At this point in his career, Jean Pascal should take the advice of his philosopher namesake in humbling himself?
?The last act is bloody, however fine the rest of the play.??Blaise Pascal
The prohibitive favorite going into the fight, Russian light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) stopped former WBC light heavyweight Canadian champion Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) by TKO in the 8th round Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal. With another impressive victory, Kovalev retains the IBF, WBO and WBA light heavyweight championships. Though Pascal?s performance was formidable in spots, he hit the canvas twice during the bout in the 4th and 8th rounds, and was clearly outclassed and outgunned overall.
The fight was rightly halted early in round 8 after Pascal got up from a knockdown and took two big right hands following a woozy waltz down Queer Street toward the corner where he met his Waterloo. Despite Pascal?s showy protests after the stoppage, and a bevy of post-fight disclaimers from this Roy Jones look-alike, the fight was rightly halted early in round 8 after Pascal got up from a knockdown, barely able to stand, and took two big right hands from the Russian power puncher. Despite the reservations of announcer Max Kellerman, referee Luis Pabon was right on it, looking into the half-mast eyes of Pascal all the way before his responsible act of mercy ended it.
While the overmatched Pascal did manage to win a few rounds and tag Kovalev with several power shots throughout, he simply did not do enough or have enough to overcome his busier and more skilled opponent. Though Kovalev packs a famously powerful right hook, Pascal kept his left hand down near his waist most of the bout, a fatal flaw that eventually caught up with him. Pascal was in retreat-mode a majority of the time in each round, failing to take the fight to the fearsome Kovalev, not letting his hands go enough to neutralize his opponent save for an occasional flurry, or make the champion pay for his many bold but vulnerable forays toward him.
Two surprises in the fight that went without notice by ring announcers Kellerman, Jim Lampley and Bernard Hopkins; (a) in mounting his offense, the relentlessly pressing Kovalev is open to being hit by an effective counterpuncher, which Pascal was not; (b) Kovalev seemed to tire after failing to put Pascal away following round four, and was clearly seen chest-heaving on camera close-ups, heavily sucking wind between subsequent rounds. Future opponents will want to take note of that, perhaps strategizing to keep their distance while hoping to catch the champ later in the fight, if they can manage the distance unscathed.
Although Pascal demonstrated his capacity to take a punch, fighting courageously with stamina and resolve after taking Kovalev?s best, excitement-wise the caliber of this bout was much ballyhooed and overhyped by Pascal?s hometown fans, who, along with HBO announcers, anticipated muster than the challenger never garnered, and began drum-beating for a rematch almost before the bout was over. Says here, in boxing there are horses for courses?meaning, if Kovalev and Pascal fight ten times, says here, Kovalev goes 10 for 10 in drubbing the ex-champ.
Truth be told, Adonis Stevenson should come out of hiding, and sooner, making good on his post-fight promise to Bernard Hopkins in taking on the Kremlin Krusher. However, should that light heavyweight matchup occur, Stevenson must learn from Pascal?s mistakes in mounting a busier counterpunching strategy of his own if he is to have any chance against the aggressive, swarming champion. To date, however, in avoiding Kovalev by maintaining a steady diet of lesser opponents, along with his silence on same, Stevenson has thus far already betrayed the state of his soul by far fearfully skirting the champion.
Simply put, people rarely see themselves for who they are, or what their relative merit or value is in the scheme of things, least of all boxers. Therefore, a Pascal-Kovalev rematch is not in order, despite the HBO shills in concert with the ex-champ?s vain pleas that he deserves another shot. At this point in his career, Jean Pascal should take the advice of his philosopher namesake above in humbling himself, following his first KO-drubbing in the ring. After all, he who exalts himself shall sooner be humbled.
As the name Pascal means ?Easter? (?Born in Passover?) in French, post-Kovalev, his boxing eggs now appear less colorful than they were once cracked-up to be, with no future resurrection in sight for being a serious threat for the top light heavyweight crown again.
