"I'll definitely use that as incentive," Dawson said. "I just want to put this guy away and move on."

A victory over Tarver at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel will virtually guarantee Dawson more lucrative paydays. The unbeaten 26-year-old from New Haven, Conn., said his best is still to come.

"I'm going to be better than last time," said Dawson, 27-0 with 17 knockouts. "I had a great training camp, and you're going to see more power punches from me. I'll try to take him out."

Dawson dominated the fighters' first clash, winning a 12-round unanimous decision by scores of 117-110, 117-110 and 118-109. A rematch clause in the contract guaranteed Tarver another shot despite the lopsided result.

"(Tarver) is slow," Dawson said of the "Magic Man," who has avenged three of his losses during a 27-5 career. "I see everything. They say the punches that hurt you are the ones you don't see. I'm going to see everything he throws, so I don't have to worry."

Dawson said Tarver will pay a price if he comes out more offensive-minded this time.

"If he does that, he's falling right into our game plan," Dawson said. "If he thinks he's going to throw more punches than me, he's going to get hurt.

"I'm going to break him down. I'm going to use my footwork, my speed and my quickness."

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, who trains Dawson, said his fighter had an energetic training camp at Johnny Tocco's Ringside Gym.

"I want Chad to be a better fighter than the first time," Muhammad said. "That's our motivation for this fight.

''We've got a group of guys who have been around Chad 24/7, making sure he kept his mind on Tarver. He's coming into the fight beautifully."

The bettors agree. Dawson is a minus-600 favorite in the HBO-televised fight. He weighed in Friday at 175 pounds. Tarver weighed 172.

Dawson said he sees Tarver merely as an obstacle on his path to a fight against 44-year-old Bernard Hopkins. But Hopkins said last week he's not interested unless he is offered at least $5 million.

"(Hopkins) sounds like a scared guy to me," Dawson said. "I'm right there. The fight's there to be made. It's like being in the schoolyard. You're there. I'm there. Let's fight and settle it."

• NOTES -- The HBO telecast will begin at 6:30 p.m., with the main event expected to start shortly after 7. ... The undercard, which will begin at 4:15 p.m., has two women's bouts, including the pro debut of Sweden's Anna Donatella Hultin, who will face Jasica Rojo in a four-round junior lightweight bout. ... About 2,000 of The Joint's 2,900 seats are sold. Tickets range from $35 to $250. ... After the fight, a replay of the May 2 Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight will be shown at The Joint.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.