Mar 25, 2015 3 min read

His left arm fully recovered from a torn biceps injury, Washington’s Jason Bergman will finally get an opportunity to reclaim the WBA/NABA U.S. heavyweight championship in May when he gets a rematch with veteran Devin Vargas as part of a yet-to-be-announced card at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino.

But first, Bergman will go to Moscow in April to spar with highly rated Alexander Povetkin (28-1), whose only career defeat came at the hands of world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2013. Povetkin is currently ranked No. 2 in the world behind Klitschko by Ring Magazine.

“His next fight is against a southpaw, so he wanted to train with a southpaw,” said the left-handed Bergman. “I went to Poland last year and did pretty well. So they decided to bring me over. The biggest problem around here is finding good guys to spar with, so I think this will help me with my fight. I know when I came back from Poland, I was stronger and faster. It can only make me better because I’m pushed so hard by those guys. It’s good timing for me.”

Bergman travelled to Poland last fall to spar with former IBF heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek. Adamek also held the WBC light heavyweight title in the mid-2000s.

Bergman, 30, will spend about a month in Moscow and return about a week before his fight with Vargas (18-4), which is scheduled to take place May 16.

The two fought March 28, 2014 in Weirton, W.Va., in Bergman’s first defense of the WBA/NABA USA Heavyweight title.

Bergman (24-11) knocked the 33-year-old Vargas down in the second round before finally putting him away in the third.

Unfortunately for Bergman, that was his only successful title defense. He lost the belt four months later when Akhror Muralimov, a then-unbeaten last-second replacement, caught him with a hook to the head in the second round of a fight at The Meadows, knocking him out.

Muralimov since vacated the NABA title and lost a unanimous decision last month to Derric Rossy for the vacant IBF North American heavyweight title.

Bergman fought once since his loss to Muralimov, winning a unanimous decision against Robert Hawkins at Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino & Racetrack in December.

He expected to fight for the championship in February, but tore his biceps while training and had to cancel.

“I’ll get a shot to reclaim what I lost,” Bergman said. “I’ve been healed up for a while now and I’ve gotten a lot faster. I was 250 pounds against Muralimov. I’m down to 235 now over the past three months. I feel faster. It’s definitely benefitted me.”

Despite his knockout victory over Vargas a year ago, Bergman expects a difficult fight.

“I’ve seen him look really good in some fights and seen him not look so good in others,” Bergman said. “I’m preparing to face him at his best. It’s going to be a good opportunity.”

The yet-to-be announced boxing card will be the second major sporting event at The Meadows this spring. The casino will host a mixed martial arts King of the Cage event April 25.