Saturday Nights Are Made for Fighting
Title boxing matches will be held in Hartford
By JASON HENDRY
Updated 12:00 PM EDT, Mon, Nov 2, 2009
All right Hartford, it’s time to weigh-in and lace up those gloves because HBO World Championship Boxing is coming to the XL Center on Saturday night.
Headlining the nine-fight card is New Haven’s own Chad “Bad” Dawson. The Current IBO Light Heavyweight champion (28-0, 17 KOs) takes on former World champ Glen Johnson for the WBC Light Heavyweight crown.
This is a rematch from a classic and controversial fight last April when Dawson won a unanimous decision over Johnson.
This will be Dawson’s first time headlining a card on HBO. His last fight was against the IBF and IBO Light Heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver in Las Vegas. He beat Tarver on all three cards to earn both belts. In May, he vacated the IBF belt for this rematch with Johnson.
Dawson will be honoring slain UConn football player Jasper Howard by wearing Howard's No. 6 on his trunks. He has also contacted the school about wearing Howard's player's jersey into the XL Center.
This is the first bout in Hartford since 2006 and it just adds to the long list of great fighters and fights in our capitol city. Some of boxing’s greatest names have thrown punches here, including the state's own Willie Pep. Joe Louis fought a couple exhibitions here during WWII and Rocky Marciano had a brief two-round KO back in 1951.
Perhaps the greatest night of boxing took place in 1977, when Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard headlined the co-main event. Both won with TKOs in the third round.
This is the first title fight in the capitol city since 1989 when Hartford-native Marlon "Magic Man" Starling won a one-round decision against Yung Kil Chung.
The main event between Dawson and Johnson is destined to be a classic and should cap off a great night of fights. For the sweet science savant or the fiery fighting fan, this card of nine bouts is a great way to spend a Saturday night.
First Published: Nov 2, 2009 10:52 AM EDT
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