Chad Dawson (r) is now undefeated in 28 fights

Undefeated American Chad Dawson defended his IBF and IBO light-heavyweight titles with a unanimous points victory over Antonio Tarver.

The meeting was more even than their previous encounter in October with the judges scoring the fight 116-112 117-111 and 117-111.

Despite his age, 40-year-old Tarver was the more aggressive fighter and threw more punches than his compatriot.

But Dawson's accuracy caught the judges eyes as he claimed victory.

Tarver started brightly and although the first half of the fight was relatively even, Dawson came into his own in the final four rounds.

606: DEBATE Who should Dawson fight next?

The 26-year-old landed his most significant shots in these rounds, including a flurry of punches at the end of the ninth - arguably his most impressive round.

And it was Dawson's performance in these final four rounds that saw him eventually edge the fight.

Dawson, who now holds a record of 28 victories with 17 knockouts, could now meet compatriot Bernard Hopkins in a match-up of the world's two best light-heavyweights.

"I will fight whoever they throw in front of me," Dawson said. "I'm glad I got this rematch out of the way so I could get the fights I deserve.

"I know I didn't have my best night and I know it wasn't my best performance. I don't know how much of that had to do with Tarver having a good night."

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