Lenwood Dozier Jr. was saved. For the 24-year-old amateur welterweight boxer, a unique mixture of boxing and religion brought him back from a life on the streets.
Dozier, a Suitland resident who trains in Anne Arundel County, played football at Suitland High School and was recruited to be a running back at Robert Morris University. He was red-shirted as a freshman ? the first time he had not played football since he was 7. That?s when the trouble started.
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Dozier left school and decided to work. Though he held several jobs, in sales and as a courier, he also started to lose his way.
“I got into a bad life. Everything ? you name it,” he said. “I was spiraling into a tizzy.”
To get away from the trouble, Dozier uprooted and moved to Goldsboro, N.C.
“I went to get my life together, but I got into a little bit of trouble there,” he said, noting that he was facing charges for possession of cocaine at the time. The case was dismissed, but during the trial, Dozier said he became a born-again Christian.
“I was looking for a way to vent my energy in a positive way,” Dozier said. “I went to a gym in Kingston, North Carolina, to get some frustration out by hitting a bag. It was a workout that turned into a possible career.”
Dozier said that finding Jesus and taking up boxing has brought him closer to his father, Lenwood Dozier Sr., who is the pastor of The Way Christian Center in Suitland.
“Dad means well in the boxing world, but there are some things I have to learn for myself,” Lenwood Jr. said. “I prefer my trainer critiquing me. It is always like when you are a child again and the automatic rebellion kicks in, but I know he means well.”
“I am involved in all his sports: peewee league, football, basketball or track,” Lenwood Sr. said. “As long as it is legal, spiritual and above board, I have always been there for him.”
Lenwood Jr., who trains at the Boxing Xtreme Fitness Gym in Millersville, has a record of 6-3. The 5-foot-9, 147-pounder won his first match in October 2005 with a 38-second knockout. Most recently, he lost by judge?s decision in the quarterfinals of the Ringside World Championships in Kansas City, Mo. He won his first-round match with a knockout in the second round.
Vincent Veazey, who trains Dozier at Boxing Xtreme Fitness, saw him box before he worked with him.
“I was pretty impressed with the way he worked, the way he moved his head and rolled his shoulders,” Veazey said. “He can work inside.”
According to Veazey, Dozier has potential but he must work fast because of his age.
“He needs a good year of hard amateur fights,” Veazey said, “and look for him to turn pro within the next year or 18 months if he really wants to make an impact as a boxer.”
Like father, like son
» Lenwood Dozier Sr. boxed when he was in the military and has also trained boxers before. He trained heavyweight fighter Art Tucker out of Newark, N.J. in the late ?80s and ?90s.
» Both Lenwood Jr. and Sr. work as subcontractors distributing the Baltimore Examiner.
Fight Schedule Saturday
At Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas (PPV), Hasim Rahman, Baltimore, vs. Oleg Maskaev, Kazakhstan, 12, for Rahman?s WBC heavyweight title; Jose Armando Santa Cruz, Lincoln Heights, Calif., vs. David Diaz, Chicago, 12, for the WBC interim lightweight title; Humberto Soto, Mexico, vs. Ivan Valle, Mexico, 12, for the WBC interim super featherweight title.
Aug. 18
At American Airlines Center, Dallas (FSN), Evander Holyfield, Atlanta, vs. Jeremy Bates, Ashland, Ky., 10, heavyweights.
At Pasadena Convention Center, Houston, Giovanni Segura, Los Angeles, vs. Gerardo Verde, Mexico, 12, for the NABA flyweight title.
Aug. 19
At TBA, Germany, Arthur Abraham, Germany, vs. Edison Miranda, Miami, 12, for Abraham?s IBF middleweight title.
At LCO Casino, Hayward, Wis., Bobby Gunn, Hackensack, N.J., vs. Shannon Landberg, West Lafayette, Ind., 12, for Gunn?s IBA cruiserweight title; Mike Post, Allen Park, Mich., vs. Marty Robbins, Crossville, Tenn., 10, light welterweights.
Aug. 25
At Arco Arena, Sacramento, Calif. (ESPN), Eric Regan, Roseville, Calif., vs. Sergio Mora, Los Angeles, 12, for the IBA Continental middleweight title.
At Rollins Center Ballroom, Dover (Del.) Downs Hotel & Casino, Koba Gogoladze, Georgia, vs. Fred Neal, San Diego, 12, for Gogoladze?s NABO junior lightweight title.
