(Plant City, Florida) Never doubt the lion’s heart of Jean Pascal. Even against an undefeated Chinese dragon that was said to be too big.
Posted at 12:10 a.m.
The Quebec boxer (36-6-1, 20 K.-O.) offered a performance of his great days to win against the Chinese Meng Fanlong (17-1, 10 K.-O.), Friday evening at Plant City, a suburb of Tampa. A unanimous decision from the judges confirmed his victory, which became clear from the middle of the match.
We meet him behind the scenes at ProBox TV, a new streaming service devoted to professional boxing. His team, his friends, his family are there. They chant “ole, ole, ole” in the damp, warm room. The song is a continuity of what was heard at the end of the fight.
“It’s proof that I’m a perseverer, he underlined, in a sweat, in front of the Montreal media. I am a fighter. John the Fighter. »
Because yes, the Quebecer came back from afar. It was his very first fight in over two years. This absence from the ring was of course prolonged by his positive tests for EPO and three banned substances a year ago. He was suspended for six months, during which he also experienced depression and questioning his boxing career.
“I made the right decision,” he added when asked about it. Me, I am not a quitter. I do not give up. […] When I start work, I have to finish it. »
What a great battle these two gladiators fought. The enclosure, compact, was boosted. The approximately 200 boxing enthusiasts gathered got their money’s worth, with a constant battle.
Meng started the clash strong, while Pascal was still studying him. The Chinese landed several good shots to the head. Some even who quickly shook the Quebec pugilist.
He denied being pinched after the brawl.
“Honestly, I was never shaken during the fight. It’s just that after almost three years out of the ring, I was a little rusty. But as the rounds progressed, I took control. I felt he was more tired than me. »
The few “borings” that were heard at the start of the engagement quickly died down.
By the third round, it looked like Meng’s reach and height, at just 6-foot-2, was going to be too much for Pascal to handle. The Lavallois had to force a hand-to-hand fight.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PROBOX TV
Jean Pascal sent his vis-à-vis to the mat.
What he started doing in 4and round. With rapid and resounding success.
His adrenaline visibly in the mat, he wouldn’t let go. His strikes sometimes lacked precision. The opposite of Meng’s. The Chinese threw less in volume, but they hit the mark.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PROBOX TV
Jean Pascal won by unanimous decision of the judges.
Meng had won the first rounds. But Pascal’s ardor was proof of everything thereafter. A contagious energy, which bewitched the crowd. The “ole, ole” were heard. They almost buried the shrill cries of Angel, Jean Pascal’s daughter.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PROBOX TV
Meng Fanlong was undefeated in 17 duels before Saturday.
“Before the fight, I thought I was probably going to stop him, said Pascal with his candor that we know him. But it was much stronger than I thought. Hats off to him. I understand why he had 17 wins and zero losses. »
“17 wins and 1 defeat”, corrected one of his friends.
His trainer Orlando Cuellar praised his ardor in training, which allowed him to still have energy at the end of the fight when Meng obviously had none. The latter also fell three times during the 12 rounds, but only one fall was recorded.
“It shows how hard we trained for this fight, underlined the Floridian. What he felt tonight is what he felt in training. »
“We put him through hell. Tonight he was familiar with this hell. He managed to go deep within himself and stay focused. »
And now ?
“I want Quebec fans to come back to the Bell Center or Place Bell,” Pascal said. I want them to come and encourage a boxer from Quebec. »
A balanced undercard
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PROBOX TV
Jusiyah Shirley dominated Miguel Perez Aispuro.
What the undercard lacked in marquee boxers it made up for by providing an interesting level of boxing and spectacle. The second confrontation of the evening, in particular, made the crowd exclaim several times. The American Jusiyah Shirley (6-0, 4 KOs) – young and fiery – won by dominating the Mexican Miguel Perez Aispuro (12-13-2, 8 KOs). The latter allowed himself despite everything to constantly taunt his opponent, smiling in his face. He still lost by unanimous decision. The first four fights on the undercard went to the limit, a sign of balanced duels. Texan Kendo Castaneda (17-5, 8 K.-O.) signed the first – and only – K.-O. of the evening, in the first round of his fight against Sonny Fredrickson (21-6, 14 KOs).