@CESBoxing card @Twitter Recap

Chad Dawson beats Denis Grachev

Jimmy Williams rebounds from kayo loss

and more from Hartford, CT

Twitter Recap

]By Alex Pierpaoli

Photos by Sean Laydon

More Photos here

Ringside report here

As is our tradition here, if we covered a fight live and tweeted details from ringside we like to post a recap later for any of you anti-social media types. Here is a chronological recounting of our live-tweets from ringside, made slightly more grammatical and a little bit less hashtaggie.

You can follow us on Twitter here

@FistThingsFirst is with you LIVE tweeting from the Hartford Convention Center for @CESBoxing's @OfficialBadChad versus Denis Grachev card

first up, super welters, 153lbs, from Boston, MA, Maceo Crowder versus 153lbs, from Springfield, MA, Jalen Renaud

Jaylen Renaud scored a knockdown in the first but it looked like Maceo Crowder won that second round, catching Renaud's jabs and sloughing off his power shots, countering in return.

Renaud is the busier fighter here but Crowder may be landing smarter with well-placed counters and great defense. Renaud landing flashier shots for sure.

Jahvel Joseph of the Bronx, NY

The officials see it 40-35 x 3 in favor of Jalen Renaud. (This observer saw Crowder winning the second and third for a total of 38-37 for Renaud, FWIW.) Crowder fought like he was in a six rounder. More to come from here...

Bout 2, Leandro Silva of Sao Paolo, Brazil (via Boca Raton, FL) 176 lbs, versus Jahvel Joseph 171lbs, of Bronx, NY. Joseph if making his pro debut. 4rds, light heavies #Boxing #DawsonGrachev

Joseph the taller, longer, quicker fight through round 1. Landing slashing shots from a distance.

Joseph in control through two.

That's the end of Joseph versus Silva. Joseph should pick up his first unanimous decision in his first outing as a pro. He controlled the fight from the start, pressed the action and never let up. Silva got slammed with lots of clean shots that to his credit, never hurt him

40-36, 39-37 x 2 all in favor of the Bronx, NY's Jahvel Joseph. Twenty-eight! is what his supporters keep shouting, not sure what it means. #Boxing #dawsonGrachev

Bout 3, Steve Garagarza of Houston, Texas versus Nathan Martinez, 123lbs, of hard-hittin' New Britain, CT 4 rounds, super bantams #DawsonGrachev

That was a heated first round! no feeling-out period for these two, they got right to slugging. Martinez landing heavier but Garagarza may have landed more frequently. Martinez sunk several hard left hooks into the midsection of Garagarza.

Lots of toe-to-toe action in this one. Martinez looks to be landing harder and more frequently but Garagarza is fighting his heart out despite being outgunned.

Every question Garagarza is asking of Martinez here, the New Britain-ite is answering back and HARD!

Bantams are beautiful! great exchanges here.

Wow, big final round for Martinez. Looked as if he almost had Garagarza down but no such luck. He bashed him all around the ring though. Martinez will take this by UD. waiting on the scorecards...

40-36, 39-37 x 2 all in favor of Nathan Martinez of New Britain, CT #Boxing

*authors note—missed the fighter introductions for this fight and confused the 2 combatants, so everything said about Mitchell is actually meant about Collier, and vice versa. My Apologies.

Bout 4 is up now, Sharad Collier, 133lbs of Hartford, CT versus Glenn Mitchell, 131lbs, of Steubenville, OH, 4 rounds, lightweights #DawsonGrachev

Wow, two knockdowns in that first round, one for each fighter! Mitchell down on what looked more like a slip but he rallied to hurt Collier badly and put him down. Collier tackled Mitchell to try to avoid being stopped. 10-8 round for Mitchell.

Glenn Mitchell is 3-3 with 3 stoppages to his credit. It'd pretty clear he's a heavy puncher. I thought

Collier eyes Mitchell before slamming him with a right

he won that second round as well which gives Hartford's Collier a very deep hole to climb out of.

If Glenn Mitchell was in a little better cardiovascular shape he might have been done by now. He lands heavier every time he connects but Collier has been able to use his legs enough to keep Mitchell chasing and missing just enough to last.

that's it, Ref. Mike Ortega calls it off with Collier getting slammed with power shots. Collier protests but he took lots of head-spinning blasts and could not keep Mitchell off of him. Hard-punching, head-thumping Glenn Mitchell improves to 4-3 (4)

Up now, @JimmyQSWilliams of New Haven, CT versus Jose Medina of Guadalajara, MX

Williams landed a heavy left hook that stunned Medina and sent him back into the ropes. Quiet Storm controlling the action with a busy jab and stinging follow-up shots.

Medina landed a shot of his own in the last ten seconds of the third that got Williams attention. Medina is turning it up.

Jose Medina won that fourth round. He's landed several good jabs and made @JimmyQSWilliams pay for missing with power shots.

Williams came back with a big fifth round, staggering Medina with an overhand right in the final ten seconds

big round six! @JimmyQSWilliams cracked Medina with a left hook that sent a wad of blood and spit out of his mouth and down to the convention center floor.

58-56 for Medina, 58-56 for Williams and 57-57 even, this bout is a DRAW!

This observer saw that bout 58-56, or 4-2 in rounds, in favor of @JimmyQSWilliams but 2 rounds were pretty close so I guess the draw isn't terrible. #boxing #DawsonGrachev

here comes the co-featured bout of the evening, 16-0 (10) @Cassius_Chaney of New London, CT battles Santander Silgado of Arboletes, Columbia, 6 rounds, Heavies

BOOM!!! goes the dynamite! @Cassius_Chaney fired a monstrous right cross behind two pawing jabs that put Santander Silgado down and out in round number one. The official time was 1:03. Chaney improves to 17-0 (11)

that was just an excessively long National Anthem. It really seems like all these goddamned singing contest shows have totally fucking ruined singing. Not everyone is Aretha Franklin. Stop fucking over-singing. It's really hard to stomach #gottachill #jussayin

Here comes the Main Event! @OfficialBadChad, 175lbs, out of New Haven, CT versus Denis Grachev, 175lbs, out of Chaykovsky, Russia #DawsonGrachev #Boxing

Referee is Mike Ortega

Dawson is working with trainer Brian Clark of Ring One Boxing in New Haven. That's a good sign as he was the first to develop Chad as a kid & is probably best trainer in CT

Very little landed in that first round. Dawson the busier, pawing at Grachev with lots of southpaw jabs.

very good second round for @OfficialBadChad He thumped Grachev with straight lefts and pressed him throughout.

Grachev went down sloppily after stepping on Dawson's foot. He seems to have gathered himself. Oops, now Dawson is down from a trip as well.

@OfficialBadChad still very quick of both hand and foot, even at 37 years old. Landing speedy bolts. He's looking for a spot for a right uppercut but hasn't quite found it yet. 4th round starting now…

That was a dull fourth. Very little landed for either guy. But Dawson had the edge in punches thrown and making Grachev miss.

Chad Dawson eyes a pressing forward Denis Grachev

@OfficialBadChad playing possum a bit in the fifth, letting Grachev swing at him while on the ropes. Dawson countering with harder shots now. And he's landed several uppercuts, but grazing shots.

Grachev had Dawson momentarily stunned! They're slugging away. Dawson has regained his composure by round's end but Grachev took that one.

@OfficialBadChad stings Grachev repeatedly with single lefthand blasts in round seven. One round to go…

This one goes the distance. Dawson should pick up the workman-like victory. Should be Unanimous.

Grachev would be wise to open up with both hands here. He knows he can hurt Dawson.

Judges saw it 80-72 x 2 and 79-73 all in favor of the Elm City's @OfficialBadChad now 36-5 (19) and the new WBC/USNBC light heavyweight titleholder #boxing #DenisGrachev

"I'm 37 years old but I feel like I'm twenty-five." -@OfficialBadChad

That's all from here, fight-fans! Thanks for following along! #DawsonGrachev

#Boxing Photos from Hartford, CT by @Educate777sean

Dawson cracks Grachev with right hand

Dawson beats Grachev, Chaney crumples Santiago, Williams draws with Medina and more photos from Hartford, CT

By Sean Laydon

Ringside report here

Twitter recap here

Trainer Brian Clark and former Light Heavyweight Kingpin Chad Dawson enter the ring

Dawson eyes the pressing Grachev

Dawson fires a right jab at Grachev

Cassius Chaney, in white, versus Santander Silgado, in red

Cassius Chaney and his trainer look on with concern as doctors look after his opponent

Chaney gives thanks with his trainer for another kayo victory

@OfficialBadChad picks up USNBC Light Heavy strap in Hartford

Chad Dawson defeats Denis Grachev,

Cassius Chaney scores one-punch KO,

Jimmy Williams returns with draw

and more from Hartford, CT

by Alex Pierpaoli

Photos by Sean Laydon

Twitter recap here

More photos here

On Friday night at Hartford's Convention Center former Light Heavyweight Kingpin Bad Chad Dawson defeated Denis Grachev by lopsided unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC USNBC 175 pound belt. The eight-rounder was the Main Event of a seven bout card presented by Rhode Island based promoter Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports. Like New Haven based Chad Dawson, four more CT boxers saw action on the card.

The room where boxing is held at Hartford's Convention Center is all cement and filled with dimly lit spaces with concessions kiosks set-up along the perimeter. It's reminiscent of a place where a despot's political opponents are herded and then machine-gunned or where Wesley Snipes' Blade might chase a dozen undead and wage the first skirmish of a vampire apocalypse. This Friday night it hosted current area prizefighters and the past CT luminaries of the ring came out to watch; at ringside were former undisputed Welterweight Champion Marlon Starling, top-ranked lightweight Israel Pito Cardona and top-ranked super-lightweight & welterweight Sucra Ray Oliveira.

Back in the ring just 103 days after his last win, the Elm City's Bad Chad Dawson scaled 175lbs for the 8-rounder versus Chaykovsky, Russia's Denis Grachev, also 175lbs, now fighting out of San Diego, CA. Dawson looked sharp and speedy of fist from the start, fighting cautiously from the southpaw stance in the early rounds. By the third he was throwing hard right hooks and thumping Grachev on his way in with straight lefts. The first and fourth were dull as both fighters looked for openings and Grachev struggled to get inside on the defensively superior Dawson. In the sixth when Dawson was landing heavier in the final minute Grachev caught him with a short shot the stunned Dawson badly. Grachev was unable to follow-up but it may have swung the round in his favor.
In the final rounds Dawson got right back to work behind his jab, making Grachev pay for his aggressiveness with straight lefts that blunted his forward movement.

At the end of eight the scorecards were 80-72 x 2 and 79-73 all in favor of Bad Chad Dawson who improved to 36-5(19) while Grachev dropped to 19-9-1 (10).

Afterwards Dawson told the crowd he hoped for one more world title shot and that he feels more like he's 25 years old and not 37.


New London, CT, heavyweight Cassius Chaney remained undefeated with a first round one-punch kayo of Satinder Silgado of Arboletes, Colombia. The taller Chaney, 254lbs, pawed at Silgado, 228lbs, circled, then fired two quick nothing jabs to blind him followed by a pole-axe of a right cross that thumped aginst Silgado's chin putting him out and flat on his back. Chaney stood there looking down at his flattened opponent and for a second he struck a pose very similar to his namesake, and the Greatest of All Time, a young Cassius Clay.

Seeing that he could have counted to fifty, referee Danny Schiavone waved off the bout at 1:03 of the first. Chaney jumped to 17-0 (11) while Silgado fell to 28-8 (22).


Making his return to the prize ring for the first time since losing by stoppage in July on the Pacquiao-Thurman undercard, New Haven's Jimmy Williams had to settle for a draw against Jose Medina of Guadalajara, Mexico. Williams controlled the first two rounds with his jab and straight punches but as the rounds wore on Medina found shots of his own were effective, especially the jab he slammed Williams' chin with in the 3rd and fourth. Williams rebounded in the final two rounds, landing a heavy left hook in the fifth that seemed to hurt Medina.

At the end of six rounds the judges couldn't come to a satisfying conclusion; one seeing it 58-56 Williams, another 58-56 Medina and the third 57-57, even, resulting in a draw. For whatever it's worth, this observer saw it 58-56 for Jimmy Williams but the third and sixth were very close.

Williams' record now stands at 16-3-2 (5) and Medina's at 18-17-2 (7).


New Britain's Nathan Martinez, 123lbs, defeated Steve Garagarza, also 123lbs, of Houston, TX, in the most exciting fight of the night. Both fighters dispensed with any semblance of a feeling-out round, meeting in ring center and opening up with both hands to exchange power-shots. Martinez's blows looked harder immediately but Garagarza seemed to steel himself against them and weathered the heaviest blasts. At times Garagarza appeared the busier fighter but it was Martinez landing the more damaging blows, especially in the final round when it appeared he was close to scoring a knockdown.

After four the judges saw it 40-36 x 2 and 39-37 all in favor of hard-hittin' New Britain's own Nathan Martinez, now 6-0 (2), while Steve Garagarza fell to 1-2-1 (1).


Hartford's Sharad Collier, 133lbs, defeated Glenn Mitchell, 131lbs, of Steubenville, OH, by fourth round TKO. Collier got off the deck from a flash knockdown in round one, only to come right back and score one of his own before round's end. Mitchell was so badly buzzed he even tackled Collier to avoid being stopped. In the third Collier stalked Mitchell and had he been in slightly better shape he may have been able to stop him in the third but he looked arm-weary and drained from chasing Mitchell.

In the fourth Collier closed the show and when he started nailing Mitchell cleanly again referee Mike Ortega stepped in and called it off at 2:12 of round number 4.

Collier improved to 3-0-1 (3) while Mitchell dropped to 3-4 (3).


Jahvel Joseph, 171lbs of the Bronx, NY made a successful pro debut against Leandro Silva, 176lbs, of Sao Paolo, Brazil. Joseph brought quite a group of supporters to Hartford and they cheered for him enthusiastically throughout his first fight. Silva was never hurt but was nailed repeatedly by speedy slashing shots from his taller quicker opponent. Joseph controlled the pace and progress of the bout from the start and at the end of four was rewarded for his efforts. The judges saw it 40-36 x 2 and 39-37, all for Jahvel Joseph, now 1-0, while Leandro Silva dropped to 1-3 (1).


In the first bout of the night Jalen Renaud, 153lbs, of Springfield, MA, defeated Maceo Crowder, 160 1/2 lbs, of Roxbury, MA, by four round unanimous decision. Crowder was dropped in the first, got up but seemed to be fighting at the pace required for a six rounder while Renaud was the far busier and more effective through the scheduled four. At the finish the scorecards were 40-35 x 3 all in favor of Renaud, now 2-0, while Crowder leaves with a record of 2-3 (1).

Canelo versus The Krusher is on...

History Awaits... Canelo Alvarez to Challenge Sergey 'Krusher' Kovalev for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title Saturday, Nov. 2 at MGM Grand and Streamed Live Exclusively on DAZN

Press Release

Canelo Alvarez (51-1-2, 34 KOs), the face of boxing and the king of the middleweight division, will take on a new challenge as he moves into the 175-pound weight class in a 12-round bout against championSergey "Krusher" Kovalev (34-3-1, 28 KOs) for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title. The event will take place Saturday, Nov. 2 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be streamed exclusively live on DAZN in all of its nine markets, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan.

Tickets for Canelo vs. Kovalev are priced at $1,754, $1,254, $854, $654, $404 and $204, not including applicable service charges and taxes. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.axs.com.
 

"We promised to make this fight happen, and now we are delivering it," said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. "Historic fights have been a hallmark of this company, and we are pleased to once again live up to the high expectations we've set for our fans. The best pound-for-pound fighter is also boxing's biggest star. Few fighters in boxing's history can claim to be both like Canelo Alvarez. Now, he'll look to become a four-division world champion against one of the most dangerous fighters of recent years, and I'm certain that he will stop him. There's no better home for this than on the DAZN platform or live at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas."
 

Canelo, the 29-year-old native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, became the face of boxing by taking on some of the biggest names in the sport. At 154 pounds, Canelo captured several world titles and defeated the likes of Austin "No Doubt" Trout, Sugar Shane Mosley, Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo, Erislandy "The American Dream" Lara and Liam "Beefy" Smith.
 

At 160 pounds, Canelo defeated Gennady "GGG" Golovkin and Daniel "Miracle Man" Jacobs to establish himself as the king of the middleweight division. And, shortly after signing a groundbreaking partnership with global sports streaming giant DAZN, Canelo moved into the 168-pound division by stopping Rocky Fielding in three rounds to become the WBA Super Middleweight World Champion.
 

Canelo will now look to make history once again by becoming the second Mexican boxer to hold a world title in the light heavyweight division, a feat only done byJulio Cesar Gonzalez in 2003. The pound-for-pound king will at the same time join an elite group of four-division world champions from Mexico.
 

"The second phase of my career is continuing just as we had planned, and that's why we are continuing to make great fights to enter into the history books of boxing," said Canelo Alvarez. "That's also why I've decided to jump two weight classes against one of the most feared champions of recent years. Kovalev is a dangerous puncher, and he's naturally the bigger man, but that's the kind of challenges and risks that I like to face."
 

On November 2nd, Kovalev, 36, will participate in his 17th consecutive world title bout and the most lucrative fight of his career against the biggest star in boxing. A Russian knockout artist and three-time light heavyweight world champion, "Krusher" is no stranger to fighting in hostile territory. He captured the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title in 2013 when he traveled to Wales and scored a stunning knockout of Nathan Cleverly. Kovalev traveled to Atlantic City to meet future Hall of Famer Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins near his Philadelphia home to unify the WBO, WBA and IBF titles with a lopsided unanimous decision victory in 2014. As unified champion, "Krusher" successfully defended his titles twice against current WBA Interim Light Heavyweight titleholder Jean Pascal in Pascal's hometown of Montreal, scoring a stoppage victory both times.
 

Kovalev suffered two controversial losses to former Olympic Gold medalist Andre Ward (in 2016 and 2017) and a surprise upset to Eleider Alvarez last year, but quickly regained his WBO Light Heavyweight Title each time. In August, the road warrior finally got the chance to fight in his own hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, stopping undefeated mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde in a sold-out arena.
 

When asked about this fight, Kovalev said, "In order to be the best you have to beat the best. I have always tried to fight the toughest opponents in my division, but many have ducked me throughout my career. Canelo wanted to fight me; to step up to higher weight and challenge for my belt. I will be ready on November 2nd. Thank you, Main Events, Kathy Duva, Egis Klimas, DAZN and Canelo for making this fight happen."
 

"Canelo is to be praised for asking to challenge Sergey Kovalev," added Main Events' CEO Kathy Duva. "Win or lose, he will make history and Sergey is extremely pleased to get the chance to test his mettle against another future Hall of Famer." She continued, "Anyone who cares at all about the Sweet Science should circle November 2nd on their calendar. I have a feeling that this will be one for the ages."
 

"Canelo vs. Kovalev is a fascinating matchup between champions that will highlight our entire season of premium fights on DAZN over the next several months," said DAZN Group Executive Chairman John Skipper. "Simply stated, this is the best schedule in boxing history."
 

Richard Sturm, President of Las Vegas Live Entertainment and Sports, said, "We look forward to hosting this tremendous matchup between Canelo and Kovalev at MGM Grand in November. These two great fighters always put on a fantastic show and we are confident they will, once again, provide boxing fans worldwide a thrilling fight when they return to Las Vegas."
 

Canelo vs. Kovalev is a 12-round fight for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title presented by Golden Boy, Main Events and Krusher Promotions. The event is sponsored by Tecate, "THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING," Hennessy "Never Stop. Never Settle" and Brand-New Grapefruit Crush, Knockout Flavor. The event will take place Saturday, Nov. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.
 

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.MainEvents.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @Main_Events, @KrusherKovalev and @DAZN_USA. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, 

www.facebook.com/SaulCaneloAlvarez, www.facebook.com/thekrusher/, www.facebook.com/MainEventsBoxing and www.facebook.com/DAZNUSA/. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy, @Canelo, @Main_Events, @SergeyKrusherKovalev, and @DAZN_USA. Follow the conversation using #CaneloKovalev 

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