This week?s 86th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with reigning WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (26-1, 16 KOs) who is coming off of an eleventh round technical decision against previously unbeaten Chad Dawson (29-1, 17 KOs). With the victory, Pascal is now the recognized as the official 175 pound champion by Ring Magazine. Pascal spoke about his victory and his future plans and also touched on various topics pertaining to the current boxing landscape. Here is some of what he had to say:
On how he feels about his performance against Chad Dawson:
?I feel great. I think that I felt good and I put on a good show at the same time.?
On what he expected going into the Dawson fight and how he was able to react to Dawson?s game plan:
?Honestly, I only think about my game plan. I knew that I would have to start really fast and strong to show him that I?m the champion. He was the bigger name that night, but I was the champion and I had the crowd behind me so I knew if I started really big and fast he wouldn?t keep up.?
On whether he believes he ever had Dawson hurt to the point where he was close to knocking him out:
?Yes, I think so, but one thing that I noticed in that fight with Chad Dawson is he?s a great fighter and he has a good chin, because I know that I worked him with good punches and he was still there. He has slick moves and he?s a good fighter. He?s a great fighter.?
On Dawson?s late rally in the ninth and eleventh rounds where he appeared to have Pascal hurt:
?I noticed in the ninth round he was getting tired so I told myself that in the early round, I?m going to let him punch and throw a lot of punches and let him get tired and then later in the round he just explodes and gets a little stronger. Unfortunately for me, I didn?t get the chance to finish strong but I was under control.?
His thoughts on the accidental head butt in round eleven and whether he thought the fight would immediately be stopped:
?Honestly, nope, but when I saw him I saw that it was a big and deep cut and honestly, I do understand the referee.?
On how it feels to be recognized as the light heavyweight champion by Ring Magazine:
?I feel great because I remember when I was sixteen, I was watching Roy Jones on HBO. It was right there, and I was telling myself one day I will get that belt, too, and Saturday night I did it. So I was really, really very proud of myself.?
On the prospects of having a match-up against Lucian Bute, perhaps at a catch weight of 172 pounds:
?Listen, I have no problem. Me, I like challenges. Lucian Bute would be a great challenge for me, but right now I?m the boss in town. I am the king of my division, so if Lucian wants to fight me, he has to go up and challenge me, because I have nothing to gain by chasing Lucian Bute right now.?
On whether he believes he will give Dawson an immediate rematch or whether he will first exercise his right to take an optional fight first:
?Honestly, I think I?m going to take my optional fight because I want to stay busy. I want to fight. I love boxing. I?m a boxer, but first I?m a boxing fan. So I?m going to choose to take a fight in between and after that, if Chad still wants to have a rematch and another defeat on his record, that?s no problem. I?m just going to make more money.?
His thoughts on Carl Froch?s loss to Mikkel Kessler in Group Stage 2 of the Super Six Boxing Classic:
?Honestly, I don?t think Froch was outboxed against Mikkel Kessler. I thought it was a close fight. I watched the fight and it could have gone either way. Because they fought in Denmark, Kessler had the fight, but I?m sure that if they would have fought in England, Froch would have had the fight there, too.?
His views on the Group Stage 3 fight between Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham:
?It?s really an interesting fight. I think I?m going to go watch that fight in Monaco, and I think that Carl Froch is too strong for Arthur Abraham. Arthur Abraham is a good fighter, but he isn?t quite as strong and I know Carl can punch like crazy. He?s a heavy hitter, he has a long reach, he?s tall, he?s strong, and I guess because of that he?s going to be able to get the win over Arthur Abraham.?
His views on the Group Stage 3 fight between Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell:
?That will be a crazy fight, but I don?t think that fight honestly will happen because those two guys are friends. Honestly, I would be really surprised, but both guys have great skills, tremendous power, and they?re both really fast and really smart, and honestly that will be a hard pick.?
His views on the Group Stage 3 fight between Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green:
?If Allan Green fights like he fought his last fight that?s going to be a walk in the park for Mikkel Kessler, but in boxing, we never know what can happen.?
On who he believes will emerge victorious in the Super Six and whether he believes the winner will ultimately become a major player in the light heavyweight division:
?Honestly it?s really hard to pick a winner because all the fighters are really good in that weight class. I thought it might be Froch or Dirrell, but now maybe I lean more for Andre Ward. So it?s really a tough pick and I think Ward, Dirrell, and Froch have good chances to win the tournament. The winner of this tournament will become a great super star and I think they?re going to move up to try to challenge the best at 175 pounds.?
On whether he is interested in having a rematch against the only man who beat him, Carl Froch:
?Yeah, of course I want that rematch. Carl Froch is the only guy who beat me. We had a great fight and we had shake hands on that. So I said if he?s still champion or I?m still champion we?re going to fight again in Montreal. So I?m still champion and I still want that fight. If he still wants that fight, we can make it happen because that?s going to be a great war.?
On comparisons made between his style and that of Roy Jones Junior:
?I think I?m a mix of everything. I?m a big fan of Roy Jones, because when I was young, like I told you, I looked up to Roy Jones. But I can brawl, I can box, I can be smart, I have good footwork, and I can go to war. So I guess that I have a style that?s like a mix of Roy Jones, Floyd Mayweather, and Shane Mosley sometimes.?
His views on the biggest star in the sport today, Manny Pacquiao:
?Honestly, I think the biggest star right now in boxing is Floyd Mayweather, but Manny Pacquiao is a great boxer. He?s got skills, he?s got good speed, and honestly I?m like everybody else. I?m a big fan so I can?t wait to see that fight and for sure I?m going to be ringside to watch it.?
On who he believes would win a match-up between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather:
?Honestly, never bet against the black guy.?
On whether he thinks Bernard Hopkins will now consider him as an opponent given the fact Hopkins previously mentioned Chad Dawson as one of two boxers he was interested in facing:
?Definitely, because if he thought that Chad Dawson was the man he was wrong, because he knows from Saturday night that Jean Pascal, the French Canadian, is the real deal at 175 pounds. I do respect Bernard Hopkins. He?s a great legend, but I think that?s going to be a great, great fight for us to make happen.?
On whether he believes Hopkins would be able to perform well against WBA heavyweight champion David Haye:
?Honestly, I think so because Bernard Hopkins is a good fighter. He?s really smart, he?s clever, and he has old tricks. So I guess with his old tricks, he can do really good against David Haye.?
On whether he thinks he can lure Joe Calzaghe out of retirement:
?Joe Calzaghe is a great fighter. He beat my man Roy Jones so if he wants to get back in boxing and he wants to fight me, it would be a great pleasure. I know that would be a very tough fight for me because he?s smart and he?s fast, but to be the best you have to beat the best and before Joe Calzaghe was the best in that weight division. I just want to show the world that I?m amongst the elite right now.?
On whether he would interested in a unification fight with IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud:
?Definitely. Me, I?m a belt collector so I want his belt, the IBF belt. If he wants to fight me, let?s do this. It?s going to be a tremendous fight because Tavoris Cloud, he doesn?t run like a chicken. He likes to fight. He?s a great puncher, he?s got good speed, so that will be I guess the best fight right now at 175 pounds.?
On whether he plans on having more fights in the United States:
?Definitely, because I told everyone on HBO I?m about to invade America, and trust me on that, I will. Mark my words, I will.?
On when he expect s to get back in the ring:
?Right now, I?m going to take some time off and spend some time with my daughter Angel, because it?s been like three months. That?s the most I didn?t see her because I was out of the country for my training camp. She?s going back to school next week, so I?m going to spend a lot of time with her and then I?m going to go on vacation for ten days, come back in town, and go back in the gym because I have to stay busy in the ring.?
On who he believes he is most likely to face next:
?Honestly, I don?t really have a preference. It?s the one who really wants to challenge me. I?m going to be ready for him anytime, anywhere.?
On what he would like to say to all of his fans and the listeners of On the Ropes Boxing Radio:
?I want to thank everybody who supports me, and go check it out, www.jeanpascalboxing.com. It?s the best boxing site ever.?
