JEAN PASCAL: THE ROAD TO MONTREAL
By Kenneth Bouhairie • Photographs by Howard Schatz
The Rue Sainte Catherine isn’t exactly Times Square, but its congested, narrow sidewalks can frustrate even the most hardened New Yorker. It gets worse on New Year’s Eve, where I found myself being dragged around to hit department store after department store with my inspired girlfriend. This never-ending chore is a rite of passage that women force all men to endure, even Jean Pascal, who I ran into as he and eight-year-old daughter Angel stood waiting while his girlfriend tried on new dresses.
If anyone recognized the light heavyweight champ, it didn’t show. The trio toured the streets of downtown Montreal unnoticed to passersby. Only two weeks before, Pascal drew an eye-opening 16,000 in this same city to watch what was supposed to be his coronation against Bernard Hopkins. Boxing isn’t close to overtaking hockey as the national sport, but Montreal has always been a fight town. The city that birthed Arturo Gatti also hosted the legendary see-saw war between Archie Moore and Yvon Durelle in 1958. Hometown hero Durelle lost his bid for the light heavyweight title; Pascal already possesses the 175lb crown. Standing in the way of greatness is Hopkins, the 21st century version of the “Old Mongoose.” With a rematch in the works for late May, Pascal will be given a chance to redeem his performance last December, when he was gifted a draw that many felt should’ve been a decision for Bernard.
“They say it’s harder to remain champ than become champ,” Pascal said wearily. “I fought two major fights in four months against two pound for pounders. I think that caught up to me against Hopkins. I’m going down to Jamaica to take a nice vacation and when I return to Quebec, I’ll be in the gym and ready to handle business.”
Pascal’s words are almost an admission that he underestimated the crafty “Executioner.” He wasn’t alone—oddsmakers weren’t completely off base when they made him an early favorite. Pascal’s groundswell first began in 2008, following a strong performance in a losing effort against Carl Froch. Following the loss, he moved up to light heavy, returning to Montreal, which held his next six bouts.
“My parents are from Haiti and that’s where I was born,” he stated. “But I grew up in Laval, which is a suburb of Montreal. It’s a great place to live and I’m really glad to represent this city. The people here are really behind me.”
Last August, 8,000 curious Canadians showed up at Montreal’s Bell Center for Pascal’s match versus Chad Dawson. Pascal got the better of nearly every exchange, befuddling the lethargic Dawson with his hand speed and movement and stunning him on several occasions. Pascal was severely rocked by an uppercut late in the fight, but a bad cut over the defending champ’s eye forced the bout to go to the cards in the eleventh, where he won a comfortable unanimous decision.
Pascal’s performance against Dawson drew accolades in the Montreal dailies and the boxing world. He was expected to dust off a Hopkins who looked ripe for picking one month shy of his 46th birthday and fresh off pedestrian performances against an ancient Roy Jones and Enrique Ornelas.
The first signs of trouble surfaced at the final presser, when Hopkins appeared to punk Pascal by taking his green WBC belt and refusing to return it. A bemused Pascal made several unsuccessful attempts to snatch it back before giving up. Moments later, he struggled to make eye contact during the stare down.
All of that was forgotten halfway through the fight, as Pascal dropped the Philly fighter twice and dominated the action. But, as has been his M.O. throughout his career, Hopkins began slowly decoding the puzzle; disrupting Pascal’s timing and breaking him down round after round. Hopkins landed thudding body shots down the stretch that took the wind from his opponent and silenced a once-raucous crowd. The “Executioner” would’ve been a legend in any era—a half dozen more KO’s if fights still went 15 rounds, perhaps including this one.
Cries of a hometown decision were bolstered by ringside scoring that saw many media scoring the bout for Hopkins. It’s unclear if Pascal himself has figured out what went wrong, though he believes he has the solution for when they meet again.
“It’s hard to say if it was something I did or what he was doing,” Pascal said. “But I got tired early. Hopkins made some great adjustments; he makes you stop using your head and then you get tentative. I threw only 350 punches and I can definitely do better than that.”
Hopkins, however, has mastered the art of the sequel. His sole blemish in six return bouts was a disputed points loss to Jermain Taylor in 2005.
“Personally, I think Bernard and I are a great matchup,” Pascal said. “I thought I won the decision, but I respect the judge’s call. We have to do it again so I can prove to the world that I am best the light heavyweight.”
The rematch will likely take place in Montreal, a city that might not be convinced of Pascal’s staying power following his last performance. Pascal is a steady presence on their back pages, but he isn’t the only game in town. Undefeated 160lb contender David Lemieux is turning heads and super middle champ Lucian Bute hasn’t fought the level of opposition Pascal has, yet is a more consistent commercial entity. A cross-town showdown between the two is a fiscal no-brainer, but Pascal believes Bute’s handlers find him too risky.
“This is my town,” he declared. “If Bute doesn’t want it, there’s still a lot of potential at 175lbs. I don’t really care about Tavoris Cloud, but he has a belt and I’m a belt collector so I hope he’s ready. Then, in about a year or two, everyone from the Super Six tournament will be fighting at light heavyweight. When they arrive, I’m going to be the king that greets them.”
Pascal’s confidence stems from his immediate success in the sport once he switched over from hockey at age 13. Older brother Nicholson, himself a national Golden Gloves champion, was the first to introduce him to the ring, but Pascal says it was Roy Jones Jr. who made him fall in love with it.
“I think Roy is the greatest fighter of all time,” he stated matter-of-factly. “He was determined, worked hard and was disciplined. I stole a lot of tricks from Roy, including those three keys. I want to reign just like he did.”
Jones’ influence is self-evident in Pascal’s form. He often fights out of a crouched stance, with both arms vertically stretched or dangling at his sides. It’s a gambling, reflex-based style that was mastered by its creator. Pascal has a long way to go before reaching his idol’s lofty stature. That road runs through Hopkins, Roy’s old nemesis. Pascal’s game plan is straightforward: Throw more punches. The strategy sounds simplistic, especially against a fighter known to drastically reduce his opponent’s work rate. Nevertheless, Pascal maintains that his best to yet to come.
“In my life I’ve played hockey and I’ve played basketball,” he said. “But you can’t play boxing. It’s lot of work and punishment on the body. I hope I’m ready when it’s my time to hang them up, but my reign is just beginning. My time is now.” ®
— Kenneth Bouhairie for ROUND1MAG.COM
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