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Hopkins Setting The Bar High

New light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, who made history Saturday by outpointing Jean Pascal in their rematch to become the oldest fighter in boxing history to win a world title at age 46, is wasting no time setting up his first defense.

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Hopkins' promoter, and Gary Shaw, who promotes mandatory challenger and former titleholder Chad Dawson, began negotiating the fight on Wednesday, they both told ESPN.com

"We said we would both get on the phone with HBO on Monday and try to lock in a date. We basically have our deal done. We agreed to a split (of the revenue) and we agreed to a deal in concept."

Dawson outpointed former titlist Adrian Diaconu on Saturday's undercard to earn the title shot against whomever won the main event. That was Hopkins, who Dawson has been chasing for the past couple of years.

Dawson's only defeat came last August in Montreal via an 11th-round technical decision to Pascal. Dawson had the contractual option for a rematch in the event he lost, but Pascal was allowed to first take an interim bout. He took it against Hopkins in December and they fought to the draw.

In order to allow Pascal and Hopkins to fight again, Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs) and Shaw stepped aside. But under the terms of the deal, Dawson, 28, of New Haven, Conn., was guaranteed a fight with the winner as long as he won his undercard fight with Diaconu

Those hurdles are clear now and the camps are working on the fight, which would take place in the fall at a site to be determined.

"The reason why the (Hopkins-Pascal) rematch happened is because Gary and Chad were supportive," Schaefer said. "They could have made a stink about it but they didn't. It was a very tricky negotiation in order to get Bernard the rematch with Pascal. Now Dawson deserves his shot.

"Gary and me had conversations before to work things out so Bernard could get the rematch with Pascal. All of those discussions should make it easy to get things into motion and get the fight between Bernard and Dawson done. I am very positive it will happen. It's the fight Bernard wants and the fight Chad wants. So Gary and me are talking about it."

Schaefer said several sites are interested in hosting the bout.

"I got a call (Wednesday) from (a venue in) Las Vegas and they are interested. (Thursday) I had lunch with the people from the Staples Center (in Los Angeles) and they are interested as well," Schaefer said. "I have talked to (Pascal promoter) Yvon Michel about going back to Canada. Atlantic City is interested as well. There is a tremendous buzz about Bernard Hopkins after he did what he did. The big rating HBO did means millions of people saw Bernard in one of his best performances. People want to see Bernard back."

HBO reported this week that the live telecast of Hopkins-Pascal II drew 1.8 million viewers, making it the network's most-watched fight since the 2009 heavyweight title bout between Vitali Klitschko and Cristobal Arreola.

Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs), now in his second reign as light heavyweight champion, is enjoying a victory lap after going to Pascal's hometown of Montreal and scoring the historical victory. He is visiting ESPN headquarters in Bristol on Friday to make various appearances, including as the studio guest for ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights."

On Wednesday in Hopkins' hometown of Philadelphia, mayor Michael Nutter will honor him with a noon public ceremony at the famous "Rocky" statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Even though Hopkins has been busy making the media rounds since breaking George Foreman's record as the oldest fighter to win a title, he also was thinking about the impending fight with Dawson.

"I have to honor my agreement with Chad first," he said of potential fights. "It's me and him next."

Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com. Follow him

Hopkins Setting The Bar High

New light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, who made history Saturday by outpointing Jean Pascal in their rematch to become the oldest fighter in boxing history to win a world title at age 46, is wasting no time setting up his first defense.

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Hopkins' promoter, and Gary Shaw, who promotes mandatory challenger and former titleholder Chad Dawson, began negotiating the fight on Wednesday, they both told ESPN.com

"We said we would both get on the phone with HBO on Monday and try to lock in a date. We basically have our deal done. We agreed to a split (of the revenue) and we agreed to a deal in concept."

Dawson outpointed former titlist Adrian Diaconu on Saturday's undercard to earn the title shot against whomever won the main event. That was Hopkins, who Dawson has been chasing for the past couple of years.

Dawson's only defeat came last August in Montreal via an 11th-round technical decision to Pascal. Dawson had the contractual option for a rematch in the event he lost, but Pascal was allowed to first take an interim bout. He took it against Hopkins in December and they fought to the draw.

In order to allow Pascal and Hopkins to fight again, Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs) and Shaw stepped aside. But under the terms of the deal, Dawson, 28, of New Haven, Conn., was guaranteed a fight with the winner as long as he won his undercard fight with Diaconu

Those hurdles are clear now and the camps are working on the fight, which would take place in the fall at a site to be determined.

"The reason why the (Hopkins-Pascal) rematch happened is because Gary and Chad were supportive," Schaefer said. "They could have made a stink about it but they didn't. It was a very tricky negotiation in order to get Bernard the rematch with Pascal. Now Dawson deserves his shot.

"Gary and me had conversations before to work things out so Bernard could get the rematch with Pascal. All of those discussions should make it easy to get things into motion and get the fight between Bernard and Dawson done. I am very positive it will happen. It's the fight Bernard wants and the fight Chad wants. So Gary and me are talking about it."

Schaefer said several sites are interested in hosting the bout.

"I got a call (Wednesday) from (a venue in) Las Vegas and they are interested. (Thursday) I had lunch with the people from the Staples Center (in Los Angeles) and they are interested as well," Schaefer said. "I have talked to (Pascal promoter) Yvon Michel about going back to Canada. Atlantic City is interested as well. There is a tremendous buzz about Bernard Hopkins after he did what he did. The big rating HBO did means millions of people saw Bernard in one of his best performances. People want to see Bernard back."

HBO reported this week that the live telecast of Hopkins-Pascal II drew 1.8 million viewers, making it the network's most-watched fight since the 2009 heavyweight title bout between Vitali Klitschko and Cristobal Arreola.

Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs), now in his second reign as light heavyweight champion, is enjoying a victory lap after going to Pascal's hometown of Montreal and scoring the historical victory. He is visiting ESPN headquarters in Bristol on Friday to make various appearances, including as the studio guest for ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights."

On Wednesday in Hopkins' hometown of Philadelphia, mayor Michael Nutter will honor him with a noon public ceremony at the famous "Rocky" statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Even though Hopkins has been busy making the media rounds since breaking George Foreman's record as the oldest fighter to win a title, he also was thinking about the impending fight with Dawson.

"I have to honor my agreement with Chad first," he said of potential fights. "It's me and him next."

Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com. Follow him

MONTREAL -- The last time Chad Dawson fought at the Bell Centre, he suffered his first career loss. He returned to the ring for the first time since that defeat to easily outbox fellow former light heavyweight titlist Adrian Diaconu on Saturday night.

The victory, in his first fight with Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward, was a pivotal one for Dawson. In addition to bouncing back from an 11th-round technical decision loss to champion Jean Pascal last August, he earned a mandatory shot at the winner of Saturday night's main event rematch between Pascal and Bernard Hopkins, who battled to a draw in a December light heavyweight championship fight.

That draw paved the way for Saturday's main fight and ultimately forced Dawson to step aside from the rematch clause he had with Pascal in the contract for their fight because HBO preferred to buy Pascal-Hopkins II before Pascal-Dawson II.

Part of the deal to allow Pascal-Hopkins II to take place was the contractual guarantee that Dawson would get the winner next. Now Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs) has that fight, after winning 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. ESPN.com also had it for Dawson, 117-111.

"The next fight is an exciting fight. I will be ready for either one," Dawson said before Pascal-Hopkins began. "I obviously want revenge on Jean, but I want Bernard, too. It was a catch-22. I am happy to be back in the ring and get the ring rust off. Next time I will be 100 percent better

After Dawson's loss to Pascal, who mostly dominated until the fight went to a technical decision after an accidental head-butt opened a bad cut over Dawson's right eye, he cut ties with trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and went to work with Steward.

Steward is the latest in a long line of trainers for Dawson, who had also run through Floyd Mayweather Sr., Dan Birmingham and John Scully.

"I felt good, but I made it hard on myself," said Dawson, of New Haven, Conn. "I've been with Emanuel for the past 7-8 weeks, and it takes time to get used to a new trainer. I knew I won the fight. I outthrew him and outlanded him. I wasn't nervous at all about coming to his hometown

Diaconu (27-3, 15 KOs), a native of Romania now living in Montreal who lost two title bouts to Pascal, was once supposed to face Dawson in a mandatory 2007 title fight. But Dawson vacated an alphabet belt rather than face him after Diaconu's handlers won a purse bid and planned to bring the fight to Romania.

Dawson was in control for most of Saturday's fight. He is taller, longer and quicker than Diaconu and he used all of those attributes to his advantage.

Dawson hurt Diaconu with a left hand near the end of the second round and with a right hook near the end of the fifth round.

By the sixth, Dawson was opening up with combinations against the shorter Diaconu. But Diaconu is a bull and continued to come forward despite his face showing lumps and redness from eating so many shots.

In the ninth, Diaconu had his best round, hurting Dawson with a combination and wobbling him. But Dawson quickly got himself together. Diaconu made a hard charge in the 12th round, hurting Dawson again with a right hand, but it was not enough.

"Dawson was really well prepared. It was a strategic fight," Diaconu said. "It was hard to touch Dawson. I tried hard, but he was just too hard to hit. I hit him sometimes, but not enough."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn

Sean Combs just announced a new name change.

The Bad Boy CEO had been under the weather recently and was forced to cancel a couple of concert dates. So to celebrate his return to good health Combs has decided to call himself "Swag" for a week

You feeling it or no?

Connecticut Against The World part 4, DVD release Party June 5, 2011 at The Treehouse 1450 Barnum Avenue, Bpt, CT. Performances and cypha with some of CTs hottest artists.

Barry Reese, better known as rapper Cassidy has been arrested for probation violation. He is also a suspect in a murder and two attempted murders in Philadelphia according to NorthJersey.com

The arrest took place Saturday (May 14) in Hackensack, New Jersey after police there were tipped off by Philadelphia authorities that Reese had outstanding warrants.

Philly police had warned their New Jersey counterparts that they should consider Cassidy "armed and dangerous,” and that this was a “high-risk warrant." Reese was arrested without incident after leaving a local convenience store.

This isn't Reese's first run-in with the law. In 2006 he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a Philly shooting case, and he was sentenced to 11 and a half to 23 months in jail