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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Pascal Hungry Like A Starving Wolf
By Daniel Cloutier
MONTRÉAL - In front of several Montréal journalists Monday
afternoon at the gym of the GYM Group, Jean Pascal has
admitted he is hungry like a starving wolf! And it's very
logical. The Montreal boxer, who will be 30 years old this
weekend, has not fought for 19 months, and he did not score
a win since more than two years.
At his last fight, May 21st 2011 at Bell Centre in Montréal,
Pascal lost his WBC light heavyweight world title to Bernard
Hopkins (52-6-2), who won this bout by unanimous decision.
Pascal got his last win August 14th 2010 in Montréal,
against Chad Dawson (31-2-0), a technical decision in the
11th round.
Friday night in the ring of the Bell Centre, Pascal will
make a comeback. He will be involved in the main event of
the last pro boxing show presented in Canada this year. He
will meet the Polish Aleksy Kuziemski (23-4-0) in a 10
rounds fight. If he wins and avoids injuries, Pascal will
give a rematch to Dawson in March. “Everybody is talking
about this rematch with Dawson, but believe me, I don't
think about Dawson now, and I don't want to think about
him,” said Pascal. “I got to concentrate on the Friday night
fight. Kuziemski had a great boxing career in the amateurs,
he is a pro with a lot of experience, he is intelligent in
the ring, then, I got to take him very seriously. He is the
type of fighter who will punish you if you make mistakes by
lack of concentration. I want to have a perfect fight
offensively, defensively and strategically.”
A journalist asked him if he expects to be nervous in
walking to the ring after 19 months of inaction. “I am a bit
anxious and nervous now, and it’s normal after a long period
of inaction,” said Pascal. “As you mentioned , I did not
fight since 19 months and I did not win since more than two
years. I am very hungry, like a starving wolf. But I will
have to be careful in the first round after a so long period
of
inaction. I need to find back the feeling of the ring. The
beginning of the fight is crucial in that situation.”
Pascal was supposed to fight the IBF light heavyweight
champion of the world, Tavoris Cloud (24-0-0), August 11th
in Montréal, but the fight has been cancelled in July, when
Pascal got a serious right hand injury in training. He was
suffering of a bone contusion. “My right hand is absolutely
perfect,” said Pascal. You saw me hitting my trainer's
padding gloves a few minutes ago, and as you could see, I
was hitting with a lot of power,” said Pascal. “No doubt in
my mind, I will be able to attack with intensity Friday
evening.”
Marc Ramsay, Pascal's trainer, is more than pleased by the
preparation of his fighter. “Jean was extremely frustrated
when we have been obliged to cancel his fight with Cloud
last summer, but it was the best thing to do in the
circumstances,” said Ramsay. “First of all, Jean could not
take the risk to face a dangerous fighter like Cloud with an
intense pain in the right hand. Secondly, he needed more
time to be the real Jean Pascal after a complete year of
inaction. I am talking about reflexes and synchronization of
the movements in the ring. A fighter who has better reflexes
and a better synchronization in his
movements, has more chances to dominate the action. It is
exactly what I am expecting from Jean Friday evening.”
The fight Pascal-Kuziemski will be televised by Wealth TV.
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