In less than two weeks, on Thursday March 16th, Jean Pascal will have his first fight in Quebec since 2018. When he’s absolutely focused on his next opponent, German Michael Eifert, the Quebec boxer can’t help but reflect on the past.
“I try to be as nostalgic as possible,” he confided in a lengthy phone interview granted by his Florida college. We can’t achieve anything in the past, I prefer to focus on the present to control the future. »
Throughout the discussion, Pascal will nonetheless admit that he’s missed fighting in Quebec, ever since the crowd reacted to the slightest blow he took in the ring while wrestling with the world’s Chad Dawson, Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev.
“The only thing I don’t miss fighting for in Quebec is taxes,” he joked in passing.
“To be honest, it’s possibly March 16th that I’ll put my finger on it,” he then replied when asked what he misses the most. But for sure it’s not the same, you don’t feel the support of the crowd that much when you’re away from home. In Quebec, every time you punch, you hear a scream from the crowd and there’s gas. »
A controversial figure
Now Pascal (36-6-1, 20 KOs) will get the spur of the crowd later this month at Place Bell against Eifert (11-1, 4 KOs) ? And above all, how many will applaud him?
If his contribution to Quebec boxing is beyond doubt, Pascal remains a controversial figure. The 40-year-old is still recovering from a failed drug test in May 2021 that resulted in the loss of his WBA light heavyweight world title and a six-month suspension.
“I was totally splashed,” Pascal remarked, once again disproving the doping allegations. It has affected me physically, mentally and financially. […] Today I have peace of mind knowing that I have never used illegal substances to improve my performance. »
“Thanks Quebec! »
One fact remains: Even in the most successful period of his career, Pascal was rarely united. In his two fights against Diaconu in 2009, it should be remembered that part of the public preferred to encourage the boxer of Romanian origin, then representing Interbox. Eric Lucas and Lucian Bute were notably in Diaconu’s corner.
However, after an initial win via a unanimous decision by the judges, Pascal had gathered most of the 13,000 assembled supporters by declaring, “Thank you Quebec! I love you ! »
Archive photo
Pascal became world champion for the first time on June 19, 2009 after defeating Adrian Diaconu at Bell Center.
“On June 19, 2009 I became world champion [en battant Diaconu au Centre Bell], it was a dream come true but at the same time I knew staying on top would be the hardest. »
Under the circumstances, Pascal admits to being even prouder of his second fight against Diaconu, still fought at Bell Center in December of the same year.
“My shoulder was dislocated very early in the second fight against Diaconu,” he recalled. It was Russ Anber who had replaced it in my corner. I had to fight seven or eight rounds with a dislocated shoulder and still win. »
“A Great Victory”
In his next fight, the Quebecer faced a major challenge, his biggest of his career to date, when he had a date with American Chad Dawson for the WBC and IBF titles.
Dawson is considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world and was the big favorite among bookies.
“It was a great victory for me, but also a great victory for boxing in Canada,” summarized Pascal, then the winner by a technical unanimous decision in 11 rounds.
Recall that a cut in Dawson’s eye after an accident led to the judges’ verdict.
soles in sight
Since his last visit to Quebec, where he defeated Steve Bossé in a very sad spectacle, Pascal has pushed Dmitry Bivol to the limit, losing by unanimous decision in Atlantic City in November 2018. Most notably, he successively defeated Marcus Browne, Badou Jack, and Fanlong Meng.
Pascal, 40, remains a phenomenon. Over the years, he has consistently proved those who believed his athletic career was drawing to a close.
Thinking about Eifert and this return to a ring in Quebec, Pascal tries to be as non-nostalgic as possible, but it’s not necessarily easy.
“I’m excited,” he concluded. It’s gonna be a good show… and I promise we’ll see the soles of his boots. »
A killer phrase to disrupt the opponent and promote combat.
There are things that will never change with Jean Pascal.
For the love of his sport
It seems a long time ago that boxing nights could draw thousands of spectators in Quebec.
“We’ve hit rock bottom in recent years and I want to give Quebecers back the taste for boxing,” said Jean Pascal, who will be on duty at the Place Bell in Laval on Thursday, March 16. I want to pass the torch to the next one. »
Pascal, too, is unlikely to attract as much as before. Ticket sales, which could pick up momentum at the last moment, have been struggling so far as his clash with Germany’s Michael Eifert approaches.
In the recent past, Kim Clavel attracted 4,126 people, still at Place Bell, for the unification battle, which she lost to Yesica Nery Plata on January 13. It was said to be a huge hit at the box office at the time, although it had nothing to do with the crowds of 10,000+ that once turned up to cheer on the Pascals or Lucian Bute.
Archive photo
The fight between Jean Pascal and Lucian Bute drew more than 20,000 spectators on January 18, 2014 at the Bell Center.
language and subtleties
Many factors can explain the bottoming out in boxing in Quebec: certainly the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a lack of charismatic boxing champions that Quebecers identify with.
“In order to attract crowds in Quebec, an athlete must speak French, or at least try to express himself in the language of Molière,” Pascal offered by way of explanation.
That doesn’t explain everything. There is also this rivalry between Quebec promoters, notably the Yvon Michel Group and Eye of the Tiger Management, who do nothing to support fights between two good boxers or two good boxers from here.
Graduated from Quebec
Pascal is already letting it be known that the fight on March 16th will not be his last in his career. Admittedly, this duel against Eifert is a playoff for Artur Beterbiev’s IBF title. However, the Beterbiev clan have very little interest in confronting Pascal and instead want to set up a date with Dmitry Bivol.
Regardless of the next opponent, Pascal wants to end his career with a big event in Quebec.
“That would be nice,” he agreed. I think I gave a lot for boxing in Quebec, the very least it would be for my last career fight to be here. For me, but also for the public. »
Barrier against Kean?
Meanwhile, Quebecer Alexis Barrière, represented by New Era Fighting, extended an invitation to Simon Kean earlier this week. No doubt boxing fans would appreciate it. If we look forward to a possible fight between Barrière and Kean, Valley of the Wave illustrates this.
About Barrière (8-0, 7 KOs), Canadian heavyweight champion, will be in action at the Sportplex in Châteauguay on Saturday, March 18, two days after Pascal’s fight at Place Bell. His opponent will then be a man named Zamig Atakishiyev (8-0-1, 6 KOs) from Azerbaijan.