Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson was a boxing match contested for the WBC and The Ring light heavyweight championships. The fight took place at Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, United States on 15 October 2011. Hopkins was making the first defense of the titles he won from Jean Pascal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada earlier in 2011 while Dawson was looking to win the WBC title for a second time and the Ring title for the first time. The fight was the main event of an HBO pay-per-view presentation.

Paul "Paulie" Malignaggi is an Italian-American former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2017 and has since worked as a boxing commentator and analyst, currently with BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting Series and ProBox TV alongside Mike Goldberg. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF junior welterweight title from 2007 to 2008, and the WBA welterweight title from 2012 to 2013. Malignaggi competed once as a bare knuckle boxer in 2019 in a loss to MMA fighter Artem Lobov. Malignaggi was particularly known for his hand speed, boxing ability, athleticism, and durable chin.