Glen Johnson successfully has sidestepped the fighter aging overnight traps. Two months shy of his 41st birthday, Johnson continues to defy age, remaining among the top light-heavyweight boxers the past six years.

Johnson will encounter yet another age-daring challenge Saturday night in Hartford, Conn. The Miami resident will fight Chad Dawson in a rematch of their first bout 20 months ago in Tampa, when Dawson won a disputed unanimous decision.

``This fight means a lot to me, it lets me know where I am,'' Johnson said. ``For one, I am 40 years old. If I can go out and dominate, that will let me know where I stand.''

Johnson believed he was the dominant fighter in his first bout against Dawson. Dawson retained his International Boxing Federation title and eventually won two successful title defenses over Orlando's Antonio Tarver.

But the fallout from the first Dawson-Johnson fight lingered. Officials at HBO, which will televise Saturday's fight, pressed Dawson's representatives into accepting a rematch against Johnson. Moreover, Johnson was recognized as the ``best fighter'' in an online survey of viewers who watched his bout against Dawson.

``There is one thing the politics of boxing can't fool and those are the fans,'' Johnson said. ``They looked and recognized what is the thrill. But when the fight was going on, the commentators were talking about everything Dawson was doing.

``The fans, who were watching TV, were not paying attention to the commentators. The crowd in the arena had the same reaction. Both sides of the pond -- the viewers watching on TV and the fans in the arena -- appreciated my performance.''

However, Nicolas Hidalgo, Peter Trematera and Jack Woodburn, the three judges who scored the bout, opted for Dawson's boxing skills. All three favored Dawson 116-112.

``I felt I did the cleaner work,'' Johnson said. ``My understanding is that you should be rewarded for clean and effective punching.''

Dawson said he won't deviate from his formula, which helped him win the first fight.

``I'm not a knockout puncher; I'm not going in there looking for the knockout,'' Dawson said. ``I will keep out-boxing you. I will out-point you. That's what got me to 28-0. Why would I want to change that?''

Judging could become central to the fight's outcome again tonight. Dawson (27-0, 18 KOs) is a Connecticut native and should be the prohibitive crowd favorite.

During his rise to the top of the light-heavyweight rankings, Johnson (49-12-1, 33 KOs) often has fought in opponents' hometowns, including three trips to England for title bouts against former champion Clinton Woods.

``I am not going to say I am not concerned,'' Johnson said. ``You just have to go and do what you can in the ring. I can't control what goes on outside. All I can do is what is on my hands and hopefully the judges are professional and do their jobs as well.''

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