Chad Dawson, born on July 13, 1982, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2019. He held multiple world championships at light heavyweight and was one of the most highly regarded boxers in that weight class between 2006 and 2013.
Dawson rose to prominence on the world stage in 2007, when he defeated Tomasz Adamek to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight title. Dawson's first career setback was a loss to Jean Pascal in 2010. He would rebound by winning the WBC title for a second time, as well as the Ring magazine and lineal titles, by defeating Bernard Hopkins in 2012.
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. Dawson, a southpaw, made his professional debut at middleweight, later moving up to super middleweight where defeated notable opponents such as Ian Gardner and Carl Daniels.
Here's a look at some key moments in his career:
- Early Career: Dawson compiled an impressive amateur record of 67-13 and won several regional tournaments. He turned professional in 2001.
- Debut: Dawson made his professional debut on August 18, 2001, at 19.
- WBC Light Heavyweight Title: At age 24, on February 3, 2007, Dawson won the WBC light heavyweight title against the undefeated, top-ten ranked champion Tomasz Adamek. The judges gave Dawson a unanimous decision victory, with scores of 118-108, 117-109, and 116-110.
Chad Dawson during his fight against Jean Pascal.
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Championship Reign and Key Fights
In June 2007, Dawson defended the WBC title for the first time, in a fight with Jesus Ruiz (19-5-0), winning by technical knockout in round six. 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.
On October 11, 2008, at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Dawson fought IBF light heavyweight title holder Antonio Tarver. With 2:11 left in the final round, Dawson scored a knockdown against Tarver, the only knockdown in the fight.
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. 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. Pascal won the fight by technical decision in round 11 after an accidental head butt. Dawson returned to action on May 21, 2011, against Adrian Diaconu and defeated Diaconu by unanimous decision.
Dawson vs. 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).
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Dawson and Bernard Hopkins met again on April 28, 2012, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The fight was slow-paced, with Dawson controlling most of the action and pace 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. 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.
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.
Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson highlights
Later Career and Challenges
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, a super middleweight contender who was fighting his first match at light heavyweight. 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.
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 event on June 14, 2014. Dawson knocked Blades out in the first round after dropping him twice. However Dawson's career took another hit when on October 4, 2014, he lost a split decision to Tommy Karpency. Dawson looked listless in the fight, displaying little of his once vaunted athleticism.
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.
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Chad Dawson in action.
Net Worth and Personal Life
Chad Dawson is estimated to have a net worth of $4 million. This wealth is attributed to his successful boxing career, including championship wins and high-profile fights.
Dawson, who is married and has three sons, still lives and trains in New Haven, Connecticut. His trainer is "Iceman" John Scully.
Here's a summary of Dawson's professional record:
| Total Fights | Wins | Wins by Knockout | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 34 | 19 | 7 |
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