Staff WriterGlen Tapia anticipates 2015 becoming a “big year” for his boxing career.
If the junior-middleweight contender from Passaic is to make that proclamation a reality, he?ll have to win impressively in his next fight, Tapia?s toughest since suffering his lone professional loss. Tapia, 25, began training camp Monday for a 10-round fight against Australia?s Daniel Dawson (40-4-1, 26 KOs) on March 7 in Macau, China.
Dawson is 37, but the veteran floored former WBA 154-pound champion Austin Trout twice in his last fight. Though Trout (28-2, 15 KOs) overcame those two third-round knockdowns to defeat Dawson by unanimous decision, Dawson definitely is a step up in competition from the two opponents Tapia stopped in 2014.
Easy technical knockout victories over journeymen Donatas Bondorovas (18-6-1, 6 KOs) and Keenan Collins (15-9-3, 10 KOs, 1 NC) were just what Tapia (22-1, 14 KOs) needed following his brutal sixth-round technical knockout defeat to the hard-hitting contender James Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs) 13 months ago in Atlantic City. Now matchmakers for Bob Arum?s Top Rank Inc., Tapia?s promoter, want to see how he fares against a fringe contender who has been stopped just once in his 12-year pro career.
“I know he?s fought a couple champions,” Tapia said, referring to former WBO junior-middleweight champ Serhiy Dzinziruk (37-2-1, 24 KOs) and onetime IBF middleweight champ Daniel Geale (31-3, 16 KOs). “This is the perfect opponent for me right now. This is the step we need to take to show that I?m here to stay, that I?m not just a B-class fighter.”
If Tapia defeats Dawson soundly, he?ll convince his handlers he is ready for another fight on HBO. He lost his HBO debut to Kirkland, but began working with renowned trainer Freddie Roach following the Kirkland loss.
Tapia returned to Roach?s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood on Monday. He is training alongside wildly popular Chinese Olympian Zou Shiming (6-0, 1 KO), also trained by Roach and promoted by Top Rank.
Shiming will challenge IBF flyweight champ Amnat Ruenroeng (14-0, 5 KOs) in the main event March 7, which explains Tapia?s trip to China. It?ll mark Tapia?s first visit to Asia since he served as Manny Pacquiao?s primary sparring partner in the Philippines for Pacquiao?s November 2010 win against Antonio Margarito.
“I?m looking forward to fighting over there,” Tapia said. “They love boxing in China and I?m hoping to make some new fans.”
