Boxing champ has faced racism throughout life
Laval’s Pascal says police work is tough but nothing excuses ‘murder, live on TV’
In another life, Jean Pascal would have become a police officer.
He studied law enforcement in college and planned to attend the École nationale de police du Québec in Nicolet, the final step in the process. But that would have required putting his burgeoning boxing career on hold for at least four months.
“I think I made a good choice,” said the Laval pugilist, a former World Boxing Council light-heavyweight champion, who had dreams of becoming the first black police chief in Montreal, but at age 37, knows the vocation no longer remains a viable option.
Pascal originally was attracted to the profession because of his desire to serve and protect. He wanted to work and interact with people, and didn’t see himself toiling behind a desk from 9 to 5. But he also remained cognizant of the risks associated with the job.
“It’s a tough job, a hard job,” he said. “You live in negativity. When you call the cops ... it’s because something happened. It’s always negative for them. And, with smartphones, you need to be extra careful.”
Pascal has watched the graphic footage of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin applying his knee to the back of George Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed and on the ground, pleading that he was unable to breathe. It didn’t save Floyd, who died May 25, and it didn’t prevent Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree murder, from proceeding despite the realization he was being filmed.
“We saw a murder, live on TV,” Pascal said. “What he did was wrong. He murdered a guy, live on TV, with no regrets. Nothing. This is murder and he has to be convicted for that.
“He didn’t care. The guy (Floyd) was begging for his mom. He told the cops he couldn’t breathe. Nobody did anything. This is very outrageous.”
Pascal, who was born in Port-auprince, Haiti, said he has dealt with racism throughout his life, dating to his days playing minor hockey, which he referred to as a “white man’s sport.”
But he said it helped shape the man he would become, toughening his character and personality.
Pascal owns an array of expensive cars and he isn’t shy about it, posting photos on social media. He said he’s been stopped on occasion while driving one of his cars, and accused the police of hypocrisy.
“When the cops pulled me over and saw I was Jean Pascal, everything was fine,” he said. “But when they didn’t recognize me, they saw a black man driving a nice car, a luxury car. That’s not fair. You don’t need to be successful, or be an athlete, to drive a nice car if you’re black. Maybe your parents have money. Or you have a good job.”
Another Laval boxer, David Lemieux, is white. His girlfriend and the mother of their two children is Olympic diver Jennifer Abel, who is black.
The two posted a selfie on social media this week. Abel received an “ignorant” comment on the post, the fighter said. The commenter wondered why she was taking selfies instead of discussing the injustices faced by black people.
“There’s good and bad in every domain, every culture,” said Lemieux, 31, a former International Boxing Federation middleweight champ. "You can’t judge a group because of one man’s actions or ignorance. But it was heartbreaking to see a man in power do such a cowardly act to a defenceless man. To this day there’s still cases like this.
“I’ve met a lot of great cops. And a lot of bad ones.”
Like most other pro athletes, Pascal and Lemieux have put their careers on hold during the coronavirus pandemic. Both continue to do roadwork, and both have in-house gyms, allowing them to continue training. But they have no contact with their trainers, nor are they permitted to spar.
“I’m not fighting, but I’m still training,” said Pascal, who retained his World Boxing Association title last December with a split-decision win over Badou Jack, improving to 35-6-1 with 20 knockouts.
“Because of my experience, I don’t need to fight or spar a lot. I’m a veteran. I think I’ll be fine.”
Lemieux, who now fights as a super-middleweight, scored a split decision win over Maksym Bursak in December, improving to 41-4 (34 KOS). He was scheduled to fight in Rimouski in February, but withdrew after injuring his back during training.
When the cops pulled me over and saw I was Jean Pascal, everything was fine. But when they didn’t recognize me, they saw a black man driving a nice car.