By Allan Fox: IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) shoved former WBC 175 pound champion Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) during a face off before their fight this Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

Kovalev and Pascal were standing for a face off for the reporters to take pictures. Pascal made the mistake of crowding Kovalev by getting really close to him, and then grabbing his cap to try and tilt it back.

At this point, Kovalev knocked Pascal’s hand away and then shoved him across the ring. The fighters were then separated from one another. Kovalev showed that he wasn’t going to be bullied by the 32-year-old Pascal before their fight.

Pascal is obviously looking to get any kind of edge that he can before their fight. With Kovalev a favorite in the fight, Pascal needs to get any edge that he can to have a chance of winning.

Kovalev, 31, will have his IBF, WBA and WBO light heavyweight titles on the line for the fight. Pascal is hoping to beat Kovalev, capture his three titles, and then move forward to face WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson in an all-Canadian fight that would make both fighters a lot of money.

It would be a huge turnaround for Pascal’s boxing career, which has been paralyzed since he was beaten by Bernard Hopkins four years ago. It’s not that Pascal hasn’t had the talent to win another world title, it’s that he just hasn’t been active and fighting on a regular basis since the loss to Hopkins.

Pascal has injuries, and has fought only four times in the last four years. If Pascal does defeat Kovalev, fans have to hope that he’ll be a more active fighter than he’s been.

It would be a shame if Pascal were to defend his titles only once a year instead of three times a year like Kovalev has been doing. That’s one of the reasons why boxing fans like Kovalev. He’s an active fighter who isn’t afraid to get in the ring frequently to fight. He’s not just resting like a lot of champions do.

Pascal is going to need to be a lot more aggressive in this fight than he’s been in his other fights, because it’s going to be tough for him to win rounds with Kovalev putting so much pressure on him. Pascal has enough power and hand speed to win rounds against Kovalev, but he’s going to need to stand his ground to win.

Pascal won’t be able to win a lot of rounds by constantly moving around the ring looking to pot shot. That kind of thing works against the guys that Pascal has been matched up against recently, but it won’t work against a champion like Kovalev.

Pascal will need to be a lot more aggressive in this fight, and that’s going to be difficult for him to do. He’s not really built for a war, and his lack ring activity is going to make it difficult for him. As rusty as Pascal is, he could fade badly if he’s pushed hard for four rounds.