Chad Dawson set to make ring return.
After two years out of the ring, and seventeen years since his pro debut, former light heavyweight champion “Bad” Chad Dawson (34-5, 19 KO’s) is set to make his return to boxing.
On June 29, at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino, Dawson will face challenger Quinton Rankin (15-5-2, 12 KO’s) in an off-air bout.
Daring to be Great
In the not too distant past, Dawson was widely recognized as one of the most talented fighters in the sport. The gifted southpaw was highly celebrated throughout the industry.
At one point, he was tabbed by Floyd “Money” Mayweather to be the next big thing in boxing. Dawson holds significant victories over Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins twice, Glen “The Road Warrior” Johnson twice, Antonio “The Magic Man” Tarver twice and Tomasz Adamek.
His future potential was boundless!
Unfortunately, his success hit a thick brick wall and disaster colored the remainder of his career. The sudden implosion of his success came back in the fourth quarter of 2009.
This is when Dawson made the fateful decision to challenge the immaculately skilled Andre “SOG” Ward. Nonetheless, a challenge in Ward’s own backyard of Oakland, California while volunteering to move down to his weight class!
In terms of daring to be great, this was about as bold a move as could be done!
Mountains too Great
In the end, dropping down in weight proved to be a fatal mistake. Once in the ring, Ward dominated Dawson, dropped him multiple times and ultimately battered him until the versatile southpaw quit in the tenth round.
Since he had come down to Ward’s weight division, despite the thorough beat down at super middleweight, Dawson was still a champion at light heavyweight.
Therefore, nine months after the Ward debacle, he traveled to Canada to defend his WBC light heavyweight title against the murderous puncher Adonis “Superman” Stevenson. Once again, “Bad” Chad fought in his foe’s backyard and once again he met a crushing defeat.
Against Stevenson, Dawson was knocked smooth out in the very first round. Ever since this concussive loss, he has struggled to steady his career.
Now, with nearly two solid years on the sideline, he feels that he is ready to make one last shot at greatness. If successful against Rankin, Dawson has a solid chance at redemption and ending his career on a truly high note.
Currently, the light heavyweight division is rife with stiff eastern European talent.
It would be a truly remarkable and memorable feat if the former champion could collect a few of these notable scalps. Although given his time away, the odds are certainly stacked against him!
By: Bakari Simpson
