Dec 14, 2014 3 min read

Jason Bergman admits it took him the better part of a month to get over losing the NABA USA Heavyweight title in July to Akhor Muralimov at The Meadows Casino.

But time heals all wounds and the Washington resident is ready to move on and try to re-establish his climb up the world heavyweight boxing ranks.

The loss to Muralimov, a late replacement, was unexpected but also a teachable moment for Bergman, though it took him a while to come to that realization.

“I learned a lot from it,” said Bergman, who dominated the opening round against Muralimov only to get caught with a hard hook to the head in the second from which he was unable to recover.

“It was my fault. It happened. I dropped my hands and got caught with a shot. It took me a good month to get over on it and not dwell on it.”

The 30-year-old southpaw will finally move on from that loss Dec. 20, when he takes on veteran Philadelphia heavyweight Robert Hawkins at Wheeling Island Casino on the second of a two-night event.

The fight is a rematch between Bergman and Hawkins. The two first fought in 2011 in Pittsburgh, with Bergman (23-11-1) coming away with a split-decision victory.

Hawkins, who owns a 23-20 record, has fought a number of contenders during his career, including David Tua and former Olympians Jean-Francois Bergeron and Jason Estrada.

The 44-year-old is on the downside of his career, but offers Bergman a glimpse at how he’s progressed as a fighter.

“When I fought him the first time, I was still raw,” Bergman said. “I’ve come a long way since then. I’m interested to see how I’ve progressed.

“He’s a crafty fighter. He knows how to not get hit. But he won’t just sit back. He’s a veteran.”

A win over Hawkins could also lead to bigger things, namely regaining the NABA USA Heavyweight title.

Muralimov has vacated the NABA championship rather than defend his title and Bergman will get a shot at regaining the championship in February if he gets past Hawkins.

“I have a busy year ahead of me,” said Bergman.

Not that it hasn’t been busy already. Last year marked a big move for Bergman.

He not only won and then lost the NABA USA title, he also travelled to Poland to spar with former IBF Heavyweight and Cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek. Adamek also held the WBC Light Heavyweight title in the mid-2000s.

“He was looking for a lefty to spar with so I went to Poland for three weeks in October,” Bergman said. “I did real well. I was the last of the three fighters he brought over to be sent home.

“I felt like I held my own with him.”