“Bad” Chad Dawson, Is There Pound for Pound in His Future?

At the age of 26, Chad Dawson is an eight year pro, and one of boxing’s most talented fighters in the game. The undefeated IBF Light Heavyweight champion is also the former WBC titlist at light heavyweight. Chad Dawson is a southpaw fighter who is naturally right handed. He has great hand speed, a complete offensive arsenal and slick boxing skills. Known by the nickname “Bad,” Chad Dawson has been punishing his foes in the ring; and is looking to continue his Light Heavyweight reign.

The rise of Chad Dawson

Bad Chad made his professional debut after finishing 58-13 in his amateur career. Dawson won a stunning 19 national championships, and then finished for the silver medal in the world championships of 2001. In 2004 Chad Dawson was suspended when he failed a post fight drug test for an illegal substance. This setback ended Dawson’s streak of 14 consecutive wins when the bout with Aundalen Sloan resulted in a no-contest. Chad Dawson later said that this was one of the motivating factors in his rise towards a world championship.

In June of 2006 Chad Dawson defeated former title challenger and southpaw Eric Harding. After suffering a flash knockdown in the first round, Dawson bounced back and dominated the fight. Dawson scored the unanimous victory, and captured a regional crown. At the tender age of 24, Chad Dawson went on to face undefeated Tomasz Adamek in February of 2007. The judges scored the bout a unanimous decision victory in favor of Dawson who as a result became the WBC Light Heavyweight Champion of the world. Adamek has since become the undisputed cruiserweight champion, making the win all the more impressive.

Chad Dawson went on to defend his title for the first time against Jesus Ruiz winning by technical knockout in the sixth round. In September of 2007, Bad Chad defeated Epifanio Mendoza by fourth round TKO in his second title defense. Dawson then earned a close and somewhat controversial unanimous decision over the tough fighter Glen Johnson.

Bad Chad’s big break

Dawson went on to relinquish the WBC title belt to face IBF Light Heavyweight champion and former Roy Jones conqueror Antonio Tarver. Dawson controlled the pace and landed the cleaner and more accurate shots. Chad continued to wear down Tarver as the fight progressed and scored a knockdown against Tarver in the 12 round. Tarver looked a step and a half behind Dawson for the entire evening. Bad Chad earned an easy and wide unanimous decision, and captured the IBF title in the process.

In May of 2009 the rematch between Tarver-Dawson ended in the same fashion as their first fight. Dawson controlled the fight with his dominating hand speed, and out worked the ex-champ scoring another unanimous decision. The fight was closer than the first encounter, but the win was never in question.

Who’s Next for Dawson?

Currently, Chad Dawson vacated the IBF Light Heavyweight title to negotiate a rematch against Glen Johnson. There has been plenty of speculation with potential upcoming mega fights with Chad Dawson. A few of the names being thrown in the mix are: Bernard Hopkins, Kelly Pavlik, the retired (for now) Joe Calzaghe and a rematch against Tomasz Adamek. While any of these fights would be great to see, Chad Dawson’s determination is quickly becoming the reason why he is one of the best pound for pound boxers in the world today.

Written by: Mike Boehm