PLANT CITY, Fla. | Jean Pascal wouldn’t mind having one last world title fight before hanging up his gloves for good. However, before he thinks of a big shock, he must emerge victorious from his duel against Fanlong Meng.
• Also read: Jean Pascal: Restart with Fanlong Meng
He is aware of the magnitude of the task that awaits him from the first chime.
“It’s not for nothing that he has [Meng] is the number one challenger, explained Pascal. He has the qualities required. It’s not a two of spades. It won’t be an easy fight.
“I’ve seen green ones and immature ones throughout my career. I’m undefeated against a southpaw and on Florida soil. I intend to keep it that way. »
The Chinese (17-0, 10 KOs) is an underrated boxer in the 175-pound division. He is a tall left-hander who competed in the 2012 London Olympics. He doesn’t have a spectacular track record as an amateur, but he does have some interesting skills.
“He’s going to want me to move a lot because he thinks I have 39-year-old legs. I’ve been there before and I know where I’m going. He goes into the unknown.
“He doesn’t know what to expect. It’s up to me to bring it to that dark side. He will have to prove that he belongs to the elite. »
Another try
Do you remember Ahmed Elbiali? It was the name of Jean Pascal’s opponent in his last fight in Florida. At the time, the Quebec boxer claimed it was his farewell duel. For the shock against Meng, the speech is different.
“I don’t see it as a must or as a death,” explained Jean Pascal, who doesn’t like to say the word retirement. I go to the ring to put on a good show. »
To have another chance to fight in the World Championship, you need a win against Meng. If he defeated his opponent, he would become the first contender for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) crown.
The holder of this title is Artur Beterbiev. Could we witness a Beterbiev-Pascal duel? It might be difficult to achieve this. Beterbiev has a busy schedule next year with a unification bout against Joe Smith jr. in June and another potential against Dmitry Bivol.
Better than Canelo?
Pascal watched some sequences of the duel between Canelo Alvarez and Bivol. His observation? He put up a better resistance to Bivol than the world’s most popular boxer.
“Three years ago I knew Bivol would beat Canelo,” analyzed Pascal. I think I got caught up in the Canelo hype. He beat everyone at 168 pounds and wanted to face unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
“Bivol is technically superior. He has a great background among amateurs. He delivers a high volume of shots and he does it with precision. In my opinion I resisted Bivol better than Canelo. My fight was closer than the score on the judges card. »