Despite its size Slovenia has some of the best athletes in the world. It’s as if a two horse town would continually produce winners at the highest international level (the Olympics, World Championships etc.). After we entered the FIFA World Cup as the smallest country, our small “village” produced a world champion in boxing. Dejan Zavec.

Right where our soccer team will make history, Zavec fought the then-current world champion Isaac Hlatshwayo and won by knockout in the third round. He seems tough and bad and mean in the ring, but Dejan is one of the funniest, fun to be around people. A joker, a caring family man, and very humble. That’s why, when he arrived to the airport yesterday and the door opened and he saw the tightly packed arrivals lobby with all the signs and flags and cameras etc., he stood there between the door, hands on his head, completely shocked. Then he just went with the flow.

And he had to go with the flow. The crowd pushed and everybody was pretty much squeezed hands over shoulders ass on someone else. Doing most of the pushing were of course the media. Cameramen and photographers.

Cameras attack

Most of them are well behaved and show respect or at least consideration for other photographers, but you can also find those, whose egos are over the roof and they treat others more or less as lesser people, like scum. In these cases, their treatment turns into something like that of a riot police. Prefessionals at their best.

Hugging his wife while holding hands with the sports minister

But there was also no fences, no security. So the chaos was quite normal. It took Dejan half an hour to get out of the arrivals to the press conference.

More photos @ www.dax-photo.com

I watch a fair amount of boxing but only tend to spend time on this blog, on those 11 occasions a year I update, talking about mixed martial arts. This is something I am trying to correct.

While watching the recent rematch between Lucian Bute and Librado Andrade, it struck me that this fight would be a perfect illustration of the type of fight I had in mind when starting this site. It’s a competitive fight, between competitors of a good standard, it tells a good story and was entertaining throughout with an exciting finish. So, a few words…

The first meeting between the pair ended in controversy when Bute, in his hometown, was knocked down in the last round en route to a comfortable points decision. The referee allowed him an inordinate amount of time to recover and avoid taking the loss, 21 seconds I believe, and sure enough he won on points. This was the rematch 13 months on and it more than answered any questions.

Bute won the first two rounds comfortably but Lennox Lewis on commentary kept remarking how he looked stiffer than usual. His corner told him at the end of the round to start fighting his fight, because if he fought Andrade’s he would lose.

The response was immediate with the Romanian-born star looking more relaxed and moving with greater confidence and grace than he was previously. He began to find his range, use his speed advantage and comfortably pick off Andrade at will. His right jab wa very effective and the left seemed to land quite often when desired too.

At this stage it would have been easy to expect a one-sided decision win given Andrade’s ridiculous chin but Bute put him down for only the second time in his career with a cracking left hook in the fourth. His speed was such that he caught his opponent while he was in mid-combination fighting in close but landed on the point on the jaw while managing to avoid too much damage himself.

He recovered, and even winked at his corner, but Bute ended the fight soon after with a thunderous left-handed body shot which still had the Mexican on the floor when the referee was giving the obligatory ten count.

Go out of your way to see this fight because Bute is very impressive. A lot of top super middleweights are tied up with the Super Six at the time of writing but if he can keep winning until its duration, then him against pretty much anyone in the tournament might be a very attractive proposition.

Ministério de Casais

É a união legítima entre um homem e uma mulher.

União: combinação, aliança e instituição.

Instituição: criada por Deus, estabelecida por Deus e orientado por Deus, aprovado e supervisionado por Deus (Gn 2:18 – 25).

Deus disse que tudo o que criou é bom e o coração de Adão se alegrou.

Casamento é, então, estudar a sua esposa ou seu esposo, viver intensamente com ela ou com ele, ficar totalmente à vontade juntos, íntimos, com pleno conhecimento um do outro, não ter segredos um para com o outro, criar canais de comunicação para expressar suas dificuldades, desejos e medos. União: unir-se à sua esposa vem em primeiro lugar, e depois vem amá-la.

Em um relacionamento os conflitos são inevitáveis, porque temos antecedentes de criação diferentes, como: nível educacional, constituição emocional, desejos, expectativas e objetivos opostos. Sem dúvida, o conflito vai acontecer, mas só se torna um problema se não for rapidamente solucionado, verbalizando o problema, perdoando e sendo perdoado.

A promessa do pacto matrimonial foi de que permaneceriam juntos na alegria e na tristeza, na riqueza ou na pobreza, na saúde ou na doença até que a morte os separe. É o compromisso com o compromisso.

A solução e a possibilidade de um casamento feliz está ao nosso alcance, em Deus o Criador, presente a todos e em todos os tempos.

Tudo o que necessitamos saber sobre Deus e o nosso casamento está escrito na Bíblia (Dt. 29:29).

A felicidade crescente no casamento é possível quando reconhecemos que queremos mudar as nossas vidas para um padrão de Deus.

1°. Lutar para vencer, perseverar. Separar não é a solução, é apenas remediar, porque não estamos vivendo uma aventura.

O que levou você a casar-se com o (a) seu (a) esposo (a)?

O que chamou a sua atenção?

Quais foram os planos, projetos, expectativas, desejos e sonhos que vocês tinham?

O que fez você parar ou fugir?

2°. Ceder para poder permanecer junto, reconhecer o seu papel, o seu desígnio, agir para realizar e transformar as situações. Não resistir com medo de dizer que não sabe resolver a situação, ou seja, o que é preciso fazer para resolver ou solucionar esta situação?

3°. Compreender para promover segurança no relacionamento, aceitando o outro sem criticar ou julgar, para se justificar em seus erros e falhas. Para ser aceito, amado e valorizado, temos que pegar o cônjuge pela mão, até atravessar a situação.

4°. Conhecer o outro para suportar as dificuldades, colocar-se no lugar do próximo, buscando viver a experiência do cônjuge, compreendendo então as limitações. Negar-se a si mesmo, esta é a atitude importante que devemos ter.

Ce frumos este sa te trezesti cu Lucica (nu va ginditi la lucruri necurate!!!). Ma refer la dimineata de duminica cind Bute l-a invins pe ingimfatul ala de Andrade. Nu imi place violenta, dar cind am vazut pumnul lui Lucica in ficatul mexicanului am trezit toata casa cu “VICTORIEEEEEE!!!!!”.

Abia astept sa vina in tara … mi-e dor sa merg la aeroport ))))

Si ca sa fie ziua completa a batut si Barcelona. Yeeeeeee!!!!

“Voi încheia acest meci aşa cum trebuia să se încheie primul. Acum am primit această şansă şi nu o voi lăsa să-mi scape. Bute este un pugilist bun, dar îl voi învinge. Îl voi răni şi îl voi opri. El este acum ca un Mercedes stricat” – Librado Andrade, 26 noiembrie 2009.

Runda a patra. Andrade începe destul de bine repriza. După o serie a mexicanului, Bute îşi revine. Calmează jocul şi începe să atace. Decisiv! Un croşeu de stânga aplicat lui Libardo a anunţat dezastrul pentru mexican. S-a ridicat de la podea, a încercat să mimeze boxul şi a fost taxat de român. Un alt upercut trimis în ficat, cu 20 de secunde înainte de finalul reprizei a patra, l-a trimis pe campion definitiv la podea. Bute rămânea campion mondial!

“Vă mulţumesc tuturor celor care v-aţi trezit în această dimineaţă special pentru mine. Nu vă puteţi imagina cum mă simt în aceste momente. A fost o seară excepţională. Am muncit mult pentru acest meci. Am demonstrat că merit să fiu campion şi că a fost un accident în 2008. A fost o oprtunitate foarte mare. Sper ca pe viitor să boxez numai pe HBO şi să am numai meciuri mari. Lenox mi-a spus că sunt un boxer bun, că am făcut un meci bun şi că acum nu are cine să mă bată. Mă bucur foarte mult că meciul s-a văzut şi în România. Le mulţumesc celor care au facut posibil să se vadă meciul în România. Abia aştept să vin acasă”, Lucian Bute – campion mondial IBF.Lucian Bute:

*29 de ani

*3 titluri de campion mondial

*25 de victorii, din care 20 prin KO.

*Este primul pugilist care a reuşit să-l “pună la pământ” pe Andrade (30 de ani).

Lucian Bute peut maintenant avancer.

Une victoire sans scandale accompagné de la reconnaissance du clan Andrade permet à Bute d’avancer l’esprit tranquille vers les gros noms américains et ses grosses bourses qui s’en suivent. À voir la décision douteuse que les juges ont rendus lors du combat précédent (Joan Guzman vs Ali Funeka) nous rappel qu’un bon vieux K.O. évite forme d’ambiguïté!

Bute semblait sur ses gardes lors des premières minutes du combat. Il était nerveux ou il gardait ses énergies pour ne pas se faire prendre en fin de combat comme lors du premier affrontement contre Andrade ? Peu importe, au 4ème Round, il a descendu un gars qui n’avait jamais subit de défaite par K.O. jusqu’à ce jour avec un magnifique coup au corps. C’est ce que je retiens et c’est ce que les 16 473 personnes du Colisée Pepsi de Québec ont vu!

Lucian Bute regardera sûrement avec attention le combat de Kelly Pavlik le 19 décembre prochain… c’est nom que Sportscene semble avoir en tête pour la première incursion de Lucian aux États-Unis.

Regarder le 4ème round

Box: Lucian Bute l-a învins prin KO pe Librado Andrade

Fazendo Jesus Conhecido

It’s another big fight week. Which means different things to different people.

Especially we writer types.

Some count down to opening bells by waxing nostalgic on past events. Some immerse in head-to-head matchups seeking evidence of one man’s superiority. And others simply spend time gorging on hospitality food and drink buffets.

Not a bad selection in the bunch… if you ask me.

But I come here not to praise the fistic establishment, but to bury it.

And, while simultaneously pondering replies to a Facebook friend request from someone I’ve neither seen in about 20 years nor liked in about 21, I’m feeling just a tad bit crusadery.

Either that or it’s another mid-life crisis.

And though no one’s asked my opinion in so many words, I’ve nonetheless chosen this week to climb on the soapbox and enlighten with my own home remedy for boxing’s ills.

My personal sanctioning body, if you will.

For lack of a better idea, and because all the good ones are taken, we’ll keep our name simple.

Ladies and gentlemen… I present the IMHO.

Of course, with the arrival of a supreme being of sanctioning bodies all the others must immediately be dissolved. So with apologies to their office-bound hierarchies and corporate staffs, I bid adieu to the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO.

Not to mention The Ring.

Sorry Oscar, you’ve been downsized.

Or if you prefer, voted off alphabet island.

Next, I hereby declare all existing championships vacant.

To all the men who’d been holding world title belts when the aforementioned ruling was handed down, thanks for your time. Your in-ring service is noted. Your worthy accomplishments are commended. Now please step back into line with everyone else.

Our new tagline: “Lineal, schmineal. We’re the IMHO.”

P.S. – You can keep your belts if you’d like. You know, to show the grandkids someday as evidence that you were young once. Kind of like 8-track tapes. Or pay telephones.

But now… it’s on to new business.

At the risk of alienating purists in the crowd – you know the type, folks who pine desperately for the days of eight weight classes and log-chopping training camps – we have an announcement.

The IMHO is a champion of technology. We endorse replay to determine whether cuts are caused by punches. We give scratch pads to judges flummoxed by carrying 1s on their scorecards. And we use computers to remove any trace of human bias from our ratings.

OK, full disclosure… the IBO beat us to that last one.

But now that it’s been disbanded (see Paragraph 12), we’re claiming it as our own.

Nyah, nyaaaaah.

Upon annexation, the immediate priority becomes filling title vacancies.

Referring to ratings as of Nov. 1 (www.iboboxing.com/top_100_computerized_rankings.html), the top four in each weight class will be matched up in mini single-elimination tournaments to be begun and completed by mid-2010.

Tourney winners will be awarded pristine new championship belts.

All losers will be placed back in the mix for mandatory title defenses.

Each freshly minted champion will fight at least twice per year, once against the incumbent No. 1 challenger and once more against a top 10 contender of his choosing. If a champion elects to fight three or more times in a year, other opponents can be chosen at his whim.

If you want to give an anonymous hometown kid a shot, go for it. If you want to pull the trigger on a guy 25 pounds lighter, knock yourself out. And hey, if you can win multiple titles and meet defense requirements in multiple classes… bully.

Just don’t ask for special treatment. Because you won’t get it.

Meanwhile, concurrent fights between contenders will be called just that: fights between contenders. Not interim title fights. Or title eliminators.

Or any other trumped-up code name that actually translates to “Please remit 10 percent of your anticipated purse to the address below, in exchange for a meaningless title belt.”

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. But they’ve got no place in boxing.

Similar terms like super, interim, unified, undisputed, emeritus or in-recess have also been barred forever. In fact, the mere mention of such imposters – or the very mouthing of the term “catch weight” at any official IMHO gathering – is grounds for permanent media suspension.

And contrary to this weekend’s jewelry-encrusted “title fight” of convenience, the IMHO’s weight-class boundaries are hard, fast and non-negotiable.

If a fighter chooses to defend his title two pounds lighter than the limit, so be it. But no title match will be sanctioned that requires any fighter to come in at anything other than the established weights.

It may irk the odd promoter or two – sorry Bob – but it ought to satisfy the hardest line of a fickle scribe horde that’s always quick to point out shortfalls in existing systems, all while quickly lapping what the alphabets serve like parched dogs at a soiled toilet.

You can’t have it both ways, people. And in the new IMHO era, you won’t. 

Finally, presuming the fighters entering each mini-tourney as top seeds emerge victorious, the inaugural list of IMHO champions would look like this:

Heavyweight – Wladimir Klitschko

Cruiserweight – Steve Cunningham

Light Heavyweight – Chad Dawson

Super Middleweight – Carl Froch

Middleweight – Kelly Pavlik

Super Welterweight – Paul Williams

Welterweight – Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Super Lightweight – Manny Pacquiao

Lightweight – Juan Manuel Marquez

Super Featherweight – Humberto Soto

Featherweight – Chris John

Super Bantamweight – Celestino Caballero

Bantamweight – Hozumi Hasegawa

Super Flyweight – Nonito Donaire

Flyweight – Omar Narvaez

Junior Flyweight – Ivan Calderon

Strawweight – Oleydong Sithsamuochai

Not to speak for the masses, but we IMHO types think that’s a roster to be proud of.

And as for other day-to-day issues, they’ll be dealt with as they arise. In fact, I say bring ’em on and let’s get started. We’ve got promises to keep. And title fights to sign before we sleep.

After all, folks… it ain’t rocket science. It’s just boxing.

And in my humble opinion at least, we couldn’t do a lot worse.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

This week’s title-fight schedule:

FRIDAY

IBO welterweight title – Stoke, United Kingdom

Lovemore N’dou (champion) vs. Matthew Hatton (No. 50 contender)      

N’dou (47-11-1, 31 KO): First title defense; Ex-IBF champion at 140 pounds

Hatton (37-4-1, 14 KO): First title fight; Four-fight win streak since May 2008 (4-0, 1 KO)

Fitzbitz says: N’dou by decision

SATURDAY 

WBO welterweight title – Las Vegas, Nev.

Miguel Cotto (champion) vs. Manny Pacquiao (No. 1 contender)

Cotto (34-1, 27 KO): Second title defense; One loss in 15 title fights (14-1, 11 KO)

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO): First title fight at 147 pounds; One loss in 12 title fights (9-1-2, 8 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Pacquiao in 10

WBA super welterweight title – Las Vegas, Nev.

Daniel Santos (champion) vs. Yuri Foreman (No. 1 champion)      

Santos (32-3-1, 23 KO): First title defense; Two losses in 11 title fights (9-2, 5 KO)

Foreman (27-0, 8 KO): First title fight; Second fight in Las Vegas (1-0, 0 KO) 

Fitzbitz says: Santos by decision

Nossa igreja tem projetos…

Nosso Ministério é composto por:

Presbítero: George Silva Canário como Líder Geral

Pastora: Turid como Auxiliar

1. TENHO CERTEZA DA EXISTÊNCIA DE DEUS?

Texto: Atos 17:24: “O Deus que fez o mundo e tudo o que nele há é o Senhor dos céus e da terra”.

Introdução:

- O que prova a existência?

- Existe Deus?

- Quem é Deus?

1. História Universal Prova a Existência de Deus

É interessante saber que: não há uma só tribo, um só povo, através de toda a história, que não tenha mostrado uma crença na existência de Deus; Babilônicos, Egípcios, Hebreus, Romanos, Gregos, e outros – todos tiveram uma ideia acerca de Deus, muitas vezes, é verdade, de forma distorcida, por não terem a correta e completa revelação.

O fenômeno religioso, através dos séculos e milênios, é um fato simplesmente convincente de que a ideia de um Deus-Criador, em que pesem todas as distorções, como já foi relatado, é algo inerente à raça humana. O salmista disse: “Diz o néscio em seu coração: não há Deus” (Sl 14:1).

Negar a existência do criador eterno é loucura!

2. As Percepções Humanas Falam da Existência de Deus

Define-se como “percepção” a capacidade de formar uma ideia sobre alguma coisa; e na verdade, só podemos fazer uma ideia do que realmente existe.

Será que o coração do homem tem uma ideia do que é Deus?

Aqui, como resposta podemos afirmar que existe um gemido da alma humana, buscando a presença de Deus!

A declaração do salmista é profundamente verdadeira: “como o cervo anseia pelas correntes das águas, assim suspira a minha alma por ti, ó Deus”. O homem tem uma marca de Deus em sua vida!

3. A Experiência Cristã Prova a Existência de Deus O salmista diz: “Provai e vede que o Senhor é bom” (Sl 34:8), até o “não-crente” testifica dessa realidade. Veja se os casos dos fariseus em relação ao que acontecera com os discípulos, conforme lemos em atos dos apóstolos 4:13 “Ao verem a intrepidez de Pedro e João, sabendo que eram homens iletrados e incultos, admiraram-se e reconheceram que havia eles estado com Jesus”, efetivamente a maior e mais convincente prova da existência de Deus, sem dúvida, é a transformação que experimenta a pessoa, milhares de casos! Provas sobre mais provas!

4. “O Universo Prova a Existência de Deus” (Sl 19:1)

– Os céus declaram a glória de Deus, o firmamento proclama a obra de suas mãos).

Temos duas alternativas: ou o universo é produto de uma evolução própria, ou é a magnífica obra de um poderoso criador, de uma mente inteligentíssima e perfeitamente boa! – Com respeito a primeira hipótese a própria ciência diz que não há geração espontânea, conforme demonstrou o químico francês Luís Pasteur já no século XIX. A teoria da evolução baseia-se em hipóteses até hoje não provadas, é o elo de ligação entre o homem e o macaco ainda não foi acabado; Com respeito à segunda alternativa, podemos dizer que é obra de um criador, infinitamente superior ao homem, pois, trata-se não de uma obra sem nexo, muito pelo contrário, ele revela objetividade, variedades maravilhosas, ordem e leis que podem ser estudadas e aplicadas.

Tudo isso, portanto, mostra uma causa inteligentíssima.

Admitir que átomos irracionais, cegos e mudos sem nenhum poder de comunicação entre si, deram origem a seres vivos, inteligentes, sem que entrasse a mente, a mão de um criador, isso é muito maior tolice do que crer em Deus-Criador (e na verdade não é nenhuma tolice crer Nele) do qual a bíblia fala!

Pode-se até dizer: isso seria exigir muito mais fé do que mesmo aquela que a bíblia exige para a crença em Deus.

Para isto, é tão somente necessário crer de coração verdadeiro.

Por último:

A bíblia como documento e testemunho idôneo, que revela o princípio de todas as coisas, fala de ponta a ponta sobre a existência de Deus, seu caráter seu poder, suas obras e seu amor. Podemos crer no testemunho da bíblia? Certamente é 100%! Ela se cumpre a cada dia, suas profecias são verdadeiras, e por mais que muitos incrédulos tenham pretendido desmerecer a palavra de Deus, ela se impõe cada vez mais como palavra de inspiração divina. Basta considerar as profecias relacionadas com a pessoa de Cristo – seu nascimento, sua morte e ressurreição. Existem mais de 300 profecias no antigo testamento, as quais foram cumpridas por Cristo, por ocasião de sua primeira vinda!

Sim, Deus existe! Ele não somente é o criador de todas as coisas, mas também é o nosso único Salvador, na pessoa de seu filho – Jesus Cristo.

Amigo, reconheça a realidade de Deus em sua vida, receba-o como seu salvador pessoal, por intermédio de Cristo; ame-o como Pai amoroso que é, sirva-o como verdadeiramente o único e absoluto! Seja mais um a testificar através da transformação de sua vida a existência do Criador! E isto será a sua própria felicidade, reconheça-o agora em seu coração, e viva uma vida plena em Cristo!!!

Nossa Igreja está localizada em Mogi das Cruzes, SP, no bairro da Volta Fria, na Perimetral passando a rotatória que entra para o Supermercado Shibata é a próxima rotatória com direção a Volta Fria, é bem em frente a rotatória, tem um posto de gasolina em frente. A rua lateral de acesso para que vem de São Paulo destino litoral. Localizada na Rua Massaro Seki, 10.

Ini tahun ke tiga istriku ikut pameran di Indonesia Book Fair 2009. Tahun lalu kalau dihitung-hitung banyak ruginya dibanding untungnya, sedangkan tahun pertama banyak untungnya.

Setelah sibuk mikir ngalor ngidul, akhirnya istriku nekad untuk ikut yang ke tiga kalinya.

“Kenapa harus mikir ngalor ngidul? Sebagai anggota MMC2, maka yang penting bukan mikirnya tapi ACTION-nya!”, begitu kira-kira yang ada di benak istriku.

Di komunitas TDA Cikarang, memang ada beberapa kelompok mastermind. Salah satunya adalah Kelompok Mastermind Cikarang 2 alias MMC2, dimana istriku menjadi salah satu anggotanya.

Di kelompok MMC2 ini memang sedang “on fire”. Adalah pak Ipung yang terus berkembang usahanya dan kiprahnya dalam pengumpulan masa, sehingga dikenal dengan sebutan pak EO [event organizer], karena semua kegiatan yang ditanganinya selalu terbukti sukses. Sebut saja acara launching buku Pak Dhe NgebloG yang sukses dilaksanakan di Samikuring.

IBF 2009

Semua ini tentu tak lepas dari kompor para founder TDA maupun EU, yang tak henti-hentinya mengajarkan berpikir dengan otak kanan, ACTION dulu baru mikir kemudian!

Minggu lalu, ketua KMMC2 juga sudah melakukan ACTION dengan resign dari pekerjaannya dan membuka gerai Mie Ayam Perto KCB.

Semangat para anggota MMC1 dan MMC2 inilah yang membakar semangat istriku untuk terus melakukan ACTION sepanjang dia mampu melakukannya.

Kadang aku capek sendiri melihat segala kegiatan istriku ini. Aku tahu dia membantimg tulang seperti itu adalah demi TK Nurul Azizi 3 yang selalu butuh dana tambahan agar bisa melaksanakan proses belajar mengajarnya.

TK Nurul Azizi 3 Surabaya

Betapa bahagianya istriku ketika ikut MMC2 dan dijanjikan oleh Suhu Mie Perto tentang bantuan zakat para murid Mie Perto. Semua zakat yang diserahkan pengelolaannya ke Pak Syam, selanjutnya akan diteruskan ke TK Nurul Azizi 3 ini. Kalau saja dananya ada banyak, betapa inginnya istriku membuka sekolah gratis, seperti juga yang telah dilakukan oleh beberapa saudara kita, dengan mendirikan sekolah bagi kaum dhuafa.

Inilah contoh sinergi TDA Cikarang yang terasa sangat indah.

Sampai larut malam ini istriku masih asyik di lokasi pameran buku untuk mempersiapkan stand-nya. Besok pameran itu sudah buka, jadi hari ini persiapan harus selesai.

Akupun harus cepat-cepat pulang agar LiLo tidak sendirian di rumah. Besok akan kita lihat seberapa hebat istriku setelah menjadi anggota komunitas TDA Cikarang Bekasi. Kali ini istriku tidak hanya jualan kalung BIOFIR, dia juga jualan buku Pak Dhe NgeBloG dan pernak pernik lainnya. Apa yang bisa jadi uang, mari kita jadikan!:-)

Semoga semua kegiatan ini sukses dan mendatangkan hikmah bagi semua yang terlibat di dalamnya.
Insya Allah. Amin.

+++

IBF 29

Chad Dawson has heard every word.

How Glen Johnson deserved to win their first fight. How HBO forced him into accepting a rematch. And how Johnson – who was already within a few pounds of fight weight a month ago – is ready to finish this weekend in Hartford a job he claims to have started last year in Tampa.

Dawson hears it all. And for those who buy into it, he has one simple declaration:

“See you on Saturday night.”

“At this point, Glen Johnson sounds like he’s looking for excuses, and looking for ways to pump himself up,” Dawson said Monday, upon returning from a seven-week training camp in Las Vegas. “And that’s all it is, a lot of talk. But it doesn’t mean anything.”

As for the specific points Johnson and others have made, the unbeaten 27-year-old’s counters are just as precise, coming with the same slightly amused annoyance that marked replies prior to his last 40-something title-bout rematch – six months ago against Antonio Tarver.

Dawson won a unanimous nod over Tarver in their first bout in 2008 and repeated the feat in May.

He also beat Johnson by unanimous decision in 2008 and gets another chance at Hartford’s XL Center in his first home-state appearance in more than two years.

It’s his second defense of the IBO light heavyweight title he won from Tarver in their first go-round, which came after he’d won the WBC belt from Tomasz Adamek in 2007 and defended it three times – the last against Johnson – before voluntarily surrendering it.

Johnson, by the way, is also 40 years old.

“I’m going to prove it to myself and prove it to him and anyone else that he couldn’t beat me on his best day,” Dawson said. “What more can he do? He’s a one-dimensional fighter with one big right hand and he only knows how to fight one way, coming straight at you.

“I think I saw him at his best (last year) and he can’t possibly be the same guy now as he was then. I’m not saying he won’t be determined and won’t be coming to fight, because that’s Glen Johnson. But I know I’m better than I was then and it’s time for me to show it.

“My last two years have been nothing but Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. I’m ready to finish this part of my career once and for all and move on to see some new faces.”

Dawson swept the scorecards by matching 116-112 counts in the first meeting with Johnson, winning several early rounds before tasting the older man’s power and struggling in the back half of the fight – prompting many to claim Johnson had done enough to win.

Dawson initially balked at a rematch, but eventually signed on after failing to lure either Bernard Hopkins or Joe Calzaghe into big-money events. Johnson, meanwhile, claims the rematch only came about after Dawson was mandated to take the fight by HBO.

“I pretty much went into (Johnson’s) hometown and won a unanimous decision, so I don’t know what else I need to say about the first fight,” Dawson said. “All three judges said I won, but he’s still crying about it two years later. But I don’t let that get to me. I know I won the fight.

“I could’ve waited around for something else. But I wanted him again.”

And assuming things go his way again, Dawson is ambitious – and just as specific – about his future.

“With me right now, it’s all about going where the big money fights are. That’s what’s most important at this stage on my career,” he said, “and there are still the same couple of guys – Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe – that I most want to get fights with.

“Calzaghe’s retired, but there’s talk about him coming back, and Bernard is still ducking me. I’m hoping to get down to Philadelphia when he fights next month, so maybe I can persuade him to put something together with me.”

If neither Calzaghe nor Hopkins responds, Dawson’s options at 175 pounds are limited – prompting talk of replacing Jermain Taylor in Showtime’s six-man super middleweight tournament at 168, though his contract with HBO would presumably preclude such an arrangement.

Elsewhere at light heavyweight, the remaining belt-holders are Tavoris Cloud (IBF), Gabriel Campillo (WBA), Jean Pascal (WBC) and Zsolt Erdei (WBO).

Dawson won and subsequently defended both the IBO and IBF crowns against Tarver, but relinquished the latter when he refused to fight Cloud.

“I’m seriously thinking about my future, and, after I handle Glen Johnson, I’ll sit down with Gary (Shaw) and HBO and see where we go from there,” Dawson said. “If Showtime were to outbid (HBO), the thing at 168 is absolutely something I’d be interested in. But first on the list is Glen Johnson.

“As for Cloud, he’s holding on to a belt that I gave up. And he fought Clinton Woods to get it, in a fight that was awfully competitive. And the bottom line is that HBO didn’t want to buy the fight. Point blank, I’d have fought him, but HBO didn’t want to buy it. So you move on.”

* * * * * * * * * *

This week’s title-fight schedule:

FRIDAY

IBO featherweight title – Parramatta, Australia

Heriberto Ruiz (No. 18 contender) vs. Jackson Asiku (unranked)

Asiku (25-3, 13 KO): Ranked No. 34 at 130 pounds; Unbeaten since 2004 (14-0, 7 KO)

Ruiz (42-8-2, 24 KO): Lost WBA title shot at 118 pounds in 2004; First fight in Australia

Fitzbitz says: Ruiz by decision

SATURDAY

IBO light heavyweight title – Hartford, Conn.

Chad Dawson (champion) vs. Glen Johnson (No. 5 contender)

Dawson (28-0, 17 KO): Second title defense; Former WBC champ (2007-08)

Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KO): Former IBF/IBO champ; Tenth title fight (3-5-1, 1 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Dawson by decision

WBA heavyweight title – Nuremberg, Germany

Nikolai Valuev (champion) vs. David Haye (No. 4 contender)

Valuev (50-1, 34 KO): Second defense of second WBA reign; Eighth title fight (6-1, 3 KO)

Haye (22-1, 21 KO): Former WBA/WBC/WBO champ at 200 pounds; Fourth title fight (2-1, 2 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Haye in 7