Although still active as a professional, former three-time light heavyweight titleholder Chad Dawson recently received a recognition on Thursday afternoon as he was elected to the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame.

After tonight, half of Dawson’s 42 fights will have taken place in the “Constitution State,” from his professional debut to the pinnacle of his success.

Dawson looks to notch another win in his comeback as he squares off against gatekeeper Denis Grachev tonight at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The eight-round bout will stream live on UFC Fight Pass (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).

The 37-year-old Dawson (35-5, 19 knockouts), who resides in nearby New Haven, returned to the ring on June 29, defeating Quinton Rankin by unanimous decision over eight rounds. It was Dawson’s first fight since losing via stoppage to Andrzej Fonfara in March of 2017.

Dawson’s other notable losses occurred at the hands of Andre Ward in 2012 and Adonis Stevenson in 2013, in bouts for the WBC light heavyweight title. For Dawson, it is one more go-around at 175 pounds but he still has a way to go before facing the elite of the division once again.

Depending on the outcome of tonight’s fight, Dawson will likely return to the ring during the first quarter of 2020.

Grachev (19-8-1, 10 KOs), who is originally from Russia and now resides in San Diego, California, lost a unanimous decision in his most recent bout, on August 17, to unbeaten Charles Foster. The loss snapped a three-bout winning streak.

Posthumously elected to the Connecticut Hall of Fame is Arturo Gatti. His most notable bout in Connecticut was at the Mohegan Sun, where he Micky Ward traded blows for 10 rounds in May of 2002. This first bout in a trilogy was later elected “Fight of the Year.” Former welterweight and junior middleweight contender Delvin Rodriguez, featherweight contender Eddie Campo, Teddy “Redtop” Davis and referee Arthur Mercante Sr. also round out the class of 2020.

Unbeaten heavyweight Cassius Chaney (16-0, 10 KOs), of nearby New London, will face Santander Silgado (28-7, 22 KOs), of Colombia, in an eight-round bout on the CES Boxing undercard. Chaney is promoted by Main Events.

In junior middleweight action, New Haven’s Jimmy Williams (16-3-1, 5 KOs), who has lost his last two bouts, will square off against Jose Medina (18-17-1, 7 KOs) in a six-round bout. Medina has lost eight of his last nine bouts.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper, BoxingScene.com and FightNights.com. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @FSalazarBoxing.

Struggling to locate a copy of The Ring Magazine? Try here or
Subscribe

You can order the current issue, which is on newsstands, or back issues from our subscribe page.