LAS VEGAS -- Chad Dawson finally has a victory against a notable opponent.
Dawson entered his IBF-IBO light heavyweight title fight Saturday night at the Pearl inside the Palms with questions that his unblemished record was the result of victories against inferior competition.
Thoroughly dominating three-time champion Antonio Tarver, Dawson silenced critics with a unanimous decision to capture both titles.
The Connecticut fighter had the lone knockdown when his powerful left jab sent Tarver to the canvas with 2:11 left in the final round.
Dawson won by the scores of 117-110 from two judges and 118-109 from the other.
"I was playing him and working him one round at a time," Dawson said. "I'm bringing these titles back to New Haven."
The 26-year-old Dawson, 27-0 with 17 knockouts, showed he'll be a major player in one of boxing's most competitive divisions. His previous biggest victory was against former IBF champion Glen Johnson in 12-round unanimous decision last April.
Dawson, who controlled the pace and landed the most of the significant punches for a majority of the fight, was more active in methodically wearing out the 39-year-old Tarver (27-5). Tarver landed the occasionally punch, but Dawson was never in danger and nearly record knockouts in several rounds.
It was a marquee victory for a fighter who can makes arguments he should be mentioned among the division's elite, joining the likes of Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe.
Recently retired Floyd Mayweather Jr., a Las Vegas resident who many feel was the best pound-for-pound fighter, called Dawson in his locker room before the fight with a simple message.
"He said that boxing is a gladiator sport and (the outcome) could go either way," Dawson said. "He told me to fight my fight because I was the better fighter."
Tarver, who beat then-undisputed champion Roy Jones Jr. in 2004 and had won his last three fights, maintained during prefight interviews that Dawson was flawed and inexperienced in big-time bouts. Those verbal jabs proved to be motivation for Dawson, who proved to be the aggressor from start to finish.
"I don't regret anything I said or have any apologies," Tarver said. "I tip my hat to Chad, but I caught a lot of those punches with my gloves. Look at my face, I'm not busted up, bloody or anything."
