By Jim Dower: World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (26-1, 16 KO’s) could be facing 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KO’s) rather than International Boxing Federation super middleweight champion Lucian Bute. According to boxing news from Dan Rafael of ESPN, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions is in contact with Pascal’s management team in an effort to put together a fight between Hopkins and Pascal next. Pascal defeated Chad Dawson by an 11 round technical decision in his last fight last weekend. Pascal much fight a rematch with Dawson because Chad had a rematch clause in the contract, but Pascal can fight once before the rematch.
This leaves Pascal the opportunity to take the best money fight that he can find in the meantime. In the case of Hopkins, it’s difficult to imagine that a fight with him would bring in more money than a bout against Bute. However, Bute is a lot more dangerous than Hopkins at this point in Bernard’s career, and Pascal might be better off taking the easier fight rather than a risky one like Bute. Pascal can always fight Bute after he’s fought Hopkins and Dawson. There won’t be a lot of options left in the light heavyweight division after that, other than IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud, but he still doesn’t have the same star power that Hopkins and Bute possess at this point.
Pascal showed amazing hand speed and excellent power in the Dawson fight. He was able to hurt Dawson on a number of occasions in the bout and had him on the defensive for most of the fight, trying to avoid Pascal’s fast shots. You would have to favor Pascal in a rematch with Dawson, even though Pascal appeared to be in trouble in the 11th round in their fight. Pascal later said he was just letting Dawson punch himself out. Hopefully, Pascal doesn’t just cover up and let Dawson get his shots off again like that because he could get taken out if Dawson doesn’t back off to survey his work like he did in the 11th.
Hopkins is coming off an unimpressive performance against Roy Jones Jr. in April. Hopkins fell down a couple of times in the fight from rabbit punches from Jones, and had problems in the dressing room afterwards because of the effects from the shots. Hopkins didn’t throw a lot of punches in the fight and looked little better than Jones. It was not Hopkins at his finest. He’ll have to fight a lot better than that to beat Pascal.
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