Bergman’s next fight is in Samoa
Washington boxer Jason Bergman prides himself on being willing to go anywhere to fight anyone at a moment’s notice.
That mantra will be put to the test Jan. 23 when he travels to Samoa to fight New Zealand’s Joseph Parker. The fight will take place at the Faleata Sports Complex in Apia, Samoa.
With WBO, WBC and WBA international titles on the line, Bergman was quick to jump at the opportunity to take on an up-and-coming fighter ranked in the top 15 in the world by all three organizations, including 6th by the WBO.
“It’s a big opportunity for me,” said Bergman, who lives in South Strabane Township. “I signed the contract two weeks ago but I couldn’t say anything about it until (Parker) announced it.
“I haven’t watched film of him yet. I just want to be in shape and be ready for him. I’ll look at the film as the training progresses.”
Bergman, 31, is a former WBA U.S. heavyweight champ, a belt he lost in 2014 in a fight at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino to Akhror Muralimov, another unbeaten fighter who was a last-minute replacement.
Bergman, ranked 25th in the U.S. heavyweight ratings, got the fight with the 23-year-old Parker, who has a 16-0 record, for an unusual reason – he’s left-handed.
Many fighters choose not to fight a southpaw, but Parker’s handlers wanted their boxer to face that challenge as a possible stepping stone for a possible fight down the road against WBA champion Rusian Chagaev, another lefty.
“Joe is currently ranked 13th by the WBA and rising fast, so Chagaev is most definitely in our sights. When that opportunity presents itself, we must be ready,” Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry told Stuff.co.nz.
That’s fine with Bergman.
“It worked out well for me,” said Bergman, rated the world’s 11th best lefty. “They wanted to fight a lefty, so I kind of lucked out.”
Not that the Albert Gallatin High School graduate is looking at being a stepping stone for Parker, who is of Samoan heritage and lives in Las Vegas despite being born in Aukland, New Zealand.
“I’m going there to win, not just for a paycheck,” Bergman said.
Since his stunning second-round knockout loss to Muralimov, Bergman has rebounded with victories over Robert Hawkins and Jerry Butler, the latter coming Sept. 15 as Bergman stepped in as a late replacement for a fight that took place at California University’s Convocation Center.
That improved his record to 25-11-2, though all but two of his losses came before 2009 as a young fighter. Since a loss to Grzegorz Kielsa in Canada in Nov. 2009, Bergman is 16-2, with one of the losses a split decision.
Parker will have another fight, Dec. 5 in Hamilton, Ontario, against Daniel Martz (14-2-1) for the WBO Oriental heavyweight championship, before facing Bergman.
Parker has faced some big names in his career – former heavyweight contender Frans Botha among them – and beaten them all.
But Bergman feels he has an advantage.
“Everyone he’s fought has been 38 to 45 years old,” Bergman said. “They’ve been on their way out. I’m curious to see how he does against a guy who’s still on his way up like me.
“I hope he’s looking at my record and sees my losses. Ninety-eight percent of them came when I didn’t know what I was doing. There’s not a lot of film out there of me, either. I think that can play to my advantage.”