PASSAIC ? Forgive Glen Tapia for being a tad aggravated.
The junior middleweight contender from Passaic has less than one round of action to show for spending most of the past 5 1/2 months training at Freddie Roach?s famed Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Tapia?s most recent fight, a first-round demolition of journeyman Keenan Collins, lasted all of 1 minute, 22 seconds. He was supposed to face France?s Salim Larbi on July 26 at Madison Square Garden, but the fight was scrapped just as Tapia prepared to weigh in July 25 because the New York State Athletic Commission wouldn?t license him due to concerns its chief medical officer, Dr. Barry Jordan, had regarding Tapia?s pre-fight blood work.
“That was really hard,” Tapia, 24, said. “I was away from my family for six weeks, training very hard for that fight. For that to happen, it was really difficult. I put all that work in and didn?t get anything out of it. But it is what it is.”
Tapia took a couple of weeks off following that cancellation, before spending five more weeks working with Roach for his fight Saturday night in Atlantic City. A 10-round bout that?ll pit Tapia (21-1, 13 KOs) against Chicago?s Donatas Bondorovas (18-5-1, 6 KOs) will headline a non-televised, seven-bout card at Bally?s Events Center ($50, $75; 800-736-1420; ticketmaster.com).
Hasbrouck Heights? Julian Rodriguez (5-0, 4 KOs), one of boxing?s top prospects, also will compete on the card. Rodriguez, a 2013 national Golden Gloves champion, is set to square off against Atlanta?s Christian Steele (4-10-2, 1 KO) in a six-round junior welterweight fight.
When Tapia takes center stage Saturday night, he expects to meet much more resistance than Collins (15-9-3, 10 KOs) offered 3 1/2 months ago at Bally?s. Bondorovas, 34, has lost two of his past three bouts, but the native of Lithuania has lost by knockout or technical knockout only once since his fourth pro fight in October 2002.
“He?s a durable fighter,” said Tapia, whose blood work was approved by New Jersey?s State Athletic Control Board for Saturday?s fight. “The one time he got stopped, it was because of a cut [against middleweight contender Bryan Vera in March 2013]. But he was doing real good in that fight. He doesn?t get knocked out and he comes in there to win. That?s perfect. I want a guy to challenge me.??
Known for his reliable chin and fan-friendly style, Tapia is eager to display the techniques he has learned since Roach became his trainer after his lone professional loss, a sixth-round TKO to James Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs) in a bout HBO broadcast Dec. 7 from Atlantic City. Roach, the world-renowned trainer of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto, has implored Tapia to box more and brawl less.
“I?m learning so much in the gym with him,” Tapia said. “We have a great bond. He?s so smart. People don?t understand how smart he is.??
Twitter: @Idecboxing
