THE RING's No. 2 light heavyweight contender Chad Dawson will have to withdraw from his scheduled March 14 rematch with former champ Antonio Tarver after injuring a ligament in his left hand during training, according to the IBF title holder's manager Mike Criscio.

The injury, suffered during a sparring session, will require a soft cast and take at least two weeks to heal enough before Dawson can resume training, according to Criscio, effectively throwing off the 26-year-old southpaw's training schedule for the rematch with his 40-year-old rival.

Dawson (27-0, 17 KOs) dominated Tarver, THE RING's No. 4-rated light heavyweight, to a lop-sided unanimous decision in their first match last October. The rematch, which was to take place at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas (the same site of the first bout), was going to be televised on HBO.