williams

00:23:50but Tarver is probably the perfect trainer right now

00:23:52for Chad Dawson.

00:23:54Yeah, former light heavyweight champion

00:23:56as you pointed out.

00:23:58He's been through all this.

00:24:00He's able to counsel him not only on the X's and O's

00:24:03but the whole process.

00:24:05And the latest stuff he's been working on with Dawson

00:24:07improving his focus and defense.

00:24:09Round two.

00:24:17Let's get it over to Jim Gray.

00:24:19Alright, Steve.

00:24:21It was interesting.

00:24:23With all the talking that Antonio Tarver did

00:24:25it was Chad Dawson who had the last word.

00:24:27It was Dawson saying to Tarver right before the fight

00:24:29no more time for talking, Antonio.

00:24:32Alright, Steve.

00:24:34Alright, Jim.

00:24:36And that is exactly what Chad Dawson is doing

00:24:38and really out of character for Dawson.

00:24:40And Antonio Tarver

00:24:42famous for his final line to Roy Jones

00:24:44which we chronicled earlier.

00:24:46No more excuses, Roy.

00:24:48You know, the right hook of Chad Dawson

00:24:50is more readily

00:24:52available to him as a good punch

00:24:54than some might have thought it would be in this fight.

00:24:56He's landed several to the head

00:24:58of Antonio Tarver.

00:25:00These guys shared the same fight card

00:25:02in April. Dawson said he's more emboldened

00:25:04by his fight. There's a beautiful

00:25:06right uppercut. Right on the

00:25:08I believe it hit the chin of Chad Dawson

00:25:10and now here's a flurry by

00:25:12Dawson.

00:25:14Oh, excellent

00:25:16uppercut by Chad Dawson.

00:25:18That is finding a home and he followed up with a left.

00:25:22In this fight, hinges

00:25:24on the hand speed and

00:25:26combination punching of

00:25:28Dawson as opposed to

00:25:30the one punch that could turn this around

00:25:32a little bit for Antonio Tarver.

00:25:38Tarver having to deal with the hand speed

00:25:40the extraordinary, exceptional speed

00:25:42here of Chad Dawson.

00:25:48One of the things that you've been around... Oh, there's that hook again.

00:25:50It's so impressive

00:25:52for Dawson. You've been around so many

00:25:54sports. One thing you can't tell

00:25:56when you watch video is how fast

00:25:58somebody is. Whether it's a football player,

00:26:00basketball, or boxing. Speed

00:26:02you can't tell when you watch video.

00:26:04Antonio Tarver couldn't really gauge

00:26:06the speed of Dawson. And he doesn't watch

00:26:08tapes anyway. Yeah, exactly. But he's seen him fight

00:26:10live.

00:26:12Eddie Mustafa said

00:26:14speed kills

00:26:16Chad Dawson

00:26:18following through. Right now

00:26:20the combination punching and speed of Dawson

00:26:22is winning the day.

00:26:24Very early in this fight, of course.

00:26:26And you've got to remember, Dawson

00:26:28comes off a grueling fight

00:26:30with Glenn Johnson.

00:26:34But he came away feeling mentally stronger

00:26:36and physically stronger

00:26:38from that fight.

00:26:40And he's showing it here. The other thing

00:26:42that's different here is Antonio Tarver

00:26:44is the aggressor.

00:26:46That's different for him.

00:26:50He may rethink that.

00:26:52And Dawson

00:26:54continues to connect.

00:27:08It's going to get easier.

00:27:10But keep your focus.

00:27:12Don't lose your focus. Double

00:27:14and triple them jabs up. Move that hand

00:27:16side to side and step around

00:27:18like you're doing. That's all.

00:27:20He's too old. The game is over. But I need

00:27:22them hands up.

00:27:24The combination punching, we've

00:27:26talked about it. He doesn't

00:27:28throw just one punch at a time.

00:27:30That was a five punch combination. Everything

00:27:32did not land, but at the

00:27:34tail end is when you get those punches in.

00:27:36And here again,

00:27:38a creative combination. A right uppercut

00:27:40and a straight left. And

00:27:42nothing coming back from Tarver there

00:27:44who normally would counter that.

00:27:46Okay.

00:27:48Get the...

00:27:50Tarver most vulnerable to overhand rights.

00:27:52Remember, Dawson a

00:27:54natural right hander with good power

00:27:56in the right.

00:27:58If he can, he'll have to emulate his dad, a former

00:28:00fighter who's in his corner, Rick.

00:28:06Jimmy Williams pointed

00:28:08out that Antonio Tarver was...

00:28:10They want Dawson to throw all his

00:28:12punches so they can counter off of them.

00:28:14So far in this fight, Antonio

00:28:16hasn't been able to do that as well as he would like.

00:28:18Right now, Chad Dawson just

00:28:20brimming with confidence.

00:28:22Looking very sharp

00:28:24over the first two plus rounds.

00:28:26There's another right hand.

00:28:28Is that right we talked about by

00:28:30Dawson? Oh, another

00:28:32great right hand right on the jaw.

00:28:34And then

00:28:36flicking that jab right through the defense of

00:28:38Tarver. And here's the irony of this fight.

00:28:40It's Dawson who's counterpunching

00:28:42better than Tarver right now.

00:28:44Tarver's coming to him and Dawson

00:28:46is counterpunching him. Giving Tarver

00:28:48a little taste of his own medicine.

00:28:50Total reversal in normal form.

00:28:52Tarver's

00:28:54punches just pity Pat.

00:28:56But Dawson's punches have a lot

00:28:58of power behind them.

00:29:04Now it's Tarver

00:29:06coming forward.

00:29:08Tarver

00:29:10usually likes to lure you into the ropes

00:29:12and lure you into his power. Good uppercut

00:29:14left hand there by Tarver. That's the punch

00:29:16and it got Dawson's attention.

00:29:18Let's see how much impact that had against Dawson.

00:29:20That was a good uppercut by Tarver.

00:29:26Chad Dawson coming back from it.

00:29:28Now this is the most,

00:29:30at least lately, we have seen of

00:29:32Tony Tarver coming forward.

00:29:34Great straight left.

00:29:36Now Tarver turning on the power.

00:29:38Now we've got a fight.

00:29:42With a minute to go in round three.

00:29:44Things heating up. It's not as one sided

00:29:46as it used to be.

00:29:48It's not as one sided as it used to be.

00:29:50It's not as one sided as it used to be.

00:29:52It's not as one sided as it used to be.

00:29:54It's not as one sided as it used to be.

00:29:56Things heating up. It's not as one sided anymore.

00:29:58Tarver's landing the uppercut

00:30:00and a straight left hand in this round

00:30:02and that's changing things.

00:30:04Suddenly becoming more competitive.

00:30:06More interesting.

00:30:08Fun round.

00:30:12Very skillfully fought fight too I might add.

00:30:22This comes under the who to thunk it category

00:30:24of Dawson luring Tarver in

00:30:26and trying to counter punch.

00:30:28Dawson's finding a home now for that straight left.

00:30:32Or Tarver, excuse me.

00:30:42Less punches coming from Dawson.

00:30:44And Dawson

00:30:46mishing with the right.

00:30:48Final seconds of the third round.

00:30:50A turnaround here.

00:30:52For Antonio Tarver

00:30:54in round three.

00:31:02Take a deep breath baby.

00:31:04Relax. Now you're coming home.

00:31:06That's where we got to put the pressure on.

00:31:08Go behind the jab.

00:31:10If not jab, I want you to be slipping and move.

00:31:12Go to the body.

00:31:14Chad Dawson started out this round as he did the first two rounds.

00:31:16Counter punching very effectively.

00:31:18That's the right hook

00:31:20combination punching that we saw.

00:31:22And the right hook's been a very effective weapon for him.

00:31:24However, this is the punch

00:31:26that ultimately could be a game changer

00:31:28if he lands it right.

00:31:30That was a pretty good uppercut by Tarver.

00:31:32It didn't land perfectly but it could be

00:31:34a portent of things to come.

00:31:36And later on in the round

00:31:38as you see him still trying to get that uppercut in

00:31:40the straight left hand for Tarver

00:31:42there was a beauty by Antonio Tarver.

00:31:44He's getting that punch in as well.

00:31:46A bit of a turnaround in round three.

00:31:51Do you think we should see

00:31:53Dawson targeting the body more here?

00:31:55I mean, that's one of his

00:31:57good points, isn't it?

00:31:59He started it, Steve, and you're absolutely right.

00:32:01In rounds two and three

00:32:03he stopped going to the body as much as he was

00:32:05in round one.

00:32:07There it is. He heard you.

00:32:09See, they listen to you, these fighters.

00:32:11I don't think we were talking that loudly.

00:32:15Oh, what a straight left.

00:32:17Yeah, by Antonio Tarver.

00:32:20Who started to come on in the third round.

00:32:22Stop!

00:32:24You don't need to push.

00:32:26He's the 83rd man in the ring.

00:32:28He tells Dawson, you don't have to push.

00:32:30And Dawson said, well, I had a reason

00:32:32to push because the other guy

00:32:34is being rough.

00:32:36You know, Dawson is starting to go back downstairs again.

00:32:40Trying to get the 39, soon-to-be

00:32:4240-year-old Tarver in trouble

00:32:44later in the fight.

00:32:46Tarver's jab, by the way, now becoming

00:32:48a more important weapon in this fight,

00:32:50and that's helping in these rounds.

00:32:53These are two good fighters.

00:32:55Really, really, really good fighters.

00:32:59Pumping that left straight forward

00:33:01is Chad Dawson pushing Tarver back

00:33:03with authority.

00:33:11Tarver knows Dawson's good.

00:33:13He's got power, he's got skill.

00:33:15He was just trying to get inside the head

00:33:17of Dawson, and Chad Dawson

00:33:19said he just wanted to shut Tarver's mouth.

00:33:23Well, Antonio Tarver is a wordsmith,

00:33:25he's a spin doctor. Oh, nice right hand

00:33:27by Dawson, so

00:33:29clearly he can annoy you.

00:33:31Dawson's having a pretty good round here

00:33:33in round four.

00:33:35And again, it's by virtue of that

00:33:37exceptional speed.

00:33:39You just don't see the punch.

00:33:41Some great body shots by Chad Dawson.

00:33:43Then he goes upstairs.

00:33:46Now, in fairness, some of those punches

00:33:48being blocked by Antonio Tarver,

00:33:50but because he's throwing so many,

00:33:52Dawson is getting some in, for sure.

00:33:54The body shots more so are getting in

00:33:56as opposed to the higher shots.

00:33:58They're being blocked. There's Tarver

00:34:00who tried a body shot with the left hand, but

00:34:04it was blocked.

00:34:08Dawson missing with a straight left.

00:34:12Tarver able to elude that one.

00:34:16Tarver chasing Dawson around the ring,

00:34:18but not very effective, though.

00:34:22He's not getting anything through.

00:34:24And let me tell you, it's not his normal style.

00:34:26So that's why Tarver's maybe

00:34:28a little bit off here in some respects.

00:34:30Maybe trying to throw Dawson off,

00:34:32because, you know, Dawson does watch tapes,

00:34:34and he's seeing a different

00:34:36style of boxing.

00:34:38He's not getting anything through.

00:34:40And let me tell you, it's not his normal style.

00:34:42So that's why Tarver's maybe

00:34:44seeing a different Antonio Tarver here,

00:34:46but not really having

00:34:48effect. That was a balance shot.

00:34:52Oh, again, the great lightning speed

00:34:54of Chad Dawson

00:34:56landing.

00:34:58Hey, let's go over to Jim Gray. Jim.

00:35:00All right, Steve. Thank you very much.

00:35:02Here with the host tonight, Gavin Maloof.

00:35:04He, along with his brothers, own the Sacramento Kings

00:35:06and the Palms Hotel here. You're very fond of

00:35:08Chad Dawson. Is this like watching a Kings game for you?

00:35:10Well, it is. I know Chad

00:35:12personally. We promoted a fight in Sacramento

00:35:14at Oracle Arena. He's a wonderful

00:35:16person, great family, so I'm very

00:35:18nervous. And the boxing game is something

00:35:20you guys really want to get involved in more, correct?

00:35:22We do. We've had our

00:35:24kind of dipped our toe in it. We enjoy

00:35:26it. We've always loved boxing.

00:35:28Sacramento Kings are here against the Lakers. How's your

00:35:30Kings club this year? We're going to be good.

00:35:32We're going to be good. We've got a young squad, but

00:35:34we've got a good nucleus of veterans

00:35:36and young players,

00:35:38so we'll hopefully make the playoffs

00:35:40this year. Catch your breath, Gavin.

00:35:42We appreciate your time. We want to wish your brother

00:35:44Joe Maloof, who's home watching, he had a double knee

00:35:46replacement. Best to you, Joe. Thanks for having us.

00:35:48Alright, Steve. Back to you.

00:35:50Okay, Jim. Thanks very much.

00:35:52Talked to Joe the other day. Ironic.

00:35:54He was so anxious to have this fight here.

00:35:56Couldn't attend because of the knee surgery.

00:35:58Round 5.

00:36:00It is scheduled for 12.

00:36:02The IBF Light Heavyweight Championship.

00:36:04Antonio Tarver,

00:36:06the silver with the black trim.

00:36:08Chad Dawson, the blue, black, and silver.

00:36:14Generally a good start

00:36:16for Chad Dawson. Straight left hand,

00:36:18pushed Tarver back.

00:36:20That may have rocked him, Steve.

00:36:22Yeah, it stunned him momentarily.

00:36:24And here's Dawson going to work

00:36:26with lefts and rights.

00:36:28He is dangerous with both hands.

00:36:32You mentioned that Antonio Tarver has never

00:36:34been stopped in his long pro career.

00:36:38Take a look at press roll.

00:36:40David Avila from sweetscience.com.

00:36:42Jeff Haney, Las Vegas.

00:36:44Kevin Aioli, Yahoo Sports.

00:36:46Paul Dawson.

00:36:48I have it

00:36:5039-37 for Dawson.

00:36:54So that's his 4.

00:37:00You know, this fight,

00:37:02give Dawson, Chad Dawson credit.

00:37:04He has made Antonio Tarver come to him.

00:37:06Although Tarver started it right from the beginning.

00:37:08And it's been

00:37:10a different kind of fight than we might have

00:37:12anticipated with Dawson

00:37:14doing the chasing.

00:37:16And Chad Dawson

00:37:18doesn't seem to mind. No, no.

00:37:20Which is interesting. He's been countering well.

00:37:22Look at the hand speed. He's getting those

00:37:24punches through. Right now over

00:37:26matching the champion.

00:37:28Chad Dawson looking for

00:37:30his second title belt.

00:37:32He gave up the WBC belt

00:37:34to fight Tarver.

00:37:36Tarver missing.

00:37:38Dawson just too young,

00:37:40too fresh, too fast.

00:37:42And look at that.

00:37:44Everything landing

00:37:46now.

00:37:48He's beginning to slow Tarver down even more.

00:37:50It's quite apparent

00:37:52that for Antonio Tarver to win this

00:37:54fight, he's going to have to land a game changer.

00:37:56Some punch that's really

00:37:58going to hurt Chad Dawson.

00:38:00And that might have been it. A straight

00:38:02hand there by Chad Dawson.

00:38:04You're talking about Tarver, of course, but that was quite a

00:38:06shot. There's another left hand right

00:38:08onto the head by Dawson.

00:38:12And it's like, you know, one at a time.

00:38:14One and done for Tarver

00:38:16as Dawson puts together nice combinations.

00:38:20Look out.

00:38:22Killed about 40 flies. I'm really surprised

00:38:24Antonio Tarver doesn't try to

00:38:26lay back, make Dawson come to him

00:38:28a little bit, at least try it in one round

00:38:30and see if he can counter the young

00:38:32fighter. Instead he's just going

00:38:34after him. I would be surprised if

00:38:36he doesn't turn to his

00:38:38usual

00:38:40strategy soon.

00:38:50Tarver used to stealing rounds

00:38:52but he's so far behind in the round.

00:38:54How do you steal it?

00:39:00Sixth round coming up. Sixth round.

00:39:04Give him some water.

00:39:08Buff, this is the coming out

00:39:10party for Chad Dawson on Boxing

00:39:12Center stage. I'll tell

00:39:14you what, he's making the most of it.

00:39:16These combinations, the quick

00:39:18hand speed and power to go along

00:39:20with it, they've been very impressive for Chad

00:39:22Dawson. And what's interesting about

00:39:24Dawson is he has the complete arsenal

00:39:26of punches. He is a joy to watch

00:39:28because he goes to both the body

00:39:30and the head. And this

00:39:32hand speed is bedeviling Antonio

00:39:34Tarver. Tarver's able to cover up

00:39:36and block some of those but not able to go

00:39:38back on offense and counterpunch.

00:39:46Well we talked about that earlier,

00:39:48Eddie Mustafa Muhammad working very hard

00:39:50with Dawson on the focus.

00:39:52You know, he's a kid, he's

00:39:54only 26. Your mind wanders

00:39:56after you get a head.

00:39:58So Mustafa Muhammad has to stay on

00:40:00top of him for that. And also there's

00:40:02always a point in a Chad Dawson fight

00:40:04it came against Tomas Adamek, it came against

00:40:06Harding, it came against Glenn Johnson

00:40:08and Johnson really got back in the fight and started

00:40:10getting very close where something

00:40:12often happens where big punches

00:40:14land. Exactly right, he got overconfident

00:40:16in that Adamek fight

00:40:18for the title and went down in the 10th

00:40:20round. And we see it with

00:40:22a couple other punches even after that but of course

00:40:24he persevered very well and won the

00:40:26fight. But you couldn't find a more

00:40:28different fight between this one and

00:40:30Dawson's last fight with

00:40:32Glenn Johnson. That was just a war.

00:40:34This is more one-sided for Dawson.

00:40:40There's the straight left.

00:40:42Antonio Tarver, you know, for the most part

00:40:44that jab and straight left hand

00:40:46is a great, great weapon for

00:40:48him. He's

00:40:50landed some good straight lefts in this

00:40:52fight but not quite the one he wants.

00:40:56Dawson now not throwing many punches,

00:40:58a lot of movement.

00:41:00Well, I think part of his strategy is

00:41:02tire the guy out, he's almost 40 years old

00:41:04take him some rounds

00:41:06and he'll tire out, let's see what happens.

00:41:10He may be

00:41:12giving Tarver a chance to win this round

00:41:14though, Tarver's doing some good work.

00:41:16It looks like Dawson's taking this

00:41:18round up.

00:41:22Now not everything landing there for Tarver

00:41:24but he's doing a lot of

00:41:26throwing. Oh, big left

00:41:28hand by Tarver but Dawson

00:41:30stood up to it.

00:41:34His chin was questionable

00:41:36at some point but

00:41:40he answered to some wicked shots by

00:41:42Glenn Johnson. How do you figure this round

00:41:44Steve? I mean, Dawson has done

00:41:46almost nothing offensively. Is he trying

00:41:48to tire Tarver out by making him throw a lot of

00:41:50punches? He's giving the round away for sure.

00:41:52It's the only thing I can think of. Is he

00:41:54playing possum here? He's just covering up

00:41:56and playing defense and now

00:41:58sort of inviting Tarver in.

00:42:00That could be dangerous and he's

00:42:02motioning Tarver, you know what, you can throw

00:42:04what you want but you're not hurting me.

00:42:06Interesting. Now he's

00:42:08using psychology

00:42:10on Tarver. Maybe

00:42:12he's trying to make Tarver punch himself

00:42:14out and have a real active round

00:42:16and now if he comes back in his later

00:42:18seconds thinking maybe he'll steal the round

00:42:20Dawson that is, we'll see.

00:42:24For the first time now, Dawson pursuing

00:42:26Tarver.

00:42:28Boy, what an intriguing round. Oh, it really is.

00:42:32Let's see if Dawson looks to finish it stronger.

00:42:3420 seconds. Step back please. He'd have to

00:42:36finish it real strong to win this round.

00:42:38He has not won this round but let's

00:42:40see if he at least lets loose a little.

00:42:42You know what, I think he's just trying to

00:42:44prove something to Tarver. He's talking to

00:42:46Tarver. This is intriguing.

00:42:48He's saying, you know what, you can hit me with your best shot

00:42:50he is talking to him and nothing's

00:42:52happening. He's trying to get

00:42:54inside Tarver's head and what a switch.

00:43:00Well, Denise Tarver

00:43:02she almost just took a left to the head.

00:43:06It's a bad night for the Tarvers.

00:43:08Deep breath baby, just relax. We got a whole minute here.

00:43:16Relax yourself.

00:43:18Hold your head with the bucket.

00:43:20Hold your head with the bucket a little bit.

00:43:24I'll clean that up.

00:43:26Great job, great job team.

00:43:28Go get the towel.

00:43:32And so Tarver had an excellent round.

00:43:34Now, Dawson allowed him

00:43:36to have an excellent round and it may have been

00:43:38gamesmanship on Dawson's part.

00:43:40He talked to him a lot. Did he

00:43:42want Tarver to do this?

00:43:44He talked to him a lot and punched himself out

00:43:46but certainly he won the round.

00:43:48Floyd Mayweather Jr.

00:43:50who is, by all accounts, pretty enamored

00:43:52with Chad Dawson as an overall boxer.

00:43:54He, of course,

00:43:56here in the arena. You'd think a guy of that

00:43:58stature, even though he's not fighting

00:44:00anymore, but

00:44:02you'd think he'd get better seats.

00:44:04I know. He's a Bob Uker up there.

00:44:06Man, nosebleed.

00:44:08Well, anyway, let's see where

00:44:10Dawson picks up here in round

00:44:12What a twist. Dawson doing

00:44:14the talking, not Tarver.

00:44:16Well, it's an interesting pivotal round now, too, because Dawson

00:44:18by all accounts gave away the last round.

00:44:20And I think Tarver

00:44:22has won two of the first six rounds.

00:44:24You can say two or one.

00:44:26Now it's welcome back Dawson

00:44:28as he chops away.

00:44:32Look at these

00:44:34hard body shots and then upstairs goes

00:44:36Chad Dawson

00:44:38flailing away, winging

00:44:40and just like an octopus

00:44:42smothering Tarver on the ropes.

00:44:52There's

00:44:54press throw and it's still all

00:44:56Dawson. The biggest disparity is Jeff

00:44:58Haney, the Las Vegas Sun.

00:45:00I have a 58-56 for Dawson,

00:45:02so I agree with Kevin Aioli

00:45:04and Jeff Haney.

00:45:06And this round, obviously, Dawson's been

00:45:08much more aggressive and

00:45:10has controlled it,

00:45:12so it makes you feel like it was a deliberate

00:45:14ploy in round six to fight the way

00:45:16he did. I don't think

00:45:18there's any question about it.

00:45:20Unless we

00:45:22completely misread that, but I doubt it.

00:45:24Midway through the

00:45:26seven. Oh, nice

00:45:28right hand. It wasn't flush, but

00:45:30it got Tarver's attention. Thank you.

00:45:32Tarver himself doing some body work in this

00:45:34round, but Dawson has done

00:45:36a lot of body work. That's a five-punch

00:45:38combination. That's as pretty as it gets.

00:45:40Tarver has no answer

00:45:42for that hand speed of Chad Dawson.

00:45:46Tarver is using his jab

00:45:48a lot more in the last three or four rounds,

00:45:50and that's helped him, especially in the last one

00:45:52when he did a really good job. There's the uppercut,

00:45:54but those punches not having a monstrous

00:45:56effect on Chad Dawson. Not much steam

00:45:58behind him.

00:46:02Oh, body shots just taking

00:46:04it out of Tarver. Jay Nadey cautioning

00:46:06Dawson to get the punches higher.

00:46:16Oh, these inside uppercuts. A little holding and

00:46:18hitting by Dawson.

00:46:24Dawson on the attack,

00:46:26and then he lets up.

00:46:28Jay Nadey, not a guy

00:46:30who allows a lot of clinching or grabbing.

00:46:32It may not

00:46:34factor in this fight, although it could

00:46:36as this fight wears on

00:46:38if Tarver gets tired.

00:46:40Both men have been working

00:46:42a lot in the inside when they're there.

00:46:54Well, it's always a

00:46:56family affair with

00:46:58Chad Dawson.

00:47:00Still on hand.

00:47:02Now,

00:47:04I'll give you a dollar. Is that Prince or Chance?

00:47:08Tough to tell.

00:47:16We will show you

00:47:18in graphic terms how these

00:47:20combinations go. The

00:47:22left, a couple of left hands,

00:47:24and the right.

00:47:26You'll see these punches as they

00:47:28flow in combination.

00:47:30Double jab, then he

00:47:32goes to the body, and what's interesting about

00:47:34these combinations are, he

00:47:36mixes them to the head and the body.

00:47:38Chad Dawson is so fast, he

00:47:40makes you get in the

00:47:42defensive posture. There's a triple

00:47:44jab that lands to the head

00:47:46of Antonio Tarver.

00:47:50Tough night for Tarver. Big night for

00:47:52Chad Dawson, who says,

00:47:54you know what, I'm not about the belts.

00:47:56That's why he gave up the WBC belt.

00:47:58He says, hey, I'll be honest, I'm about the money,

00:48:00and about getting the best

00:48:02fights, and about going

00:48:04to the next level and someday

00:48:06being pound for pound number one.

00:48:08That's the philosophy of Chad

00:48:10Dawson. Now, I,

00:48:12on my scorecard,

00:48:14probably on two of our

00:48:16press roll scores, I have

00:48:18Dawson ahead by three points at this

00:48:20juncture. Of course, the official judges

00:48:22can see it differently. So this is a fight that

00:48:24Antonio Tarver's not out of by any stretch

00:48:26of the imagination, but he's going to have

00:48:28to perform better in these middle rounds

00:48:30to try and win some or land something

00:48:32really big to turn the tide.

00:48:34And the problem there is, though, Al,

00:48:36Dawson is repeatedly

00:48:38making Tarver miss.

00:48:40I mean, Tarver's getting some punches

00:48:42in there, but they don't have the kind of

00:48:44power that Dawson's punches have.

00:48:46It's got to be frustrating to Tarver.

00:48:48And Dawson's defense, sometimes

00:48:50a little underrated, has been very good

00:48:52in this fight for the most part.

00:49:09Between rounds last time

00:49:11Tarver's corner was telling him

00:49:13the only way you can win this is

00:49:15by a knockout.

00:49:17Well, they may be right.

00:49:19Well, that may be a little overstatement,

00:49:21but I think they're trying to get their man to

00:49:23focus and get some things

00:49:25done here.

00:49:27Dawson's never lost. He's 26-0

00:49:29with no contest.

00:49:3117 knockouts. Tarver, 27

00:49:33for 19 knockouts. Tarver

00:49:35never stopped.

00:49:37This is another round on which Ted Dawson

00:49:39runs the risk of allowing Tarver

00:49:41to steal, and there's a great combination by Dawson.

00:49:43A little bit of swelling

00:49:45along the right eye of Dawson.

00:49:47Dawson

00:49:49went into this fight not looking

00:49:51for the knockout. I asked him about that. I said,

00:49:53do you want to be the first guy to stop Tarver?

00:49:55He said, no, it's not my mindset, but he sure

00:49:57is doing a number on him.

00:49:59Those are great combinations, and

00:50:01he's a very precise puncher, Chad Dawson.

00:50:03He just wants to win.

00:50:05He doesn't care how it comes.

00:50:07I'm going to tell you what this also puts in perspective.

00:50:09How terrific

00:50:11Glenn Johnson was in his last fight

00:50:13against Dawson. Dawson fought the same way

00:50:15when Johnson was there laying in there.

00:50:17Now Tarver getting raked over the coals.

00:50:19Dawson turns it up. This is just

00:50:21an unmerciful

00:50:23beating that

00:50:25last sequence.

00:50:33And Tarver's punch is very much arm punches.

00:50:35That clip,

00:50:37Dawson, that left hand, didn't have

00:50:39full impact.

00:50:41Right above us. Dawson will explode

00:50:43here in a minute.

00:50:45There he goes. He hears the final 10 seconds.

00:50:51Beautiful left-right combination. Uppercut,

00:50:53straight left. That was impressive

00:50:55by Dawson.

00:51:03You know they're not going to give us

00:51:05a decision. You know that.

00:51:07We have to knock this guy out. You know that.

00:51:09Come on.

00:51:11Sit down on your punches.

00:51:13Step to the side sometimes.

00:51:15Improvise.

00:51:17Let your hands do it.

00:51:19Come on.

00:51:21Don't give this guy this

00:51:23belt, man.

00:51:25Now here's

00:51:27where the defense of Dawson

00:51:29that we talked about is in play.

00:51:31But then he takes advantage of it.

00:51:33And Gil Clancy,

00:51:35the great fight trainer and broadcaster,

00:51:37his words were

00:51:39make him miss and make him pay.

00:51:41And that's exactly what

00:51:43Chad Dawson did there.

00:51:45Made Tarver miss and then unleashed those combinations.

00:51:47And you heard the frustration

00:51:49in the voice of

00:51:51Jimmy Williams,

00:51:53one of the great people in boxing,

00:51:55the trainer for Tarver.

00:51:57Tarver, almost a look of resignation,

00:51:59very discouraged.

00:52:01As we hit round 9

00:52:03of the IBF Light Heavyweight Championship,

00:52:05a destination fight,

00:52:07that a lot of people have been waiting a long time for.

00:52:09And

00:52:11it is turning

00:52:13into a big night for Chad Dawson

00:52:15if he can hold on here.

00:52:17You know, it's interesting. It's not that Antonio Tarver

00:52:19hasn't gotten a few things done in this fight.

00:52:21Landing some punches,

00:52:23but just not nearly

00:52:25enough. Chad Dawson's

00:52:27volume of punches is so much better

00:52:29and his accuracy is better.

00:52:31And another look at

00:52:33Kressrow.

00:52:35Let's see.

00:52:37Jeff Haney has it 79-73.

00:52:39According to the Kressrow judges,

00:52:41if Tarver wins the final four rounds,

00:52:43the best he can get is a majority draw.

00:52:45Yeah, I'm on board with the 78-74

00:52:47scores.

00:52:49Tarver again pushing forward.

00:52:51And again, he's fighting a fight

00:52:53that is different strategically

00:52:55than he is used to.

00:52:57When that happens, he's got to

00:52:59do what he's used to. When that happens

00:53:01sometimes, you're not going to be

00:53:03quite as effective.

00:53:05Now, of course, he has to come forward.

00:53:07He's so far behind in this fight.

00:53:11Yeah, we are getting

00:53:13to that point where Tarver is going to need something dramatic.

00:53:15It's ironic.

00:53:17Dawson, they sparred with Derek Harmon,

00:53:19a good veteran left-hander,

00:53:21who's very good at counter-punching and emulating

00:53:23what Tarver did. And yet, they haven't

00:53:25had to face that exact style.

00:53:27It's been different. He was able to lure Tarver in

00:53:29and be the counter-puncher and the

00:53:31boxer himself, Chad Dawson.

00:53:33Tarver's fought a few southpaws.

00:53:35He had a little problem in the first fight with Harding.

00:53:37Jeff Harding, he won the second fight.

00:53:39And Harding put Dawson down

00:53:41in the first round. Dawson came back and won.

00:53:43Yes, indeed. He fought Reggie Johnson,

00:53:45did Tarver.

00:53:47I think that was a split-decision win for Tarver.

00:53:49And then a couple of more guys

00:53:51but, you know, nondescript.

00:53:53It's different for both these men.

00:53:55You know, you don't see that many lefties

00:53:57if you're a lefty.

00:53:59Tarver's landed

00:54:01some good straight lefts in this round.

00:54:03They're not hurting

00:54:05Chad Dawson. This is one of the closer

00:54:07rounds of the last few.

00:54:09Whether Tarver's doing enough to win it

00:54:11remains to be seen.

00:54:13It's a more active round for Tarver.

00:54:15More aggressive. But back comes Dawson

00:54:17here.

00:54:19A series of blows to the head.

00:54:21There's that beautiful

00:54:23uppercut straight left combination

00:54:25again by Dawson. That has worked

00:54:27throughout the night.

00:54:31And he's smart. He throws that

00:54:33uppercut from close, close range.

00:54:35Antonio Tarver

00:54:37wanted to switch to righty there.

00:54:39I don't think that'd be a terrible idea

00:54:41just to change up a little bit against Dawson.

00:54:43Wicked body work here.

00:54:45And then the left uppercut to the chin.

00:54:47Right on the point of the chin.

00:54:49Right on the point of the chin

00:54:51of Antonio Tarver.

00:54:57Let's go over to Karen Bryant.

00:54:59Alright, thanks very much Steve. I'm here with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

00:55:01Now Floyd, who did you like coming into the fight

00:55:03tonight and what do you think of the action so far?

00:55:05Antonio Tarver was my

00:55:07Olympic teammate. Chad Dawson

00:55:09worked with my dad. And Chad Dawson

00:55:11is one hell of a fighter and Tarver's a good fighter.

00:55:13I'll just come see a good fight tonight.

00:55:15Is anything surprising though? Because it is

00:55:17a pretty good fight, but kind of one-sided.

00:55:19Well, you know, right now

00:55:21I think Chad Dawson is

00:55:23the best fighter in the world.

00:55:25As of right now, I feel that he's underrated.

00:55:27He really don't get the credit that he really deserves.

00:55:29I think he's the best fighter out there right now.

00:55:31You don't look like you've let yourself go in retirement

00:55:33here. So are you getting inspired? Do you want to get back up in there?

00:55:35No, I'm just here

00:55:37to support young fighters like Chad Dawson

00:55:39and all the fighters

00:55:41that's out there that's fighting right now.

00:55:43They got mixed martial arts that they're showing

00:55:45on Showtime. So many big fights

00:55:47out there. I wish all the fighters nothing but the best.

00:55:49So you're staying retired? Oh, absolutely.

00:55:51Well, thanks for joining us. Enjoy the fight.

00:55:53And not a bad dancer

00:55:55either. Yeah, he did a pretty good

00:55:57job. Round 10.

00:55:59Thank you, Karen.

00:56:03A lot of boxers in, you know, Winky Wright,

00:56:05Paulie Malignaggi in the house.

00:56:07And of course, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

00:56:09to see this fight.

00:56:11Look at Dawson going to work here.

00:56:13All over Tarver.

00:56:15Tarver did switch to

00:56:17I.D. momentarily. And guess what?

00:56:19I thought it might be an interesting idea

00:56:21at least to switch up. Didn't work.

00:56:23And nothing seems to be working for him.

00:56:25He alluded

00:56:27to Tarver. He was his

00:56:29Olympic teammate

00:56:31in the

00:56:33Olympic Games and

00:56:35didn't win the gold medal.

00:56:37But he was a great amateur,

00:56:39Antonio Tarver.

00:56:41Tarver looking like he's toward the end of his

00:56:43professional career.

00:56:45Thunderous body shots here

00:56:47by Chad Dawson.

00:56:49Have to be wearing Tarver out.

00:56:53Dawson showing the skill.

00:56:55That was a triple jab. I mean, that was like

00:56:576, 7, 8 unanswered punches

00:56:59by Dawson. Don't bump your heads.

00:57:01Chad Dawson is putting on a brilliant

00:57:03performance. There's no question about it.

00:57:05And I don't think Antonio

00:57:07Tarver's fought terribly

00:57:09by any stretch. It's just that he can't

00:57:11get the job done here tonight.

00:57:13Yeah, he's not, you know, he's not laboring.

00:57:15No. Like we've seen in some of his

00:57:17fights since the Hopkins fight.

00:57:19He's hanging in there.

00:57:21He's thrown some good punches and even

00:57:23some good combinations, but it's just that

00:57:25Dawson's volume, speed

00:57:27and in some cases power has

00:57:29been too much.

00:57:31Watch your heads.

00:57:33Don't bump your heads.

00:57:35Well, Tarver

00:57:37trying to test the will

00:57:39of Chad Dawson, but

00:57:41he can't get anything going.

00:57:43What a left hand by Dawson.

00:57:45There's almost a

00:57:47I don't want to use the word arrogance because that's not really

00:57:49the right word. Super confidence

00:57:51if you will about the way Dawson's

00:57:53fighting right now. Letting Tarver come in, do what he

00:57:55wants, then says, you know what, I'll just turn this

00:57:57around whenever I feel like it.

00:57:59And certainly by far

00:58:01not in awe of the environment

00:58:03in his biggest

00:58:05fight.

00:58:09Oh, look at that.

00:58:11The uppercut straight through the guard.

00:58:13Everything pushes Tarver

00:58:15back.

00:58:27You know, they're both doing

00:58:29even Antonio Tarver, you know, he's throwing a lot of

00:58:31creative combinations, some different kinds

00:58:33of punches. They're both doing

00:58:35the same thing. Dawson's just doing it

00:58:37quicker and better.

00:58:41Antonio Tarver almost 14 years

00:58:43older than Chad

00:58:45Dawson.

00:58:47And right now

00:58:49youth is prevailing.

00:58:51Back comes Dawson

00:58:53non-stop.

00:58:57Well, how about another interested spectator?

00:58:59There is the Raging Bull

00:59:01Victor Cheney of the current IBF Junior

00:59:03Bantamweight Champion. Up that

00:59:05impressive win over Dimitri Carillo.

00:59:07He'll fight next month on Showtime against

00:59:09really one of the top

00:59:11fighters around, Christian Baharis from Mexico

00:59:13for the

00:59:15unified super flyweight title.

00:59:17Can't wait for that fight. It's going to be at the

00:59:19Home Depot Center. Same site as two of

00:59:21the Rafael Marquez-Israel Vasquez

00:59:23fights. Do we dare think it will be that

00:59:25good? I don't know, but it's going to be

00:59:27a really good one.

00:59:47Well, you

00:59:49sense the urgency, of course,

00:59:51in the corner with Jimmy Williams in the face

00:59:53of Antonio Tarver.

00:59:55You know, Tarver just said, I hear you, man.

00:59:57But it's tough.

00:59:59He has tried to hurt Chad Dawson. He has

01:00:01hit him with some pretty good straight left hands,

01:00:03some decent uppercuts. They've not

01:00:05been able to get the job done in terms

01:00:07of really hurting him.

01:00:09Round 11.

01:00:11What is known as the Championship Round

01:00:13is for the IBF

01:00:15Light Heavyweight Championship.

01:00:21You know what is interesting? We're in round 11.

01:00:23Tarver, the 39-year-old,

01:00:25soon to be 40. His punch output

01:00:27is good. You know, he's throwing a lot

01:00:29of punches, but he's just not landing

01:00:31as many or as effective

01:00:33as Chad Dawson is.

01:00:39And you see

01:00:41their record past the

01:00:4310th round. Both these men

01:00:45have gone there, Tarver obviously more experienced,

01:00:47gone there more times with a

01:00:49not quite perfect record like Chad Dawson.

01:00:54Tarver having

01:00:56a good 11th round.

01:00:58Dawson's kind of allowing it again.

01:01:02But we expect Dawson to come out with a

01:01:04flurry like he has.

01:01:06Dawson going 12 rounds

01:01:08his last fight. Also with

01:01:10Adamek and Harding. There's a look at

01:01:12Kress Rowe. And the

01:01:14gap is widening. According

01:01:16to the judges after 10,

01:01:18Dawson's leads continue to grow and

01:01:20it's now a unanimous decision.

01:01:22I have a 98-93, so I'm right

01:01:24in the ballpark. I'm at an even round.

01:01:268-6 in 6

01:01:28points.

01:01:34Again, not to

01:01:36sound repetitive, but

01:01:38pretty obvious, Dawson needs a

01:01:40knockout. Tarver needs a knockout.

01:01:46The rest of the judges

01:01:48here are seeing a completely different fight.

01:01:50Now this round has been a good

01:01:52round for Antonio Tarver. We mentioned

01:01:54earlier how Dawson, late in

01:01:56the Adamek round, Adamek fight

01:01:58was stunned. Glenn Johnson also

01:02:00had a little trouble later. But

01:02:02Tarver hasn't shown the ability to hurt

01:02:04him so far in this fight. But

01:02:06Tarver does have power.

01:02:08The official judges, Max Deluca from

01:02:10Tustin, California. Dave Moretti, Las Vegas.

01:02:12And C.J. Ross

01:02:14from Las Vegas.

01:02:16Dawson may have given away

01:02:18too much in this round to still win it, unless

01:02:20he lands a lot of big punches.

01:02:22He's hitting Tarver here towards the

01:02:24end of the round with some very hard shots.

01:02:28Dawson, I'll tell you one thing, at least

01:02:30Tarver is showing mettle. Yes.

01:02:32He's showing resolve.

01:02:34He's standing up to some

01:02:36very, very wicked punches.

01:02:40No knockdowns in the fight.

01:02:42Tarver's been

01:02:44Tarver's been down

01:02:46two times. As mentioned, never stopped.

01:02:48Dawson

01:02:50goes for the record down three times

01:02:52in his career.

01:03:00Hey, last round.

01:03:02Alright? Talk to me.

01:03:04Last round.

01:03:06Be careful. Hands up.

01:03:08If you're inside, Chad, dig to the body.

01:03:10Don't give him this round.

01:03:12Alright? Don't give him the round.

01:03:14If he comes, let him come in.

01:03:16You stop, bend that leg, and dig to the body.

01:03:22This is the last round.

01:03:2430 seconds.

01:03:26Let me get one more.

01:03:32Slow, deep breath.

01:03:34Come on. Exhale.

01:03:36We got that knockout to win.

01:03:38You know that.

01:03:40Okay.

01:03:42Well,

01:03:44I was waiting for Jimmy Williams

01:03:46to say that, and finally,

01:03:48seconds before Tarver

01:03:50stands up, he whispered

01:03:52in his ear, you got to knock him out

01:03:54to win.

01:03:56And prophetic words in

01:03:58the corner of Dawson that he

01:04:00was talking about, telling him,

01:04:02don't make mistakes,

01:04:04and don't give him this round,

01:04:06because you never know.

01:04:08He has given one or two rounds away, Chad Dawson.

01:04:14Dawson has been down late.

01:04:16And here we go, round 12

01:04:18for the IBF Light Heavyweight

01:04:20Championship, but Dawson continues

01:04:22to come cold

01:04:24and just strafe

01:04:26Tarver with shot after shot.

01:04:28Again, the blazing hand speed

01:04:30blurring his way through

01:04:32to Dawson, to Tarver's head.

01:04:34Chad Dawson

01:04:36plays defense...

01:04:38Down goes Antonio Tarver,

01:04:40yet the glove touched the canvas.

01:04:42It's a knockdown.

01:04:48Tarver down for the third

01:04:50time.

01:04:52We're down against Hopkins

01:04:54and Harding in his earlier fights,

01:04:56and that just solidifies it.

01:05:00You know, I was saying, Dawson plays defense

01:05:02on offense. You can't punch back

01:05:04when he's throwing these kind of combinations.

01:05:06He's too fast.

01:05:14What a superb performance by Chad Dawson.

01:05:16You know, unless

01:05:18Tarver could find a way to

01:05:20find lightning in a bottle here

01:05:22in this 12th round.

01:05:24Tarver did not hurt

01:05:26as a result of that knockdown, but put down.

01:05:28Well, Dawson told

01:05:30Al that he wanted to punish

01:05:32Antonio Tarver, and he's

01:05:34been doing that. Oh, another great right

01:05:36hand, right on the chin by Dawson.

01:05:40Truth be told, I think...

01:05:42Oh, wow, there's a nice uppercut by Tarver.

01:05:44That's what he's been looking for, but

01:05:46I think that uppercut

01:05:48had a little bit of an effect on Chad Dawson.

01:05:50Yeah, he slowed him down a little bit.

01:05:52How much, we don't know.

01:05:54One minute to go. He's got to be careful

01:05:56because Tarver's desperate now.

01:05:58Tarver got his attention.

01:06:00Very late in this fight, but he got his attention.

01:06:02I'll tell you what, Dawson's a fan-fighter.

01:06:04He's a crowd-pleaser because he could be

01:06:06laying back and hiding right now.

01:06:08But he's coming forward and engaging Tarver.

01:06:10Both men deserve credit.

01:06:12Dawson engaging at Tarver

01:06:14at 39, still pumping away

01:06:16in round 12 and making

01:06:18a few things happen. An exciting

01:06:20one-sided fight. Yeah, that's exactly

01:06:22right. Most round

01:06:24here, though.

01:06:26Pretty good entertainment value here.

01:06:28Final 25 seconds. Look out!

01:06:30Tarver having himself a good 12th

01:06:32round. Yeah, he's

01:06:34probably winning this round, but

01:06:36he needs to do more than that. I think he

01:06:38won the last two, but I doubt that it's enough

01:06:40to win this fight.

01:06:42But a very exciting

01:06:44close to what was really

01:06:46a well-fought fight.

01:06:48And it's hard to win

01:06:50a round when you go down.

01:06:52Yeah, that's the problem. Let me amend that

01:06:54because of the knockdown. Yeah.

01:06:56So he probably didn't win the round.

01:06:58But he performed well.

01:07:00So that's it!

01:07:02And Mrs. Dawson

01:07:04with a big smile.

01:07:08All my fans, I love you, New Haven!

01:07:10A shout-out

01:07:12to New Haven. Mike Priscio, his

01:07:14manager, with a big embrace.

01:07:16Just a brilliant

01:07:18performance by that guy.

01:07:20And nothing to be ashamed of for Antonio

01:07:22Tarver at all.

01:07:24Good job, baby. You chased that nigga out of that

01:07:26fucking ring.

01:07:28Caught him good, Chad.

01:07:30That's my mother, sir.

01:07:42We got three down, one more to go.

01:07:44You did good, baby. So Chad

01:07:46Dawson getting hugs all

01:07:48around from

01:07:50his entourage.

01:07:52What an

01:07:54outstanding performance by this young

01:07:56man.

01:07:58All smiles.

01:08:00Well, in a round that

01:08:02otherwise he had some trouble in,

01:08:04Chad Dawson scored a knockdown

01:08:06in the 12th round.

01:08:08It came courtesy of

01:08:10actually a right hand,

01:08:12a right hook, and that had been a punch that he

01:08:14had landed repeatedly.

01:08:16And it brought an interesting reaction

01:08:22when we take a look

01:08:24at the fact that the right

01:08:26hook got there. It wasn't the best,

01:08:28by far the best punch, but it knocked him off

01:08:30balance, and once your hand hits the

01:08:32canvas, it has to appropriately be called

01:08:34a knockdown, and Jay Nadey did.

01:08:36I know, Antonio Tarver not happy

01:08:38about it. But

01:08:40when that knockdown occurred,

01:08:42Crystal Dawson

01:08:46almost lost the kid.

01:08:48Very elated over that. As well, she

01:08:50should be.

01:08:52Denise Tarver

01:08:54with what you would expect

01:08:56as a reaction. She's very involved

01:08:58in her husband's career, and

01:09:00clearly a disappointing moment

01:09:02there for her. That's something she

01:09:04often sees from her

01:09:06husband. So a

01:09:08disappointing look on the face of

01:09:10Tarver. Different story

01:09:12in the Dawson corner who now

01:09:14just waits for the official

01:09:16word. We'll get it from our man, Jimmy

01:09:18Lennon, Jr.

01:09:20Ladies

01:09:22and gentlemen, after 12 rounds

01:09:24of action here at the Palms Casino Resort

01:09:26in Las Vegas, we have a unanimous

01:09:28decision. Here are the score

01:09:30totals. Judge

01:09:32at ringside, Max DeLuca, scores

01:09:34about 118 to

01:09:36109.

01:09:38Judges Dave Moretti and

01:09:40CJ Ross both score about

01:09:42117 to

01:09:44110. All three

01:09:46in favor of the winner.

01:09:48And the new

01:09:50IBF and IBO

01:09:52light heavyweight champion of the

01:09:54world, the undefeated

01:09:56bad

01:09:58Chad

01:10:00Dawson!

01:10:02Oh!

01:10:04So there it

01:10:06is. Chad Dawson with his

01:10:08breakthrough victory.

01:10:10Youth prevails. The 26-year-old

01:10:12Dawson had lots to prove,

01:10:14waited longer than he wanted for this

01:10:16night, but the wait was worth it.

01:10:18He is the new IBF light heavyweight

01:10:20champ. The gamble

01:10:22to relinquish the WBC belt in

01:10:24favor of the higher profile

01:10:26fight paid off. I guess

01:10:28that other belt is the IBO, right?

01:10:30Yes, he did.

01:10:32Let's go inside the ropes, Al.

01:10:34Well, this fight

01:10:36was all about the hand speed

01:10:38of Chad Dawson, the combination

01:10:40punching, the creative combination

01:10:42punching to both the body and the head.

01:10:44He used

01:10:46every single weapon. Look at

01:10:48that eight or nine punch combination

01:10:50mixing both right and

01:10:52left hands to the body and the head. There is

01:10:54nothing offensively in a boxing

01:10:56ring that Chad Dawson can't do.

01:10:58And he showed every one of those

01:11:00skills to Antonio Tarver. It was

01:11:02ultimately this kind of hand speed,

01:11:04this kind of combination punching

01:11:06that got the job done. And except

01:11:08for some power punches

01:11:10that landed by Tarver, it was just

01:11:12complete control for

01:11:14Chad Dawson. So, a convincing

01:11:16victory for Chad

01:11:18Dawson. And let's get it up into the ring

01:11:20to Jim Gray. Jim.

01:11:22Alright, Steve. Thank you

01:11:24very much. Antonio, congratulations to you.

01:11:26Terrific fight. Let us

01:11:28bring in Antonio so he

01:11:30doesn't have to stand through all of this. Antonio,

01:11:32I know you must be disappointed. How would you assess

01:11:34your performance? I mean, I fought my fight.

01:11:36I mean, Chad fought his.

01:11:38I mean, I didn't get hurt.

01:11:40It was a slip, a push down on the

01:11:42knockdown. They ruled it a 10-8 round.

01:11:44But, overall, you know,

01:11:46I should have had a busier work rate. He

01:11:48threw a lot of punches. Ordinarily,

01:11:50I blocked a lot of that stuff on my hands,

01:11:52my arms. But, you know, his work rate

01:11:54was a lot today and he was

01:11:56a busier fighter. But, you know, I think

01:11:58I did, to judge my performance,

01:12:00I think I did well. I didn't land a left

01:12:02as much as I should have, but we got

01:12:04other weapons and we used those. We took

01:12:06what we had. At the end, I had to gut it out.

01:12:08I felt like I was behind.

01:12:10You know, we tried to score the big

01:12:12knockout and it didn't come.

01:12:14Was age a factor tonight?

01:12:16You're a 39-year-old man about to be 40.

01:12:18I don't think so. I mean,

01:12:20tip my hat to Chad. I mean, he came with

01:12:22a busy game plan. He knew he had to

01:12:24be busy. And, I mean,

01:12:26whether he was landing or not, he threw

01:12:28a lot more punches than I did. But,

01:12:30I felt my defense was where it should have

01:12:32been. When you look

01:12:34at all the punches he's thrown, I'm not busted up,

01:12:36not hurt, not cut. I mean, I caught

01:12:38a lot of that on my gloves.

01:12:40You said he had not fought an Antonio Tarver.

01:12:42Was not on his slate. Now he

01:12:44has and he has won. There was

01:12:46a tremendous amount of talking before the fight.

01:12:48Antonio, you said you

01:12:50didn't regret it before the fight, but you said

01:12:52he couldn't carry your jockstrap. Would you like to amend that now?

01:12:54I'm not going to amend anything I said.

01:12:56I mean, that's how I felt coming in. I mean,

01:12:58I have no apologies. I'm not apologetic about

01:13:00anything. The man won the fight tonight.

01:13:02What can I say? I'm a champion.

01:13:04I've lost before.

01:13:06Is there a different amount

01:13:08of respect now after fighting him than there was before?

01:13:10I mean, how you judge

01:13:12respect? I mean, I respect the guy

01:13:14before I even got in the ring with him.

01:13:16There was no disrespect. He's a

01:13:18fighter that had the WBC championship.

01:13:20He's obviously proved that he's a good

01:13:22fighter, great fighter. I mean, hey, may God

01:13:24be with him and hopefully he'll take it to the

01:13:26top. I mean, I don't regret anything.

01:13:28Before this fight, I felt confident in my ability and

01:13:30skills. And if we fought tomorrow, I would

01:13:32still feel the same way. Would you like to fight him tomorrow?

01:13:34Of course. I mean, I'm a champion.

01:13:36I mean, of course. I mean, we can

01:13:38always go back to the drawing board and

01:13:40see what happened.

01:13:42But right now, it's his night and

01:13:44I take my hat off to Chad Dawson. Antonio,

01:13:46thank you for talking to us. We appreciate it.

01:13:48Chad, congratulations to you. Appreciate

01:13:50you letting Antonio speak there for a moment before he

01:13:52left. Your hand speed was

01:13:54just outstanding tonight.

01:13:56Were you aware of that in the ring, that you were the

01:13:58master puncher, that you had the ability

01:14:00to get to him almost at any time?

01:14:02Before I say anything, I want to thank

01:14:04my trainer, Eddie Mustafa Mohammed.

01:14:06I want to thank my strength and conditioning trainer,

01:14:08Axel Murillo.

01:14:10I want to thank my whole Dawson camp, my wife,

01:14:12my kids, Gary Shaw, Showtime

01:14:14for supporting me and putting me on.

01:14:16It's just

01:14:18a happy moment for me right now.

01:14:20I'm bringing the titles back to New Haven.

01:14:22I told you I would do it.

01:14:24Tarver came out and fought a great fight.

01:14:26He had a little bit more than I thought he would have.

01:14:28Like he said, a lot of his punches I caught

01:14:30on the glove too.

01:14:32My work was higher. I was a faster guy.

01:14:34The younger guy had the better legs.

01:14:36I'm the champion now.

01:14:38You said that he got underneath your skin

01:14:40and that he was a bully to you and you were going

01:14:42to punish him and teach him a lesson.

01:14:44That's what you told us in the meeting.

01:14:46Was that on your mind during the fight?

01:14:48No, that wasn't on my mind during the fight.

01:14:50I was out-pointing him, out-working him, winning the fight.

01:14:52Our motto is one round at a time.

01:14:54We did it one round at a time.

01:14:56Floyd Mayweather Jr. said

01:14:58during the fight that you're the best

01:15:00pound-for-pound fighter in all

01:15:02of boxing, which is

01:15:04a tremendous compliment

01:15:06particularly coming from a man who's

01:15:08retired for the moment. What would be

01:15:10your reaction to that?

01:15:12He gave me a call in the locker room.

01:15:14I talked to him in the locker room on the phone.

01:15:16He told me I'm the best fighter in the world.

01:15:18Hands down. Just go out and fight my fight.

01:15:20I'm a better boxer.

01:15:22He told me just be you and fight.

01:15:24It's a boxing sport. It can go any way.

01:15:26Anything can happen. It's a gladiator sport.

01:15:28He told me that in the locker room.

01:15:30Just to get a call from Floyd Mayweather

01:15:32to big me up and tell me that I'm a great fighter.

01:15:34That was a big confidence booster for me.

01:15:36I was thinking about that all in the locker room

01:15:38and I knew I had to come out and put on a show

01:15:40and show everybody my boxing ability

01:15:42and use my jab, my hand speed, my legs

01:15:44and win the fight.

01:15:46Chad, congratulations to you.

01:15:48You're talking in the ring. Eddie, Gary, thank you very much.

01:15:50Congratulations. A wonderful night for you.

01:15:52Steve, back to you now.

01:15:54Thank you very much.

01:15:56Thanks, Jim.

01:15:58Let's see how the scoring went

01:16:00for Tarver vs. Dawson.

01:16:02We'll first take a look at the

01:16:04official judges scorecards.

01:16:06I thought you looked good on that shot.

01:16:08Here we go.

01:16:10Max DeLuca, Dave Moretti,

01:16:12C.J. Ross, they all had it

01:16:14one-sided. The most one-sided was

01:16:16Mr. DeLuca.

01:16:18Yeah, I thought 117-110

01:16:20was within range. Could have made it even

01:16:22one point closer, but clearly a big win

01:16:24for Chad Dawson.

01:16:26And we'll take a look at press row scoring.

01:16:28Jeff Haney had only one round

01:16:30to Antonio Tarver. He had it the biggest

01:16:32disparity, 119-108.

01:16:34So they

01:16:36just about saw it the same way as the official

01:16:38ringside judges.

01:16:42Alright. Is Chad Dawson

01:16:44the best light heavyweight out there

01:16:46right now? Well, if Floyd Mayweather is right

01:16:48that he's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world,

01:16:50I guess he's gotta be the best light heavyweight.

01:16:52Brilliant performance by Chad Dawson.

01:16:54And I'll tell you, says two

01:16:56things. One, tells you how good Glenn Johnson

01:16:58is, because he fought him to a standstill in the last

01:17:00fight, and Antonio Tarver has nothing to be

01:17:02ashamed of. He did a very good job

01:17:04in this fight. Chad Dawson was just

01:17:06better, and he is a brilliant

01:17:08young fighter. No question about it.

01:17:10And the heavyweight fight, how ironic. You remember

01:17:12Vitaly Klitschko quit on his stool against

01:17:14Chris Byrd after the ninth round. Now Peter

01:17:16quits on his stool in the

01:17:18end of the eighth round against

01:17:20Vitaly Klitschko. Boy, talk about

01:17:22a comeback story. Who'd have ever thought

01:17:24after almost a four-year layoff,

01:17:26Vitaly Klitschko could come back and be so

01:17:28precise, and so

01:17:30surgeon-like in the way he

01:17:32beat Sam Peter. It was

01:17:34a brilliant performance. You can owe

01:17:36some of it to the fact that not the best

01:17:38performance by Peter, and defensive

01:17:40liabilities certainly he has, but still

01:17:42Klitschko was brilliant. A very disappointing

01:17:44night for Sam Peter, who hoped

01:17:46he could be the future of that division. And an

01:17:48exciting, entertaining night comes to an end

01:17:50here in Las Vegas. Here's how

01:17:52it officially goes in

01:17:54the books in Germany.

01:17:56Comebacking Vitaly Klitschko pulled it off,

01:17:58joining his brother Vladimir as the only siblings

01:18:00in boxing history to hold

01:18:02world heavyweight titles simultaneously.

01:18:04What a story. Dr. Iron Fist

01:18:06dethroned Sam Peter

01:18:08for the WBC belt, and the long-awaited

01:18:10showdown took place

01:18:12tonight, and still undefeated, Chad Dawson

01:18:14produced his biggest win,

01:18:16his best win, on his

01:18:18biggest stage to dethrone

01:18:20Antonio Tarver.

01:18:22And for more information

01:18:24on upcoming Showtime sports events,

01:18:26we invite you to visit our website at

01:18:28sports.show.com.

01:18:30That's sports.s-h-o

01:18:32dot com.

01:18:34That'll do it for another edition

01:18:36of Showtime Championship Boxing.

01:18:38Hope you enjoyed it. See you on

01:18:40November 1st for Al Bernstein, Jim

01:18:42Gray, Aaron Bryant, Steve Farhood,

01:18:44our entire crew, Steve Albert,

01:18:46saying so long from Las Vegas.

01:19:08So long.

01:19:38So long.

01:20:08So long.

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