Chad Dawson (born July 13, 1982) is an American former
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
who competed from 2001 to 2019. He has held multiple
light heavyweight world championships, and was one of the most highly regarded boxers in that division between 2006 and 2013. Dawson rose to prominence on the world stage in 2007, when he defeated
Tomasz Adamek
Tomasz "Tomek" Adamek (; born 1 December 1976) is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2018. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC light heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007, and the IBF an ...
to become the
WBC light heavyweight champion. After vacating that title, he defeated
Antonio Tarver
Antonio Deon Tarver (born November 21, 1968) is an American former professional boxer and boxing commentator. In boxing he competed from 1997 to 2015, and held multiple light heavyweight world championships, including the WBA (Unified), WBC, IB ...
in 2008 to win the
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
and
IBO titles, and defeated him in a rematch in 2009.
Dawson's first career setback was a loss to
Jean Pascal
Jean-Thenistor Pascal (born 28 October 1982) is a Haitian-born Canadian professional boxer. He held the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title from 2019 to 2021, and previously the WBC, IBO, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal light-heavyweight tit ...
in 2010. He would rebound by winning the WBC title for a second time, as well as the ''
Ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
'' magazine and
lineal titles, by defeating
Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight clas ...
in 2012. In the same year, ''The Ring'' ranked Dawson as the world's tenth best active boxer,
pound for pound
Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, of who the better fighters are irrespective of their weight, i.e. adjusted to compensate for weight class. As these fighters do not compete direc ...
.
Later in 2012, Dawson moved down to
super middleweight, a division in which he had not competed since 2006, in order to challenge
Andre Ward
Andre Michael Ward (born February 23, 1984) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world titles in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super) ...
for the unified
WBA (Super)
The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxi ...
, WBC, ''Ring'' and lineal titles. In what would prove to be an ill-fated move, Ward handed him his second loss as it became clear that Dawson could no longer compete at a lower weight. In 2013, having returned to light heavyweight to defend his titles, Dawson was
knocked out
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving strikin ...
by
Adonis Stevenson
Stevenson Adonis (born 22 September 1977), best known as Adonis Stevenson, is a Haitian Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2018. He won the WBC, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal light-heavyweight titles in 2013 by defeati ...
in one round.
Early life
Dawson was born to Rick Dawson, a former boxer who compiled a 2–6–1 professional record, and Wanda Dawson. Chad has four brothers and two sisters. In search of work, Rick moved the family to
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
in 1988. Chad attended
James Hillhouse High School
James Hillhouse High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in New Haven, Connecticut. It serves grades 9–12.
James Hillhouse High School is the oldest public high school in New Haven, and is part of the New Haven Public Scho ...
from 1996 to 2000.
Professional career
Middleweight
Dawson, a
southpaw, made his professional debut at
middleweight, later moving up to
super middleweight where defeated notable opponents such as
Ian Gardner
Ian Gardner (born May 5, 1981), 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, C ...
and
Carl Daniels
Carl Bryant Daniels (born August 26, 1970 in St. Louis, Missouri), is an American professional boxer in the Light Middleweight (154 lb) division. He held the WBA Light Middleweight title in 1995.
Amateur
Southpaw Daniels won the junior world ...
. His career took a temporary setback when he
failed a post-fight drug test in 2004 for
marijuana, which resulted in a six-month suspension from boxing. Dawson indicated that this proved to be a motivating factor in his rise as a
light heavyweight. Because of this, Dawson's streak of fourteen consecutive wins came to end when his win over Aundalen Sloan on March 27, 2004, was changed to a
no contest
' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense.
In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...
.
Light heavyweight
On June 2, 2006, in his bout with former title challenger and fellow southpaw
Eric Harding
Eric Harding (born December 20, 1972) is an American former professional boxer who fought at light heavyweight.
Career
Harding turned pro in 1991 and was undefeated in his first 20 fights. These wins included a fight in which he defeated futur ...
, Dawson won a
unanimous decision
A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...
and claimed the regional
NABF light heavyweight title. After suffering a flash
knockdown in the opening seconds of the first round, Dawson dominated the fight and pulled away on the judges' scorecards by 117–110, 117–110, and 116–111.
WBC champion
At age 24, on February 3, 2007, Dawson won the
WBC light heavyweight title against the undefeated, top-ten ranked champion
Tomasz Adamek
Tomasz "Tomek" Adamek (; born 1 December 1976) is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2018. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC light heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007, and the IBF an ...
. The judges gave Dawson a unanimous decision victory, with scores of 118–108, 117–109, and 116–110. In June 2007, Dawson defended the WBC title for the first time, in a fight with
Jesus Ruiz
Jesus Ruiz (born January 2, 1990) is a Mexican professional Boxer from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. He has currently 41 wins, 5 draws, and 9 losses. He currently fights in the super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight ...
(19–5–0), winning by technical knockout in round six. The fight was broadcast on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
as part of a card that featured former light heavyweight champion
Antonio Tarver
Antonio Deon Tarver (born November 21, 1968) is an American former professional boxer and boxing commentator. In boxing he competed from 1997 to 2015, and held multiple light heavyweight world championships, including the WBA (Unified), WBC, IB ...
. 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 McLeod Cooper Johnson (''né'' Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back.
Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was ...
. 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 three sons, still lives and trains in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
. His trainer is
"Iceman" John Scully. He was formerly trained by
Dan Birmingham,
Floyd Mayweather Sr.
Floyd Joy Mayweather (born October 19, 1952) is an American boxing trainer and former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 1990. Fighting at welterweight during the 1970s and 1980s, Mayweather Sr. was known for his defensive abilities ...
and
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (born Edward Dean Gregory; April 30, 1952) is a former professional boxer and the former WBA Light Heavyweight Champion of the World. He is currently a boxing trainer. He has also been an occasional actor.
Amateur caree ...
.
On October 11, 2008, at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Dawson fought
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
light heavyweight title holder
Antonio Tarver
Antonio Deon Tarver (born November 21, 1968) is an American former professional boxer and boxing commentator. In boxing he competed from 1997 to 2015, and held multiple light heavyweight world championships, including the WBA (Unified), WBC, IB ...
. 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
A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...
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
Joseph William Calzaghe ( ; born 23 March 1972) is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2008. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Undisputed), WBC, IBF, WBO, '' Ring'' magazin ...
's win over
Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Levesta Jones Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is an American former professional boxer who holds dual American and Russian citizenship. He competed in boxing from 1989 to 2018, and held multiple world championships in four weight classes, inc ...
, Dawson issued a press release challenging Calzaghe and offered 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."
Seven months after their first fight, Dawson and Tarver fought a rematch on May 9, 2009, in Las Vegas. The fight was similar to their first, with Dawson in control most of the fight, outworking Tarver much of the fight, and earning another unanimous decision win. The judges scorecards were 117–111, 117–111 and 116–112, all in favor of Dawson.
On May 27, 2009, Dawson vacated the IBF light heavyweight title to negotiate a rematch with Glen Johnson. On November 7, 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 defeat against Pascal
The next step in Dawson's career was a shot to regain the WBC title against Top 10 light heavyweight Jean Pascal on August 14, 2010, in Montreal and was for
''The Ring'' light heavyweight title.
Pascal won the fight by technical decision in round 11 after an accidental head butt. 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 (born 9 June 1978) is a Romanian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2011, and held the WBC light-heavyweight title from 2008 to 2009. As an amateur he won a silver medal in the middleweight division at the 19 ...
and defeated Diaconu by unanimous decision. His first bout under the guidance of
Emanuel Steward
Emanuel "Manny" Steward (July 7, 1944 – October 25, 2012) was an American boxer, trainer, and commentator for HBO Boxing. He was also called the Godfather of Detroit Boxing. Steward trained 41 world champion fighters throughout his care ...
.
Dawson vs. Hopkins I, II
Dawson initially won ''The Ring'', WBC and lineal light heavyweight titles due to a controversial TKO win, when 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. On December 13, 2011, the California State Athletic Commission changed the official decision to a No Contest (NC). Two days later, the WBC ordered a rematch between Hopkins and Dawson.
Dawson and
Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight clas ...
met again on April 28, 2012, at
Boardwalk Hall
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's primary convention center until the opening of the Atlant ...
in
Atlantic City. The fight was slow-paced, with Dawson controlling most of the action and pace of the fight. Hopkins would throw and land an occasional punch, but Dawson would land the harder and more effective punches and outwork Hopkins for much of the fight. Noteworthy to mention is a period after a middle round where his trainer, former contender Iceman John Scully, caught Dawson mentally slipping and motivated him back into focus. The key moment in the fight was noted during the broadcast by HBO's Emanuel Steward and Jim Lampley. Dawson went on to win the fight by majority decision, with the judges scorecards reading 114–114, 117–111 and 117–111.
Compubox had Dawson outlanding Hopkins throughout the fight. Dawson landed 151 of 431 (35%) of his total punches, to Hopkins' landing 106 of 400 (26%) of his. Dawson said after the fight he is very interested in fighting WBC super middleweight champion
Andre Ward
Andre Michael Ward (born February 23, 1984) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world titles in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super) ...
, as well as fighting in a rematch with
Jean Pascal
Jean-Thenistor Pascal (born 28 October 1982) is a Haitian-born Canadian professional boxer. He held the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title from 2019 to 2021, and previously the WBC, IBO, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal light-heavyweight tit ...
.
Dawson vs. Ward
On September 8, 2012, Dawson stepped down a weight division (a rarity in the sport) to take on WBA, WBC, ''The Ring'' and lineal super middleweight champion,
Super Six World Boxing Classic
The Super Six World Boxing Classic was a professional boxing tournament organized by the Showtime television network in co-operation with Sauerland Event. The tournament was held from 2009 to 2011, with all fights being contested in the super mi ...
winner and one of the universally recognized top
pound-for-pound fighters in the world
Andre Ward
Andre Michael Ward (born February 23, 1984) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world titles in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super) ...
.
Reports surfaced that Dawson was knocked out by
Edison Miranda
Edison Miranda (born January 7, 1981) is a Colombian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2021. He challenged once each for the IBF middleweight and super middleweight world titles, and was considered to be one of the most danger ...
in sparring for the Ward fight.
The fight started quite cagey with both fighters feeling each other out and only exchanging single shots, with Dawson landing his jab on Ward comfortably. In the 3rd round, a clash of heads changed the entire landscape of the fight in Ward's favour, as he seemed to have found out his opponent and proceeded to catch Dawson with some telling shots, dropping him to one knee with a right to the body and short overhand left hook. Dawson quickly rose to an 8-count and appeared to be dazed but managed to see out the round and return to his corner. In round 4, Ward showed no sign of letting up, upping the tempo and again catching a sluggish Dawson with a close left hook, again causing him to drop to his knee and the ref gave Dawson another 8 count. Dawson showed great resilience to see out the round and went on for the next 4 rounds avoiding Wards' troublesome left hooks with little activity himself. In round 10, it all came to an end as Dawson looked to have tired from Wards' consistent battery and possibly because of the weight loss also, he was caught flush with 4 shots in a row appearing to voluntarily take a knee. The referee stepped in asking Dawson if he wanted the fight stopped, Dawson did not speak but had the body language of a defeated man. The fight was called off and Ward retained his titles.
Dawson vs. Stevenson
On June 8, 2013, after his loss to Ward, Dawson returned to light heavyweight and defended his WBC, lineal, and ''The Ring'' titles against Haitian-Canadian
Adonis Stevenson
Stevenson Adonis (born 22 September 1977), best known as Adonis Stevenson, is a Haitian Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2018. He won the WBC, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal light-heavyweight titles in 2013 by defeati ...
, a
super middleweight contender who was fighting his first match at light heavyweight. The fight took place in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, Stevenson's adopted hometown and where Dawson was fighting for the third time in the past two years.
Although Dawson entered the fight as a favorite, many were worried that draining himself to fight Ward, and the Ward fight itself had taken something from Dawson. Early in the fight he was caught with a hard left hook and fell backwards to the canvas. Although he got up from the punch and rose before the count of eight, the referee noticed that Dawson's legs were unsteady and stopped the fight at 1:11 of the first round despite the protests of Dawson and his trainer
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (born Edward Dean Gregory; April 30, 1952) is a former professional boxer and the former WBA Light Heavyweight Champion of the World. He is currently a boxing trainer. He has also been an occasional actor.
Amateur caree ...
. It was the first time in Dawson's career that he had been knocked out in the first round.
Return to the ring
After taking the rest of 2013 off Dawson accepted a fight with journeyman
George Blades, which was televised as part of the preliminary bout undercard of a
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
event on June 14, 2014. The fight was fought in the
cruiserweight division, at a
catchweight
A catchweight is a term used in combat sports, such as boxing or mixed martial arts, to describe a weight limit that does not adhere to the traditional limits for weight classes. In boxing, a catchweight is negotiated prior to weigh-ins, which are ...
of 179 pounds. Dawson failed to make weight for the contest, weighing in at 182.8 pounds, and thus had to forfeit one-fifth of his $15,000 purse.
Dawson knocked Blades out in the first round after dropping him twice. After the fight he said he wanted to start competing for a world title again and would be fighting at light heavyweight.
However Dawson's career took another hit when on October 4, 2014, he lost a split decision to
Tommy Karpency
Thomas Karpency (born January 10, 1986) is an American professional boxer who fights in the light heavyweight division. A professional since 2006, he is a three-time world title challenger; first challenging for the WBO and IBO light heavyweight ...
. Dawson looked listless in the fight, displaying little of his once vaunted athleticism. After the fight Dawson maintained that he injured his left hand in the third round, stating that it prevented him from throwing combinations.
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of light heavyweight boxing champions
This is a chronological list of world light heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations:
Championship recognition
1903–1910
The light-heavyweight division was created in 1903, the brainc ...
*
List of WBC world champions
*
List of IBO world champions
This is a list of IBO world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the International Boxing Organization (IBO) since 1993.
*r – Champion relinquished title
*s – Champion stripped of title
Heavyweight
Cruiserweight
Li ...
*
List of ''The Ring'' world champions
References
External links
*
*
Chad Dawson profileat Cyber Boxing Zone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Chad
1982 births
Living people
People from Hartsville, South Carolina
African-American boxers
Middleweight boxers
Super-middleweight boxers
Southpaw boxers
Boxers from South Carolina
World Boxing Council champions
International Boxing Federation champions
Sportspeople from New Haven, Connecticut
American male boxers
The Ring (magazine) champions
World light-heavyweight boxing champions