Focus on: UBO title Challenger Dante Craig

A decorated amateur, Dante Craig from Cincinnati, Ohio, turned pro on January 27, 2001 after representing the USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

While he had not medalled in Australia, he was a sought-after commodity, and signed with promotional power-house Main Events.

Along with Olympic teammates Jermain Taylor, Clarence Vinson, Richardo Williams Jr., Michael Bennett, and Jose Navarro, he entered the paid ranks on a massive stage, Madison Square Garden in New York, and televised by HBO.

Craig, trained by the respected Tommy Brooks, stopped Darren Fallen (1-0) in the first round, and the sky appeared to be the limit. But after another first round win a month later, he unexpectedly lost to fellow prospect Sherwin Davis (6-0) the following April.

Craig, appearing on his way to victory, got careless and was stopped in the third round by Davis, but it looked like he learned his lesson as he won his next six convincingly.

But in February of 2003 he suffered his second defeat, to Venezuelan Marcos Primera (13-3-1), and from that point on things started to unravel.

He lost two of his next three after that, and then went 9-5-1 before getting a short notice opportunity to fight Anthony Dirrel (21-0) for the vacant Universal Boxing Organization™ (UBO) Inter-Continental Super Middleweight title on July 2, 2011 in Flint, Michigan.

Before that he had scored good victories over James Morrow (8-0-1), Shay Mobley (12-4-1), Purcel Miller (21-3-1) and former WBA World Champion Carl Daniels (49-8-1).

But he had also lost to the likes of Terrance Cauthen (31-3), Michael Walker (15-0-1), and Aaron Pryor Jr. (10-0), and Dirrell was a heavy favourite to also defeat him.

And so he did. Craig tried his best, but in the fifth round he had to capitulate after going down from a heavy body-shot.

After that Craig won a few but mostly lost. He got another title fight, at Heavyweight, in 2013, but also lost that, and in 2016 he was reduced to journeyman status when he boxed for the last time and was beat in one round by Jeremiah Karpency (12-1-1).

His final record 20-22-1 (15), winning only three of his last twenty-three outings.

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