Originally eager for an immediate rematch with Chad Dawson, Miami resident Glen Johnson now believes the longer wait could prove beneficial.

Johnson finally will have his second bout against Dawson on Saturday night in Hartford, Conn. -- 20 months after Dawson won the first fight with a unanimous decision. Many boxing experts said Johnson was the better fighter when they first met for Dawson's then-International Boxing Federation light-heavyweight title in Tampa.

``In the weeks after the fight, I wanted an immediate rematch, but looking back I feel I will now fight him at the right time,'' Johnson said after a workout Saturday morning. ``I have made necessary adjustments. Right away I would not have made the adjustments.''

Johnson, 40, fought twice since the Dawson bout -- a fourth-round technical knockout against Aaron Norwood in November 2008 and a lopsided decision against Daniel Judah in February.

``I wasn't as sharp as I wanted to be in the first fight I had after Dawson,'' Johnson said. ``My opponent didn't have the same qualities as Dawson, so that helped me adjust. I fought a second fight, and I noticed the adjustments I am making for Dawson were working.''

Dawson (49-12-2, 33 KOs) acknowledges he won't make radical adjustments Saturday. Pressing the action in the first bout, Johnson nearly finished Dawson in the 10th round, but Dawson survived and eventually won the bout on all three judges' scorecards 116-112.

``We feel we accomplished what was necessary,'' said Johnson, who will break camp at the Thump Gym in Kendall on Monday and leave for Hartford on Tuesday.

``We made some adjustments, but we are going to do what Glen Johnson does. I am not going to turn into a Muhammad Ali.''

Johnson is a frequent critic of boxing ``politics,'' which he believes have denied him victories in close fights. Johnson also said politics have removed him from top-tier, lucrative bouts following his breakthrough year in 2004, when he became a world champion and defeated Roy Jones Jr. and Antonio Tarver in successive fights.

But ``politics'' benefited Johnson in securing the rematch against Dawson, whom many experts consider the top fighter in the 175-pound class. Officials at HBO, which will televise Saturday's bout, told Dawson's representatives the only Dawson fight the network wanted was a rematch against Johnson.

``Politics didn't help him stay away from me,'' Johnson said. ``HBO told him `[Johnson] is the guy we want you to fight.' They ran out of tricks. On [Saturday], they have to deal with reality.''

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@