FanHouse ChadDawson

Perhaps Glen Johnson's best attempt at head-games during the buildup to Saturday night's 175-pound rematch with IBO titlist Chad Dawson is his refusal to admit defeat.

The facts are that Johnson was not only judged the loser of their first light heavyweight clash in April of 2008 by scores of 116-112 on all three cards, but that the decision was rendered before a partisan crowd in Miami -- not far from the native Jamaican's current home in Hollywood, Fla.

But Johnson's insistence that he was "robbed" clearly rankles Dawson's promoter, Gary Shaw, and if nothing else, has Dawson so chagrined that he has vowed to turn up the heat when they face off at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., near the champion's hometown of New Haven.

Even though "Bad" Chad Dawson won by four points on all three judges cards in the hometown of his opponent the last time they faced, Glen Johnson still believes that he was robbed.

So on Saturday night, the 40-year-old fighter nicknamed, "The Road Warrior," will travel to the 27-year-old Dawson's home turf of Hartford, Conn., hoping to show the young pup that the old dog has learned some new tricks during his quest to become the eldest fighter to win a light heavyweight crown.

FanHouse sought the opinions of some of boxing's experts to determine if Dawson can retain his IBO title and win the "interim" WBC 175-pound crown Saturday night.

It appeared that the setting could not have been better on that final day of May, when 26-year-old Alfredo Angulo seemed to be on the verge of a transitional moment in his young professional boxing career.

For not only did the 154-pounder boast a spotless record at 15-0 with 12 knockouts, but the Mexicali, Mexico, native had steamrolled his way through 11 consecutive knockouts entering that junior middleweight bout at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Angulo's opponent was Kermit Cintron, an ex-welterweight (147 pounds) champion who was just two bouts removed from a sixth-round knockout loss to former titlist Antonio Margarito.

IBF cruiserweight champion Tomas Adamek will take on former three-time heavyweight title challenger Andrew Golota on Saturday night at the Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland, in a clash that ranks as perhaps the biggest in the history of their respective native country.

A native of Zywiec, Poland, Adamek (38-1, 26 knockouts) has won seven consecutive fights, five of them by KO, since February 2007, when he lost his WBC light heavyweight (175 pounds) title to Chad Dawson.

The 32-year-old Adamek has since campaigned as a 200-pounder, winning the IBF crown in December by split-decision over Steve Cunningham, and defending it twice since.

Junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo of Coachella, Calif., has moved his training camp from his hometown to that of his promoter, Gary Shaw, in Wayne, N.J., in preparation for his Nov. 7 match-up opposite undefeated Harry Joe Yorgey of Bridgeport, Pa.

Shaw is in Nottingham, England, where he will watch another of his prospects, super middleweight (168) Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs), of Flint, Mich., take on WBC champion Carl Froch (25-0, 20 KOs) at the Trent FM Arena on Saturday night on Showtime.

A 154-pound native of Mexicali, Mexico, Angulo's 12-round fight for the WBO Inter-Continental crown will take place at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.

While watching the Antonio Tarver vs. Chad Dawson boxing match on HBO this weekend, I couldn't help but notice a very familiar logo smack-dab in the middle of ring: "Blood, Sweat & Bling," it read.

I knew I had seen this logo before, but it took me a while to actually figure out where. Then, as I noticed boxing promoter, Gary Shaw, pictured right, sitting ringside next to his son, Jared, who appeared to have been shouting instructions at Dawson every moment of the fight, I remembered why that logo looked so familiar.

HBO boxing announcer Jim Lampley has a real gift for brevity: He can tell you everything you need to know about a boxer in just a couple of sentences. And I think a comment he made before Saturday night's Chad Dawson-Antonio Tarver fight demonstrates that beautifully.

"Zsolt Erdei has held a title belt for quite some time," Lampley said. "At 30-0, he is probably the least respected, most ignored unbeaten longtime title holder in the history of the sport."

Seven months ago, Chad Dawson beat Antonio Tarver by lopsided unanimous decision. On Saturday night in Las Vegas Tarver got his rematch, and Dawson whipped him again.

Following Chad Dawson's 12-round destruction of Antonio Tarver last October, there wasn't much interest in seeing a rematch. However, in the wacky world of professional boxing things like fan interest and common sense don't always come into play. Tarver excercised his rematch clause and there was nothing Dawson could do to avoid the fight.

Plus, Dawson, one of boxing's brightest young stars, will gladly remind you that he never ducks anyone.

FanHouse spoke to Dawson about being forced to fight Tarver again this Saturday night in his HBO debut and his thoughts on Bernard Hopkins' refusal to fight him. The interview is after the jump.