Jean Pascal hopes big performance Saturday leads to Sergey Kovalev rematch
LAS VEGAS - Jean Pascal suffered his first knockout loss in March, but his confidence hasn't wavered at all. Not even one bit.
The former lineal light heavyweight champion engaged in a war with Sergey Kovalev and was stopped in Round 8. Pascal, though, ever the competitor, wants to prove he still has it and wants another shot at the best 175-pounder in the world. He fights undefeated Yunieski Gonzalez in the HBO co-feature Saturday to Kovalev vs. Nadjib Mohammedi and hopes a big performance leads to a rematch.
"(Kovalev is) not even fighting me and he's still talking about me, so I know for a fact I'm still in his head," Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs) told Paste BN Sports. "Maybe he knows that he got lucky, I don't know. He's still talking about me, I don't know why because he beat me."
"I know for a fact that I hurt him, but like I said, Kovalev is a good boxer. People, they say, he can only hit hard, but he can box as well."
MORE:Kovalev "likes to make pain" for opponents
Pascal, regarded as one of the the toughest fighters in the sport, won the light heavyweight championship against Chad Dawson in August 2010. The native of Haiti is a big star in Montreal, where the majority of his bouts have taken place. He's an action fighter and has fought the best over his career: Carl Froch, Bernard Hopkins (twice), Lucian Bute.
But it's unclear how much Pascal has left at 32 years old and with a lot of wear and tear on his body. He's determined to find out, though. He's taking on a young, hungry boxer in Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs), a pressure fighter eager to make his name in his HBO debut. Pascal isn't looking past him and says he knows it will be an exciting fight for the fans. It's also Pascal's Las Vegas debut, a feat that holds special meaning for a fight fan who regularly attends live fights.
"Every fighter of my caliber wants to fight at least once in Vegas because this is the biggest stage, this is the capital of boxing," Pascal said. "So this is my chance, I'm going to take my chance to showcase my talent on Saturday night."
Kovalev is slated to return in November in Russia, but the sides are talking about a possible rematch next year. If Pascal can once again prove his mettle, he'll have the opportunity to show it really was just a bad night.
"My goal is to stay on top, stay among the elite fighters in the world and get the best fights possible in the world," Pascal stated. "I want to make a statement that I think I'm still the best light heyaviwehgt on the world and I'm still the cash cow."