Showtime Boxing: Dawson Decks Gardner and Logan Upsets Santos

ByBoxing Press
Super middleweight contender Chad Dawson treated his hometown to a brilliant victory on this night, promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC from Greater New Haven Athletic Center. Dawson improved his record to 20-0, 14 KOs in an impressive knock out performance over Ian Gardner (19-3, 7 KOs) of New Brunswick, Canada.
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Dawson stuck to his game plan effectively and took it to Gardner by cutting off the ring and not giving him the opportunity to run. In round 11, Dawson knocked down Gardner twice before adding another KO to his record when he landed an over hand right, sending Gardner through the ropes.

“My jab controlled the fight,” said Dawson, who is trained by Dan Birmingham. “I give a lot of credit to Dan who convinced me to stick with the jab and it worked. I know my jab hurt him and it was the right hook that finished him off.”

Daniel Jimenez, who was scheduled to meet Benjamin Flores in the eight-round junior lightweight co-feature, failed to meet the State of Connecticut’s medical requirements resulting in the cancellation of the bout.

In its place, hard-hitting Americos Santos of Garland, Texas met boxer-puncher Marteze Logan of Covington, Tenn., in an eight-round junior welterweight match up. Logan (21-19-2, 5 KOs coming in) upset the free swinging Santos (now 23-1, 19 KOs) in an action packed eight-round brawl. From the opening bell, Santos came out aggressively and threw combinations of wild yet powerful shots. Logan had an answer by the start of the second.

“I can fight or I can brawl,” said Logan, who won by scores of 78-73, 77-74 and 79-74. “He came at me brawling and I showed him that I can brawl too. I was too fast and I counter punched.”

In the fifth round, Santos hit Logan twice below the belt. No point deduction was taken and Logan retaliated by knocking Santos down with multiple shots to the body. In the seventh, Logan connected with a powerful left that opened a cut above Santos’ right eye.

Regarding Jimenez, Shaw said, “The State of Connecticut did the right thing. There were some concerns by the State about his neurological tests. So, Jimenez will return to Puerto Rico for a complete battery of exams. If he is cleared to fight, we’ll come back to Connecticut to revisit the suspension. Right now, Jimenez is just devastated. He was prepared for a big night on Showtime and he’s devastated. But the health and safety of my fighters comes first.”

The bouts will be replayed on SHOWTIME TOO Saturday at midnight, on SHOWTIME EXTREME Monday at 8 p.m. and Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. and back on SHOWTIME TOO Thursday at 11 p.m.

“ShoBox: The New Generation” features up-and-coming prospects determined to make a mark and eventually fight for a chance at a world title. The best of the new generation of hungry, young boxers will have an opportunity to showcase their talent and heart as they battle each other in competitive fights in front of a national television audience. “ShoBox: The New Generation” is pure, basic boxing, reminiscent of the golden days of the sport.

Nick Charles called Friday’s action from ringside, with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of the telecast was Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing.

For information on “ShoBox: The New Generation” and SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including complete fighter bios, records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at https://www.sho.com/boxing.