Andre Ward was never much of talker when it came to giving an explanation on how he would deal with his last opponent Carl Froch; he did that vigorously and smoothly. On this occasion in California it could well be a similar incident against Chad Dawson for his own defence of the WBC/WBA super middleweight title. He claims that he did not request for this fight to be made at 168lbs as he said in the previous press conference that Dawson was already prepared after his fight with Bernard Hopkins.  The promotion has gone successfully and Dawson is seen as the underdog on this fight.They both have good sportsmanship and have made it clear that they both respect each other and their teams.  Both boxers held their tongues and Dawson was fairly uncomfortable with boasting remarks towards Dawson from Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter in the recent press conference.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Dawson will be coming down to 168lbs for this fight even though there has been some talk about a catch weight of 170lbs. However, the Ward camp did not agree to this, Dawson told The Boxing Lab, “We did throw a catch weight option out there.  We asked for 170 and his people said no.  They wouldn’t budge, so we gave him everything he wanted, I’m a true champion and I’m willing to do what it takes.”  He also stated that he thinks that some people think that this may be a fight of no interest and he thinks he will put on something dramatic on the night.

Dawson’s promoter is almost like a professional entertainer and when he talks everyone is silent momentarily. He has said, “We all saw what Chad did to Hopkins and I believe Dawson is the better fighter.  The winner of this fight is no doubt going to be a superstar.  I’m so confident in this fight Goosseen can have six brothers be the judges.  In this fight you have two fighters who hold belts, who are steroid free, who are young and will bring their best on fight night.”

With regard to the fight being in the hometown of Ward, his trainer Virgil Hunter has said from reported sources that he thinks that there is no advantage having the fight at home unless your somewhere out in Europe.  He said in an interview with Jason Gonzalez,  “ In the past, we have seen some home-cooking in Germany, Wales, Denmark, London; I am sure there have been some funny things that have happened in the Olympics as well as other parts of England. Just look at what happened in the fight between Andre Dirrell and Carl Froch. But elsewhere there is no such thing. In Oakland, the crowd may be behind Andre but they can’t fight for him. Andre has no allegiances to the judges either. It’s just going to be Andre and Chad the night of September 8. It’s an even playing field; no one has an advantage.” He also said in the press conference that “Weight training shouldn’t take the thrill of the victory away.  It’s a battle to get up to 168lbs for both fighters.  Whilst other fighters are playing games, these two have two have stepped up; it’s going to be a great fight for all the fans.”

This title fight of the defence of Andre Ward’s WBC/WBA Super Middleweight bout will take place on September 8^th in the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California and will be televised by HBO.  Other fights that will take place are Bowie Tupou vs. Malik Scott, 8 or 10 rounds, heavyweights; Guy Robb vs. TBA, 6 rounds, featherweights; Bruno Escalante vs. TBA, 4 or 6 rounds, junior bantamweights; Franklin Lawrence vs. Homero Fonseca, 8 or 10 rounds, heavyweights; Ricardo Williams Jr. vs. TBA, 6 or 8 rounds, junior welterweights; Randy Guerrero vs. TBA, 4 rounds, featherweights; Tony Hirsch vs. TBA, 6 rounds, middleweights.

This article has been sponsored by  http://kbwcombat.co.uk/  KBW Combat & Fitness, Headfield Mills, Cardwell Terrace, Dewsbury, WF12 9NP Tel : 0044 (0)1924 460991 M +44(0)7851888255 this gym has “State of the art combat training facility, offering a welcoming & friendly  environment.”