Rising star Chad Dawson will look to prove that his first victory over veteran Antonio Tarver wasn’t a fluke. The 26-year-old southpaw defeated Tarver last October  and kept his perfect record intact at 27-0 with 17KOs. With Bernard Hopkins considering retirement, another victory over Tarver would cement him as the face of the light heavyweight division. Dawson chatted with BET.com this week to discuss Hopkins, the excitement about fighting on HBO and what he listens to before a big fight. You can watch Dawson-Tarver this Saturday at 9:30 PM/6:30PM PT) live on HBO.

On how training is going for his fight against Antonio Tarver:

Training is going excellent. It’s the last 2-3 days before the fight. Just winding down and staying in shape, mentally and physically.

On his thoughts about fighting on HBO for the first time:

To me, it’s a dream come true. Fighters these days, their goal is to make it to HBO. Showtime is mainstream but HBO has the best athletes and fights. I want to go out and impress the fans and I hope they understand my talent and let them know I take boxing very seriously.

On the influence his father plays in the ring:

Watching him when I was younger in the gym, I always wanted to be a fighter and boxing is always something I wanted to do since I was little. He kept me off the street and made sure I was in the gym everyday.

On his thoughts about fighting Bernard Hopkins:

That’s the fight I want. The fight I need. The fight that will solidify me as one of the boxing greats. It’s been 2-3 years as world champ and I still haven’t got the big fights I need. Now its’ time for me to sit back and relax and stop chasing big fights. I deserve a shot at Hopkins.

On Tavoris Cloud, his WBC mandatory opponent:

Honestly, the guy hasn’t fought anybody. The same way I came up and it took me 2 years to get a name fighter. If you look at his resume, he hasn’t fought anybody. I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve his shot but I’m looking for bigger names and bigger paydays. This kid really doesn’t have a name there is no money in that fight.

On what he listens to before a fight:

I listen to everything. 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, I like to keep my iPod on, I have over 4,000 songs.

On the comparison between rap feuds and pre-fight hype between boxers:

In a certain sense, when I listen to music, I think music and boxing is one and the same. When boxer spit a rhyme, I think I’m the rapper and I’m talking to another fighter. I think a lot of fighters think that way too.

Photo Credit: HBO

TAGS: Access Granted, Chad Dawson, HBO

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