By Michael Marley

Despite his not having spoken with his fighter, former world light heavyweight champion Bad Chad Dawson since May, estranged manager Mike Criscio said he's leaving his door open to a reunion.

“Do I want a lawsuit against Chad, not really,” Criscio said Monday. “It's not Chad, not really,” the Connecticut pawnshop and checkcashing store owner told me Monday. “It's the people who surround him, know nothings who are only out to use Chad.

“Chad and these guys—there are about seven or eight of them, all from around New Haven—go partying all the time. Chad is too naïve, too trusting, and when they go to the bars, he always pays for everybody. Chad gave one guy $70,000, and then the guy repaid him with a check that bounced.

“Chad's older brother is totally disgusted. These guys were never around until Chad reached the top. All of them are just scumbags.”

It may sound like the familiar boxing tale, Bad Chad turning into Sad Chad, after he and Criscio joined with promoter Big Gary Shaw to gross about $7 million in purses. Amidst all the pugilistic prosperity comes a gang of bloodsucking leeches, human barnacles who attach themselves to the fighter and seek to drain his financial blood.

As you read this, the 28 year old Dawson is alienated from his mother, his father and one brother along with Criscio. Although he's earned all that money, Criscio said, his only real non depreciating asset may be the Hamelin, Ct., home he paid $500,000 for.

Criscio watched Dawson, who had a 29-0 record, lose on HBO to Jean Pascal in Montreal and still can't fathom the usually more aggressive lefthander's performance.

“Chad, if he was right, knocks this guy out cold,” Criscio said. “Pascal's a bum, really. This guy is not in Chad's league. I had all the confidence in the world Chad would knock him out, that's why we agreed to fight in his hometown.”

Criscio, who has a paid one $250,000 legal fee to free Dawson from one promoter and has gone into his pocket from many other of the boxer's bills and expenses, said the fighter is blind to the motives of his newest friends.

“He is just hanging out with the wrong crowd,” Criscio said. “These people, they don't have jobs. One guy sells cars to Chad after every fight and Chad pays new car prices for used ones.”

The legal bills have also included fighting demands from rap music maven James Prince, who got a 10 percent stake in Dawson for a measly $20,000 and is said to have gotten back $300,000. Criscio said he fought against the Prince deal.

“I told Chad don't do it but he did so we had to get a lawyer in Houston and then he needed one in Las Vegas.”

The manager said Dawson prepared woefully for the Pascal bout.

“His sparring partners, including Ishe Smith, were a waste of time. He only trained four weeks in Vegas and he brought his wife and kids. They stayed in some fancy hotel half of the time. What kind of training camp is that?”

Criscio said his front door and his phone line remain open to the fighter.

“Buying his home outright, Chad got that one right. I got him into an investment situation which he made 46 percent on. Even with the house, there were pipe problems, the floors were warped and there were other issues. I got friends of mine to fix all this at no cost to Chad.

“Chad's got to wake up before it's too late.”

Michael Marley is the national boxing examiner for examiner.com. To read more stories by Michael Marley, Click Here .