Chad Dawson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chad Dawson
Dawson (right) vs. Harding, 2006
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Bad
Rated at	Middleweight Super middleweight Light heavyweight
Height	6 ft 1 in
Reach	76+1/2 in
Born	(1982-07-13) July 13, 1982 (age 42) Hartsville, South Carolina, U.S.
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	43
Wins	36
Wins by KO	19
Losses	5
No contests	2

Chad Dawson (born July 13, 1982) is an American former professional boxer. He competed from 2001 to 2019. Chad was a top boxer in the light heavyweight division between 2006 and 2013. During this time, he won several world championships.

Chad became well-known in 2007 when he beat Tomasz Adamek to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight title. Later, he won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) titles by defeating Antonio Tarver in 2008. He won against Tarver again in a rematch in 2009.

Chad faced his first big loss against Jean Pascal in 2010. But he bounced back! In 2012, he won the WBC title again, along with the Ring magazine and lineal titles, by beating Bernard Hopkins. That same year, The Ring magazine ranked Chad as one of the top ten boxers in the world, pound for pound.

Later in 2012, Chad tried fighting in a lighter weight class called super middleweight. This was a difficult move for him. He lost to Andre Ward, showing that competing at a lower weight was very hard. In 2013, he returned to light heavyweight to defend his titles but was knocked out by Adonis Stevenson in the first round.

Early Life

Chad Dawson was born in Hartsville, South Carolina. His father, Rick Dawson, was also a boxer. Chad has four brothers and two sisters. In 1988, his family moved to New Haven, Connecticut, for work. Chad went to James Hillhouse High School from 1996 to 2000.

Professional Boxing Career

Starting at Middleweight

Chad Dawson started his professional boxing journey as a southpaw in the middleweight division. He later moved up to super middleweight. During this time, he beat strong opponents like Ian Gardner and Carl Daniels. One of his wins in 2004, against Aundalen Sloan, was later changed to a no contest. This motivated Chad to become even better in the light heavyweight division.

Becoming a Light Heavyweight Champion

On June 2, 2006, Chad fought Eric Harding, who was also a southpaw. Chad won this fight by a unanimous decision and earned the regional NABF light heavyweight title. Even though he was briefly knocked down in the first round, Chad controlled the rest of the fight.

WBC Champion

At just 24 years old, Chad won the WBC light heavyweight title on February 3, 2007. He defeated the undefeated champion, Tomasz Adamek, by a unanimous decision. Chad defended his WBC title for the first time in June 2007, beating Jesus Ruiz by technical knockout in the sixth round. This fight was shown on Showtime.

On September 29, 2007, Chad defended his title again, defeating Epifanio Mendoza by TKO in the fourth round. In April 2008, he kept his belt after a close unanimous decision win against Glen Johnson. Chad later decided to give up his WBC title in mid-2008.

IBF Champion

On October 11, 2008, Chad fought Antonio Tarver for the IBF light heavyweight title in Las Vegas. Chad was in control for most of the fight, landing more punches and wearing down Tarver. He even knocked Tarver down in the final round. Chad won the fight by a unanimous decision.

Seven months later, on May 9, 2009, Chad and Tarver had a rematch. The fight was similar to their first one, with Chad dominating and winning another unanimous decision. On May 27, 2009, Chad gave up his IBF light heavyweight title to set up another fight with Glen Johnson. On November 7, 2009, Chad once again outboxed Glen Johnson, winning by unanimous decision.

First Big Loss Against Pascal

Chad's next big challenge was to win back the WBC title against Jean Pascal on August 14, 2010. This fight was also for the Ring light heavyweight title. Pascal won the fight by a technical decision in the eleventh round after an accidental headbutt stopped the match.

Chad returned to the ring on May 21, 2011, and defeated Adrian Diaconu by unanimous decision. This was his first fight with his new trainer, Emanuel Steward.

Battles with Bernard Hopkins

Chad first fought Bernard Hopkins on October 15, 2011. Chad initially won the WBC and The Ring light heavyweight titles. However, the win was controversial and later changed to a "No Contest" because of a referee's call. This meant Hopkins remained the champion.

Chad and Bernard Hopkins met again on April 28, 2012. This time, Chad controlled the fight, landing more effective punches. He won the fight by a majority decision, becoming the WBC and The Ring light heavyweight champion. After this win, Chad said he was interested in fighting Andre Ward, a super middleweight champion.

Tough Fight Against Andre Ward

On September 8, 2012, Chad made the unusual decision to move down a weight class to fight Andre Ward. Ward was a highly respected champion in the super middleweight division.

The fight was very challenging for Chad. Ward dropped Chad to one knee in the third round and again in the fourth. In the tenth round, Chad looked tired and was caught with several punches, taking a knee again. The referee stopped the fight, and Ward kept his titles. This loss showed that fighting at a lower weight was very difficult for Chad.

Loss to Adonis Stevenson

After his loss to Ward, Chad returned to light heavyweight on June 8, 2013, to defend his WBC, lineal, and The Ring titles against Adonis Stevenson. The fight took place in Montreal.

Even though Chad was expected to win, many wondered if the tough fight against Ward had affected him. Early in the first round, Stevenson landed a powerful left hook, knocking Chad down. Although Chad got up, the referee saw that his legs were unsteady and stopped the fight quickly. This was the first time Chad had been knocked out in the first round.

Later Career

After taking a break in 2013, Chad returned to boxing on June 14, 2014. He fought George Blades in the cruiserweight division. Chad knocked Blades out in the first round. He then said he wanted to compete for a world title again at light heavyweight.

However, Chad's career faced another setback on October 4, 2014, when he lost a split decision to Tommy Karpency. Chad didn't show his usual energy in this fight. He continued to fight until 2019, winning his last two fights.

Personal Life

Chad Dawson is married and has three sons. He still lives and trains in New Haven, Connecticut. His current trainer is "Iceman" John Scully. He has also been trained by Dan Birmingham, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad in the past.

Professional Boxing Record

See Also

• List of light heavyweight boxing champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of IBO world champions
• List of The Ring world champions