Chad Dawson

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Chad Dawson
Statistics
Real name Chad Dawson
Nickname(s) Bad
Rated at Light Heavyweight
Height 6 ft. 3 in. (190 cm.)
Nationality Flag of the United States American
Birth date July 13, 1982 (1982-07-13) (age 25)
Birth place Hartsville, South Carolina
Stance Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights 26
Wins 26
Wins by KO 17
Losses 0
Draws 0
No contests 1

Chad Dawson (born July 13, 1982 in Hartsville, South Carolina) is an American boxer and the current WBC light heavyweight champion. Dawson was born to Wanda and Rick Dawson, a former boxer who compiled a (1-4-1) record[1]. He has 4 brothers and 2 sisters. In search of work, Rick Dawson moved the family to New Haven, Connecticut in 1988[2].

Contents

[edit] Career

Dawson, a southpaw, made his professional debut on August 18, 2001. He started at middleweight, moving up to super middleweight where he earned victories over notable opponents such as Ian Gardner and Carl Daniels.

Chad Dawson (right) defeats Eric Harding, June 2, 2006.
Chad Dawson (right) defeats Eric Harding, June 2, 2006.

Dawson's career was temporarily derailed when he failed a post-fight drug test in 2004 for marijuana. He was suspended from fighting for 6 months. Dawson indicated that this proved to be a motivating factor in his rise as a light heavyweight.[3] Because of this, Dawson's streak of 14 consecutive wins ended when a March 27, 2004 bout against Aundalen Sloan resulted in a no-contest[4].

On June 2, 2006, in his bout with former title challenger and fellow southpaw Eric Harding (23-3-1), Dawson scored a unanimous decision victory, becoming the new NABF light heavyweight title holder. After suffering a flash knockdown in the opening seconds of the first round, Dawson dominated the fight and came away with judges scores of 117-110, 116-111, and 117-110[5].

At age 24, Chad Dawson won the WBC light heavyweight title against undefeated Pole Tomasz Adamek on February 3, 2007. The judges gave Chad Dawson a unanimous decision victory, with scores of 116-110, 117-109, and 118-108[6].

In June of 2007, Dawson defended the WBC belt for the first time, in a fight with Jesus Ruiz (19-5-0), winning by technical knockout in round six. The fight was broadcast on Showtime as part of a card that featured former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver. On September 29, 2007, Dawson defeated Epifanio Mendoza by fourth round TKO in his second title defense. In April of 2008 as his third title defense, Dawson retained the belt by a controversial unanimous decision victory against challenger Glen Johnson. The three judges each had the fight scored 116-112 in favor of the champion Dawson. Immediately after the decision, the crowd showed their disapproval with a shower of boos. Johnson challenged Dawson to a rematch and Dawson declined saying " I need to move on."[7] Again aired on Showtime, for Dawson the card marked the second occasion in which Antonio Tarver fought in, and won the featured bout. The two are frequently reported to be upcoming opponents.

Dawson, who is married and has two sons[8], still lives and trains in New Haven, Connecticut. He was formerly trained by Dan Birmingham and Floyd Mayweather Sr., and is now employing the services of Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.

[edit] Recent Fights

[edit] References

  1. ^ Boxrec: Rick Dawson
  2. ^ ESPN: Dawson determined to improve on dad's footsteps
  3. ^ Interview: Bad Chad Dawson goes back to school
  4. ^ 03/27/04 Dawson/Sloan fight results
  5. ^ 06/02/06 Dawson/Harding fight results
  6. ^ 02/03/07 Dawson/Adamek fight results
  7. ^ 04/12/08 Dawson/Johnson fight results
  8. ^ Fightbeat.com: Chad Dawson looks to stand out April 12th

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Tomasz Adamek		 WBC Light Heavyweight Champion
February 3, 2007 – present		 Incumbent