Chad Dawson - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

"Bad" Chad Dawson is an American boxer from Hartsville, South Carolina

Hartsville, South Carolina

Hartsville is a small city in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,764 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hartsville is located at ....

, USA, and the former WBC & IBF light heavyweight champion. Dawson is rated by The Ring Magazine as the number four Light Heavyweight

Light heavyweight

In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...

boxer in the world.

Early life

Dawson was born to Rick Dawson, a former boxer who compiled a 1-4-1 record, and Wanda Dawson. Chad Dawson has four brothers and two sisters. In search of work, Rick Dawson moved the family to New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

in 1988. Dawson attended James Hillhouse High School

Hillhouse High School

James Hillhouse Comprehensive High School is the oldest public high school in New Haven, Connecticut. It is a part of New Haven Public Schools.- History :Established in 1859 as New Haven High School,...

from 1996 to 2000.

Middleweight

Dawson, a southpaw, made his professional debut after finishing 58-13 as an amateur and winning an under 19 national championship, then finishing for the silver in the world championships on August 18, 2001. He started at middleweight, moving up to super middleweight where he earned victories over notable opponents such as Ian Gardner

Ian Gardner

Ian Gardner, nicknamed The Cobra because of his slithering movements on the boxing ring, is a junior-middleweight boxer who was born and raised in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, but now resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.-External links:...

and Carl Daniels

Carl Daniels

Carl Bryant Daniels , is a professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division.- Amateur :Southpaw Daniels won the junior world championships 1987 and the Golden Gloves at flyweight....

.

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. 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.

Light Heavyweight

On June 2, 2006, in his bout with former title challenger and fellow southpaw Eric Harding

Eric Harding

-Career:Harding turned pro in 1991 and was undefeated in his first 20 fights. These wins included a fight in which he defeated future champion Montell Griffin by split decision to win the NABF light heavyweight title on Nov 13, 1998, and a unanimous decision over then undefeated contender Antonio...

(23-3-1), Dawson scored a unanimous decision victory, becoming the new NABF

North American Boxing Federation

The North American Boxing Federation is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council .-History:...

light heavyweight

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.

World Title

At age 24, Dawson won the WBC

World Boxing Council

The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...

light heavyweight title against undefeated Pole Tomasz Adamek

Tomasz Adamek

Tomasz Adamek is a Polish professional heavyweight boxer. His record is 44-2 .He is the former WBC world light heavyweight champion and the former IBF, IBO and The Ring magazine cruiserweight champion. As of the end of 2009, Ring Magazine has ranked Adamek as the 30th best boxer in the world...

on February 3, 2007. The judges gave Dawson a unanimous decision victory, with scores of 116-110, 117-109, and 118-108.

In June 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

Antonio Tarver

Antonio Deon Tarver , nicknamed the "Magic Man", is a professional boxer from Orlando, Florida and the former WBC, WBA, IBF, & The Ring light heavyweight champion....

. On September 29, 2007, Dawson defeated Epifanio Mendoza by fourth round TKO in his second title defense. In April 2008 as his third title defense, Dawson retained the belt by a controversial unanimous decision victory against challenger Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson (boxer)

Glengoffe Donovan Johnson is a professional boxer. Nicknamed Gentleman and The Road Warrior, Johnson is the former IBF and Ring magazine light heavyweight champion.-Amateur career:...

. The three judges each had the fight scored 116-112 in favor of the champion Dawson. Again aired on Showtime, for Dawson the card marked the second occasion for which he and Tarver fought in separate bouts on the same card, with Tarver winning each featured bout.

Dawson then vacated the WBC title in mid 2008.

Dawson, who is married and has two sons, still lives and trains in New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut

. He was formerly trained by "Iceman" John Scully, Dan Birmingham

Dan Birmingham

Dan Birmingham is a St. Petersburg, Florida based boxing trainer who is best known for his work with World Light Middleweight Champion Winky Wright. Birmingham has been training Wright since he began his boxing career, and has remained with him through the present time.Birmingham is also the...

, Floyd Mayweather Sr., and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad is a retired American boxer.- Amateur career :Boxing under his birth name, Eddie Gregory, Muhammad won two New York Golden Gloves Championships. Gregory won both the 1971 and the 1972 New York Golden Gloves 147 lb Open Championships...

.

On October 11, 2008, at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Dawson fought IBF

IBF

IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...

light heavyweight title holder Antonio Tarver

Antonio Tarver

Antonio Deon Tarver , nicknamed the "Magic Man", is a professional boxer from Orlando, Florida and the former WBC, WBA, IBF, & The Ring light heavyweight champion....

. Dawson, who controlled the pace and landed most of the significant punches for a majority of the fight, was more active in methodically wearing out his opponent. Tarver landed the occasional punch, but Dawson was in control for most of the fight. With 2:11 left in the final round, Dawson scored a knockdown against Tarver, the only knockdown in the fight. Dawson won the fight by unanimous decision

Unanimous decision

A unanimous decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all three judges agree on which fighter won the match....

with scores of 117–110 from two judges and 118–109 from the third judge. Dawson earned $800,000 for the fight and Tarver earned $1 million.

On November 9, the day after Joe Calzaghe

Joe Calzaghe

Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....

's win over Roy Jones Jr, Dawson issued a press release challenging Calzaghe and offering to fight him on his home turf in Wales. Dawson stated "I'm ready to give Joe the opportunity to draw the curtain on his great career in front of his family and friends and 70,000 fans," and "It's the best fight in the light heavyweight division between two undefeated champions." Calzaghe was to retire weeks later, as had been expected prior to the Jones Jr bout. Dawson himself was complimentary about the departing Welsh champion stating "I applaud Joe's decision. It's obvious he and his family gave it a lot of thought. Timing is everything, and to leave center stage at his peak is rare and certainly comparable to the retirements of Rocky Marciano and Jim Brown.".

On May 27, 2009, Dawson vacated the IBF light heavyweight title to negotiate a rematch with Glen Johnson. On 7 November 2009 Dawson once again outpointed Glen Johnson. This time was more convincing but the judges scored it 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 all for Dawson.

First Loss

The next step in Dawson's career was shot at the WBC title against Jean Pascal on August 14, 2010 in Montreal and was for the The Ring light heavyweight title.
Pascal won the fight by technical decision in round 11 after an accidental headbutt. All three judges had Pascal winning by a considerably wide margin at the time of the stoppage.

Dawson returned to action on May 21, 2011 against Adrian Diaconu

Adrian Diaconu

Adrian Diaconu is a Romanian professional boxer, living and fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada...

and defeated Diaconu by unanimous decision. His first bout under the guidance of Emanuel Steward

Emanuel Steward

Emanuel Steward is an American boxing trainer, commentator and inductee of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.-Life and career:...

Bernard Hopkins

Dawson initially won the The Ring
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...

and WBC

World Boxing Council

light heavyweight

Light heavyweight

titles due to controversial TKO win after Hopkins was unable to continue after getting thrown from a clinch. However, on October 20, 2011, the TKO ruling was ruled a Technical Draw by the WBC and Hopkins remained the champion. The win officially remains on Hopkins record unless the California Athletic Commission votes to overturn the decision.

Professional boxing record

Bernard Hopkins

Bernard Hopkins Jr, known as The Executioner is an American boxer and the current Ring Magazine and WBC light heavyweight champion...

|TKO
|2 , 2:48
|2011-10-15
|align=left|

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|30–1

|align=left|

Adrian Diaconu

Adrian Diaconu is a Romanian professional boxer, living and fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada...

|UD

Jean Pascal vs. Bernard Hopkins II

Jean Pascal vs. Bernard Hopkins II, billed as Dynasty II, was a Light Heavyweight championship fight for the WBC Middleweight championship...

|12
|2011-05-21
|align=left|

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

Jean Pascal

Jean-Thenistor Pascal is a Canadian professional boxer. He is the former WBC, IBO and Ring magazine light heavyweight champion of the world.-Early life:...

|TD
|11
|2010-08-14
|align=left|

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Quebec

Quebec

Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson (boxer)

Glengoffe Donovan Johnson is a professional boxer. Nicknamed Gentleman and The Road Warrior, Johnson is the former IBF and Ring magazine light heavyweight champion.-Amateur career:...

|Decision
|12
|2009-11-07
|align=left|

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|28–0

|align=left|

Antonio Tarver

Antonio Deon Tarver , nicknamed the "Magic Man", is a professional boxer from Orlando, Florida and the former WBC, WBA, IBF, & The Ring light heavyweight champion....

||Decision
|12
|2009-05-09
|align=left|

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|27–0

|align=left|

Antonio Tarver

Antonio Deon Tarver , nicknamed the "Magic Man", is a professional boxer from Orlando, Florida and the former WBC, WBA, IBF, & The Ring light heavyweight champion....

||Decision
|12
|2008-10-11
|align=left|

Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson (boxer)

Glengoffe Donovan Johnson is a professional boxer. Nicknamed Gentleman and The Road Warrior, Johnson is the former IBF and Ring magazine light heavyweight champion.-Amateur career:...

||Decision
| 12
|2008-04-12
|align=left|

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|25–0

|align=left|

Epifanio Mendoza
|TKO
|4 , 2:30
|2007-09-29
|align=left|

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|24–0

|align=left|

Jesus Ruiz
|TKO
|6 , 2:00
|2007-06-09
|align=left|

Hartford, Connecticut

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|23–0

|align=left|

Tomasz Adamek

|UD
|12
|2007-02-03
|align=left|

Kissimmee, Florida

Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,682. It is the county seat of Osceola County...

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|22–0

|align=left|

Eric Harding

|UD
|12
|2006-06-02
|align=left|

Santa Ynez, California

Santa Ynez is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley, and features the Santa Ynez Airport for general aviation with a paved 2804 x 75 foot runway. The population was 4,418...

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|21–0

|align=left| Jamie Hearn
|TKO
|3 , 2:07
|2006-03-04
|align=left|

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

Jason Naugler
|UD
|8
|2006-02-04
|align=left|

El Paso, Texas

El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...

, USA
|
|- align=center
|Win
|19–0

|align=left|

Ian Gardner

|TKO
|11 , 1:12
|2005-11-18
|align=left|

New Haven, Connecticut

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|18–0

|align=left|

Ronald Boddie
|TKO
|3 , ?:??
|2005-08-06
|align=left|

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

, USA
|
|- align=center
|Win
|17–0

|align=left|

Efrain Garcia
|RTD
|4 , 3:00
|2005-04-01
|align=left|

New Haven, Connecticut

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|16–0

|align=left|

Carl Daniels

Carl Bryant Daniels , is a professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division.- Amateur :Southpaw Daniels won the junior world championships 1987 and the Golden Gloves at flyweight....

|TKO
|7 , 3:00
|2004-12-10
|align=left|

Darnell Wilson
|UD
|10
|2004-10-29
|align=left|

Dumont Welliver
|RTD
|8 , 3:00
|2003-10-31
|align=left|

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|13–0
|align=left|

Brett Lally
|TKO
|4 , ?:??
|2003-08-01
|align=left|

Hampton Beach, New Hampshire

Hampton Beach is a village district, census-designated place, and beach resort within the town of Hampton, in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located on the Atlantic Ocean. Its population at the 2010 census was 2,275. Hampton Beach is located in Rockingham County, approximately south of Portsmouth...

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|12–0
|align=left|

Earl Allen
|TKO
|3 , 2:59
|2003-05-02
|align=left|

Willie Lee
|KO
|3 , 2:38
|2003-03-21
|align=left|

Shannon Miller
|UD
|6
|2003-02-01
|align=left|

Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...

, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|9–0
|align=left|

John Romans William
|TKO
|4 , ?:??
|2002-10-25
|align=left|

Faustino Gonzalez
|UD
|6
|2002-08-03
|align=left|

Gary Grant
|TKO
|1 , 1:36
|2002-05-18
|align=left|

Chad Sawyer
|UD
|4
|2002-04-27
|align=left|

Martin Desjardins
|UD
|4
|2002-03-01
|align=left|

Jerald Lowe
|TKO
|1 , 2:56
|2002-02-16
|align=left|

James Orso
|KO
|1 , 1:58
|2001-12-13
|align=left|

Antonio Baker
|KO
|1 , ?:??
|2001-09-21
|align=left|

Cranston, Rhode Island

Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...

, USA
|
|- align=center
|Win
|1–0
|align=left|

Steve Garrett
|TKO
|2 , 1:46
|2001-08-18
|align=left|

Uncasville, Connecticut, USA
|align=left|
|- align=center

External links

Official website

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.