Fighting toward a finish

Steve Marcus

Light heavyweight boxer Chad Dawson, right, punches at sparring partner Chris Henry during a workout at the International MMA Fight Club Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009. Dawson is preparing for a Nov. 7 rematch against Glen Johnson at the Excel Arena in Hartford, Conn.

By Jeff Haney

Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Chad Dawson workout for Glen Johnson

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Chad Dawson has spent so much time in Las Vegas preparing for prizefights that he has come to think of the desert city as his home away from home.

Even so, a piece of his heart lies in Connecticut, where his wife and three young sons await his return.

“I’ve got three little boys who look up to me,” Dawson said. “I’m not just saying that to say it. They really do look up to me. It’s a great motivation. When I’m home they want to be around me all the time.

“After a fighter fights, he wants to go party and do things like that. But I can’t do that. When I go home, I spend as much time as I can with them.”

After beating Antonio Tarver twice in Las Vegas in his two most recent bouts, Dawson, the undefeated light heavyweight world champion, will fight Glen Johnson on Dawson’s home turf Nov. 7. HBO will televise the scheduled 12-rounder, a rematch of Dawson’s 2008 victory, from the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.

Dawson, well aware that Connecticut is often associated with country clubs and manicured lawns, stresses that he came from a very different part of the state — the “hood,” as he puts it.

“I knew boxing was my way out of the ghetto,” Dawson (28-0, 17 knockouts) said.

Although he appreciates the opportunities boxing has given him, Dawson, 27, doesn’t plan to stick around the sport for much longer.

If he can land a few more big fights — he says he wants to take on Bernard Hopkins and lure Joe Calzaghe out of retirement — Dawson envisions stepping down as an active boxer with an unblemished record before he turns 30.

The early retirement would allow him to pursue other business ventures and spend time with his wife, Crystal, and their sons: 6-year-old Prince Chadwick, 2-year-old Sir Chancellor, and infant Royal Tiger.

“I spend so much time away from home that I miss a lot of things with my kids,” Dawson said this week at the International MMA Fight Club on West Spring Mountain Road, where he is training under Eddie Mustafa Muhammad for the fifth consecutive fight.

“My 2-year-old son, he just now started going to the bathroom by himself. I missed all that. I have to hear all those things on the phone and I regret that. I have (nearly) 30 fights under my belt, and hopefully I can be done with the game in about three more fights.”

Mustafa Muhammad, himself a former light heavyweight world champ, said the game plan against Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KOs) entails staying on the outside, establishing the jab and throwing punches from angles.

“Glen Johnson, he’s not going to change,” Mustafa Muhammad said. “He comes one way, straight at you, trying to put all the pressure on you. Unless he grows another arm, we’ve got nothing to worry about.

“I’m not worried about Glen Johnson because I know what I’ve got. I’ve got a young 27-year-old who can box and who can punch.”

Dawson is listed as a minus 400 betting favorite against Johnson.

On Wednesday at the International MMA Fight Club, Dawson sparred four hard rounds with Chris “Hard Hittin’ ” Henry (24-2 as a pro) and four more with A.K. Laleye (12-3). Dawson showed power in both hands, excellent foot movement, an ability to block his opponents’ shots, and even a modified bolo punch or two.

Using colorful phraseology, Mustafa Muhammad implored Dawson to work the body of his opponent.

“Don’t worry about the head,” Mustafa Muhammad said. “Barbecue those ribs. Put some barbecue sauce on those ribs.”

Dawson complied, drilling Laleye with a straight left to the chest, and his trainer approved.