UNLIKELY TITLE SHOT
Jean Pascal gets chance at 36
Jean Pascal was supposed to be retired at this point in his career, you might remember. Then he was supposed to meet Gary Kopas this month in a nondescript cruiserweight bout in Nova Scotia that might only have attracted flies. Instead, the 36-year-old Laval boxer is somewhat surprisingly preparing for a world championship bout Nov. 24 against World Boxing Association light-heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. The 12-round main event will be televised by HBO in one of the network’s final fight cards before it ends its 45-year association with the sport. “I definitely thought I’d get another shot. That’s why I came back. I knew I still had some gas and wanted another title shot,” Pascal said Wednesday morning before an open media workout at Centre Claude Robillard. “I know I have way more experience, more knowledge (and know) what to do in my sport. “I’ve worked hard for this fight. I know it won’t be easy. If it was easy, everybody would do it. I’m well prepared and I will win this fight.” Pascal is one of three Quebec-based boxers preparing for important bouts. World Boxing Council 175-pound champ Adonis Stevenson of Blainville defends his crown Dec. 1 against Oleksandr Gvozdyk at Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City. Two weeks later on Dec. 15, Laval middleweight David Lemieux has a 10-round bout against Tureano Johnson at Madison Square Garden. That fight’s on the undercard of the main event between Canelo Alvarez and Rocky Fielding. Bivol, a 27-year-old Russian, is undefeated in 14 bouts with 11 knockouts. He originally was supposed to meet Joe Smith, the man who ended the career of Bernard Hopkins. But Smith accepted a better offer to meet International Boxing Federation champ Artur Beterbiev for a bout on the Garden card. However, Beterbiev, who now fights out of Montreal, withdrew last Friday, citing a lack of adequate training time following his Oct. 6 victory against Callum Johnson. Pascal, meanwhile, emerges from this muddled picture smelling like a rose. “It’s because I’m a former world champion and I still have a good name. A big name,” said Pascal, 335-1 with 20 KOs. “My gas tank is maybe not full, but it’s not empty. My gas is not bronze. It’s not silver. It’s gold. I have more knockouts than he has fights. Definitely, I’m going to use my experience to win the fight.” Pascal is a former WBC champ who lost his title in a rematch against Hopkins in May 2011. He attempted to ascend the throne again, only to twice get beaten by Sergey Kovalev. It was in the rematch, now almost three years ago, that Bivol served as one of Pascal’s sparring partners, so they’re familiar with each other. “Honestly, I don’t think it gives either of us an advantage,” Pascal said. “Maybe he thinks, because he was doing good and I was doing good ... but that was years ago. Maybe he thinks I’m on my decline. If he thinks that, he’s in for a big surprise.” Pascal stopped Ahmed Elbiali last December in Miami in what allegedly was his retirement bout. Not wanting to quit anywhere but Quebec, Pascal agreed to move up to cruiserweight last July, meeting Steve Bossé, a former minor-league hockey player and MMA competitor, in what would charitably be described as a novelty event. Bossé, perhaps surprisingly, lasted until the eighth round before being knocked out. Now, who knows how long Pascal will continue? “He’s damn ready,” said Stéphan Larouche, Pascal’s trainer. “He’s motivated, rude, rough, tough, hungry, mean and brutal. He’s everything we need now. He can do something only he knows. If he does it at the right time, he can surprise a lot of people.
My gas tank is maybe not full, but it’s not empty. My gas is not bronze. It’s not silver. It’s gold. I have more knockouts than he has fights.
“This is the reason you stay in the gym. You stay active, you exist, your name is in the system and the phone rings. He (Pascal) never had any boring fights. For HBO, they know they’re getting a top fight.” Bivol will be making his fourth defence. He’s coming off a unanimous and lopsided decision against Isaac Chilemba last August. On the same card that night, Montreal’s Eleider Alvarez stopped Kovalev in the seventh round to capture the World Boxing Organization title. While Pascal believes talent and experience will prevail against Bivol, Larouche is taking nothing for granted. At the same time, he emphasized the pressure will be on the champ. Pascal has nothing to lose. “A lot of times you’ve seen a young kid, thinking he’s ready for the big step,” Larouche explained. “Jean’s a good name to put on your resumé. That’s the reason they picked him; we all know that. He was selected as an opponent. “Bivol might be the most skilled light-heavyweight right now,” Larouche added. “He does everything right — controls the distance, has good speed and reflexes. He’s fresh, young and strong. He throws from different angles. He does a lot of good things. He’s very good.”