The veteran and prestigious Quebec boxer Jean Pascal made a successful return to the ring and won by unanimous decision against Meng Fanlong on Friday night, making him the first contender for the crown of the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
“I gave 12 good rounds, I’m back,” exclaimed Pascal after the fight.
In addition to the victory, he gets in the way of Artur Beterbiev, defending champion in the light heavyweight category of the IBF and the WBC. However, it won’t be until June 18 as the Russian takes on WBO champion Joe Smith Jr to unify the titles.
The city crowd in the suburbs of Tampa demonstrated their love for the Lavalois. “I could have done 24 rounds,” he said after a few push-ups following the fight.
It was a comeback that was not easy for the 39-year-old Quebecer. Pascal had not fought since December 28, 2019 against Badou Jack, in particular due to a six-month suspension due to sports doping.
The Chinese Fanlong (17-1, 10 KOs) was a tough opponent. The judges gave cards 115-112, 114-113 and 116-111 in favor of Pascal (36-6-1, 20 KOs).
“Honestly he was more surly than I thought. He is a good fighter,” he summed up.
Despite a checkered start to the fight, he was able to regain the ascendancy as he went along.
“My timing wasn’t good at the start. […] (After) I had to push and push again. I tried to knock him down. »
The match was in two stages. The portion led by Fanlong, then the rest by Pascal.
From the second round, Fanlong found a gap in the defense and managed to give a solid left in the face of Pascal. He was shaken, but did not visit the mat.
The following round, the Chinese managed to hit the former WBA light heavyweight champion in the head a few times.
In the fourth round, Pascal seemed galvanized after a nice right that sent his rival to the mat. The pace of the fight picked up afterward.
In the next round, Pascal returned to the charge and gave a good right hook in the face of the 34-year-old boxer.
The seventh round saw Pascal gain confidence and approached his rival several times. The five-foot-10 Quebecer had to work hard to get close to his six-foot-two opponent.
At the end of the ninth round, Pascal again has his rival on the mat. The Chinese was saved by the bell and was able to come to his senses.
Pascal tried to gain the upper hand with repeated assaults in the tenth round, which seemed to wear down his rival. The former Olympian still scored several points by hitting the Quebecer many times.
The eleventh round began under “olé! olé” to support Pascal.
The final round again saw Fanlong find himself on the mat, although the latter seemed to dictate the pace. In the last thirty seconds, Pascal pounced on his rival, pummeling him in the face.
On the undercard, the quarter-finals of the “last chance tournament” series of pugilists under 140 pounds were presented. In an eight-round format, the tournament features boxers who have lost important fights and gives them the chance to come back to the fore.
Antonio Moran defeated Jeffrey Torres by unanimous decision and will face Michael Dutchover in the semifinals. The latter took the measure of Clarence Booth by split decision.
Kendo Castaneda made the first K.-O. of the evening. In the first round, he knocked down his rival, Sonny Fredrickson, and the official immediately ended the fight.
In his semi-final, he will face Joseph Fernandez. The American defeated Zhimin Wang by unanimous decision.