The Ring magazine is pleased to announce that it will recognize the August 14, 2010, bout between Chad Dawson and Jean Pascal in Montreal, Canada, as being for the vacant Ring magazine light heavyweight championship of the world.

The Ring 175-pound championship has been vacant since Joe Calzaghe retired in February 2009.

Dawson is currently The Ring’s number-one rated light heavyweight, while Pascal is rated number three.

“Normally, filling a Ring championship vacancy requires a match between the number-one and number-two contenders,” said Nigel Collins, The Ring Editor-in-Chief. “But under certain circumstances, we will recognize the winner of a bout between the number-one and number-three contenders, and the Dawson-Pascal match is such a circumstance.

“Number-two contender Glen Johnson has already lost twice to Dawson, so it makes perfect sense to award The Ring light heavyweight championship to the Dawson-Pascal winner.”

The prestigious Ring magazine championship dates back to 1922 when the very first Ring belt was presented to then-heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey. The Ring’s current championship policy was launched in the April 2002 issue.