"I'd love to unify...I want the big fights!"

BoxingTalk:  Chad, how is preparation going for your fight against Jesus Ruiz next month?

Chad Dawson:  It’s been going good.  My sparring is good, and we’ve been working on perfecting my boxing skills, being defensive as well as offensive.

BoxingTalk:  In your last two fights you faced Eric Harding and Tomasz Adamek. Why are you facing Ruiz now instead of continuing your recent trend of taking on tougher competition?

Chad Dawson:  I’ve had to answer this question a lot.  It is not so much me picking him as it is he’s the only one that is willing to fight me.  I’d rather take a fight than to sit out.  I’d rather stay active, and I know Ruiz is coming to fight.

BoxingTalk:  Your last fight earned you the WBC 175-pound title.  How has earning this title changed your life?

Chad Dawson:  My life is pretty much the same, with a little better paydays.  Boxing is a real funny sport.  Even though I’m a world champion, it doesn’t feel like it because I’m not getting the big fights I want.  I’d even be willing to fight Joe Calzaghe or Jermain Taylor at 168.

BoxingTalk:  Clinton Woods and Stipe Drews are the other two fighters who hold major light heavyweight belts.  Could a unification bout with either of these fighters be on your radar for 2007?

Chad Dawson:  Stipe Drews and I had a set date but he pulled out.  That’s how I got the fight with Adamek, and I don’t have a problem with fighting Woods.  I’d love to unify.

BoxingTalk:  Bigger names are out there for you to fight in the light heavyweight division, such as Bernard Hopkins, Glen Johnson, Antonio Tarver, and Roy Jones Jr.  Would you be willing to give up your belt to take on these fighters for more money?

Chad Dawson:  Of course.  Having this WBC title isn’t the most amazing thing.  Things can change over night, and I want the big fights.

BoxingTalk:  What do you feel a win against Ruiz next month will do for your career?

Chad Dawson:  It probably won’t do much.  If I beat him and I look good they’ll say, ‘Look, Ruiz had 4 losses coming into this fight.’  I’m still hoping for the big fights.

BoxingTalk:  Why do you feel you are not getting the big fights you want?

Chad Dawson:  I really don’t know.  Tarver thinks he’s the best.  Hopkins thinks he’s the best, but nobody is willing to give me a chance.  Earlier in his career Winky Wright went through the same thing that I’m going through right now.  I know I just have to be patient.

BoxingTalk:  What do you feel is your biggest advantage coming into this fight against Ruiz that will ensure your victory?

Chad Dawson:  My determination and my skill.  I’m not the best yet, but my dream is to become the pound-for-pound king.  I know I have the tools to do that.  I have the skill level, which I know compares to Hopkins, Tarver, and some of the other top fighters out there.

 

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