MAKING AMENDS
Bivol is determined to impress against Pascal
AFTER impressively halting capable contender Sullivan Barrera in 12 rounds in March, WBA light-heavyweight beltholder Dmitry Bivol, 14-0 (11), was expected to catch the eye again in his next title defence five months later against Isaac Chilemba – an awkward adversary, yet one who had lost three of his last four bouts. Inside the Mark G. Etess Arena at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, Bivol, 27, earned a comprehensive unanimous verdict victory over Chilemba, but failed to dazzle in what was an underwhelming performance.
This Saturday (November 24), the Kyrgyzstan-born Russian gets the chance to produce a more exciting showing at the same venue when he puts his WBA strap on the line for the fourth time, live on HBO. His challenger on this Main Events promotion will be former WBC light-heavy boss Jean Pascal, 33-5-1 (20) 1NC. Four months ago, the 36-year-old Haitian-canadian returned from a brief retirement to dispose of boxing novice and EX-MMA fighter/hockey player Steve Bossé in eight. To say Bivol represents a step up from Bossé would be the understatement of the century.
To be fair to Pascal, he has been operating on the world stage for the last decade, mixing with many topclass foes. The athletic Laval resident is always a threat with his swarming style and unorthodox attacks, but is certainly past his prime. His solid chin and unpredictable upper-body movement should prevent him from being stopped by Bivol, but these attributes won’t be enough to cause the Saint Petersburg man much concern. As against Chilemba, Bivol can claim a points win, although this time the agile and intelligent champion can put on more of a show with his quality jab and sharp combos.