Boxing | Jean Pascal wins his fight against Terry Osias by KO in the last round

It took until the final round. But the spark he was looking for appeared. Jean Pascal (37-7-1, 21 KOs) defeated Terry Osias (13-1-0, 6 KOs) with a spectacular KO in the tenth and final round on Saturday.

Terry Osias fell to the mat twice during the duel. Both times, the referee called the falls accidental, convinced that Osias had slipped. Jean Pascal couldn’t believe his eyes. In the following moments, he stared at the referee, to make sure that he had indeed seen his powerful strikes.

His final strike was impossible for the referee to miss. Terry Osias’ hook to the left ear sent him straight to the floor. The verdict was final: Jean Pascal had just won, in his first fight in over a year and a half.

Pascal did not have it easy, however, throughout the evening. During the first rounds, it seemed as if the opponents knew each other too well, having already been training partners. Around the sixth round, the first powerful blows were thrown.

Jean Pascal said it before the fight: “Like a good wine, I age well with time.” In terms of boxing, it is true that he seemed in good shape for a 41-year-old man, despite a long period of inactivity.

One thing that has not changed about Jean Pascal is certainly his propensity to taunt his opponent. At times, he has been seen looking and nodding, turning his fist behind his head. On two occasions, he even attempted his famous “eyelash pincer move”, in the hope of hitting Osias in the head simultaneously with both hands, by jumping forward. His attempts obviously ended in failure.

For Terry Osias, it was a first defeat in his career, in 14 fights.

Back in November for a belt?

After his stunning victory, Jean Pascal could be back sooner than expected. WBC No. 1 contender Ryan Rozicki was on hand and openly challenged Pascal. Rozicki was scheduled to face titleholder Norair Mikaeljan on September 28, but the fight has been postponed for a second time.

Given these postponements, the WBC wants to organize an interim fight between Pascal and Rozicki. This fight could take place on November 2, if Jean Pascal is ready at that time. Rozicki, however, showed himself to be a good sport by stating that he will be “ready when Pascal is ready”, obviously giving the Quebec veteran time to recover from a tough 10-round fight.

At a press conference, Pascal even said that the fight would take place in Montreal.

As he enters the final stage of his career, Jean Pascal’s goal is to “make history” and become world champion again, for the third time and in a second weight category.

A special sub-map

Over the last decade, Jean Pascal has accustomed his fans to the largest amphitheaters. This time, the gala was presented at the Colisée de Laval, with a capacity of 3,500 spectators.

The evening featured mostly local boxers. Of the 20 fighters in action, 16 had fewer than 5 professional fights, and 4 were making their debuts. The winner of the sixth fight of the evening, Hubert Poulin, plays in the North American Hockey League (LNAH), which is known for its many fights.

After their fights, some boxers gave speeches that were, to say the least, original. This was the case of Simon Lagarde, a heavyweight from the world of MMA who was fighting his first professional boxing match.

“I was tested before the fight: they found nothing in me but mustard, relish and ketchup,” he shouted into the microphone, proudly showing his middle finger to the crowd.

Let’s just say that we were far from the glamour of the Jean Pascal events that brought Sergey Kovalev, Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson to Quebec.

The most interesting fight on the undercard featured Montreal’s Derek Pomerleau, who won his tenth career fight by fifth-round knockout over Marcelo Coceres. Pomerleau thus maintains an immaculate record.