The Moment Of Truth: Kovalev vs. Pascal Weigh-In Report - Pound4Pound.com

Cloutier's Canada Corner
The Moment Of Truth:
Kovalev vs. Pascal Weigh-In Report

By Daniel Cloutier
Photos: Robert Lévesque

MONTRÉAL —— Jean Pascal tried everything to provoke and mock the Russian Sergey Kovalev at the final press conference Wednesday afternoon at Bell Centre, but before the weight in Friday afternoon at the Montréal Casino, the Montrealer boxer showed more respect for the WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion of the world. Saturday evening, Pascal (29-2-1), a former WBC light heavyweight champion of the world, will try to dethrone Kovalev as WBA, WBO and IBF champion of the world. It will be the moment of the truth. Over 12,000 boxing fans are waited at the Bell Centre. The fight will be televise by HBO.

"It’s true, I provoked and mocked Kovalev Wednesday, but honestly, I know he is the most dangerous fighter I never faced in my career, said Pascal. Apparently, he knock a grizzly bear out with his fists in Russia when he was younger, then, I got to believe he is a tremendous puncher. And I know he hurt Bernard Hopkins several times November 8th in Atlantic City. I will have to give a solid performance defensively and offensively Saturday. I will have to block or neutralize all the Kovalev’s power shots, and hit him in each round with my best shots. You all know I like the big challenges, and this fight is certainly the biggest challenge of my career. I am extremely motivated and excited to live that event. It’s the biggest fight in the history of the Canadian boxing involving a Canadian fighter, and I am decided to become the hero of the event. I will give a tremendous effort in each round, and I strongly believe I will get out of the ring with the statute of new WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion of the world. My ambition still to be recognized as one of the best fighters pound for pound in the world, then, I got to beat Kovalev. My trainers prepared a perfect fight plan for Kovalev, and I am positive this fight plan will make me win, no matter if the fight is short or long."

"Wednesday at the final press conference, Pascal said to the medias: «Kovalev is a Russian, and the Russians athletes are not good in crucial events. The Russians hockey players of the NHL are good in the regular season, but deceiving in the playoffs. Saturday, our fight will be like a sudden death game (seventh and decisive game) of the Stanley Cup final. I will feel comfortable, not Kovalev…"

Very quiet, Kovalev barely reacted Wednesday. He just replied: "Ridiculous. Pascal has a big mouth, but watch me! I will talk will my fists when the fight will started. "

Kovalev (26-0-1) was WBO champion of the world last October, but he became WBA, WBO and IBF 175 pounds champion of the world November 8th in Atlantic City, in beating Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2) by unanimous decision (12 rounds to nothing).

In few hours, he will proceed to the first defence of his triple crowns.

'I don’t know if Pascal is worried at few hours of the moment of the truth, but as you heard it, he tried everything to make me loose my concentration this week, said Kovalev. But trust me, his strategy failed. I am always perfectly concentrate on the job to do, and it’s not different here in Montréal. Pascal is a good fighter, probably the best I faced so far in pro boxing, but I know I have the weapons to still triple champion of the world. Pascal is fast and he has a good mobility in the ring, but I am strong, powerful, intense and efficient offensively and defensively. My jab is also a great weapon. If there a fighter who knows it, it’s Bernard Hopkins. Trust me, nobody will dethrone me in the next years. I worked so hard to get this statute of triple champion of the world. I will fight like hell to protect this treasury Saturday."

If Kovalev wins Saturday, he will face September 26th the Montrealer southpaw Adonis Stevenson (25-1-0), who is WBC light heavyweight champion of the world. Kovalev wants to detain the four major world crowns of the 175 pounds division.

At the weigh in Friday afternoon, Kovalev posted an official weight of 174.2 pounds, versus 175 pounds for Pascal. Perfect weight for each one.

The photographers wanted to get the two fighters nose to nose for pictures, but Pascal left before to avoid trouble. A shoving happened between the two at the final press conference when they came nose to nose for a picture.

"We asked to Jean to forget the picture nose to nose, admitted Roy Jones Jr. the former champion of the world who is an advisor for Pascal. It was way too dangerous. We did not want to put this important fight in jeopardy."

The new WBC heavyweight champion of the world, Deontay Wilder (33-0-0), was present at this weight in. "Russ Anber is one of my trainer, and he is one the Pascal’s trainer, said Wilder. I came in Montréal to support Pascal."

John David Jackson, the Kovalev’s trainer, believe his fighter will clearly dominate Pascal Saturday evening. "I said Pascal got weakness, and I did not change my mind, said Jackson. Sergey, him, is great technically and strategically, he is very strong physically, powerful, intense and intelligent. I am sure I will dominate clearly Pascal and beat him clearly, Last November, I predicted that Sergey would beat easy Bernard Hopkins, and I was right. Sergey dominate the fight 12 rounds to nothing. I don’t know if the Saturday’s night fight will be short or long, but I am more than persuaded that Sergey will get out of the ring as WBA, WBO and IBF champion of the world."

The Pascal’s trainer, Marc Ramsay, seems sure that his fighter will shock the world Saturday. Kovalev has been established favourite to win by 5-1 (4-1 last week)) by the boxing bookies.

"I said it, and I gonna repeat it, Jean is always at his best when the challenge is huge, and in few hours, he will face the biggest challenge of his career, said Ramsay. I got to admit that Jean never faced a boxer dangerous like Kovalev. But don’t forget one thing: Jean is specially dangerous when he is in the underdog shoes. His motivation is multiplied by 10! We saw it when he faced Chad Dawson and Adrian Diaconu. I am positive that Jean will surprise the world Saturday. He has the skills, the speed, the determination, the motivation and the intelligence to surprise Kovalev and dethrone him as WBA, WBO and IBF champion of the world. When Jean is motivated like he is actually, I can’t imagine he can loose a fight."

The referee of the main event bout will be the Porto Rican Luis Pabon. The judges will be: Mike Cesar Ramos, also from Porto Rico, Richard Davies, from Great Britain and Zoltan Enyedi, from Hungary.

This HBO boxing night organized by InterBox and Main Event, will present a total of eight bouts.

Just before the main event, Steve Cunningham (28-6-0), from Philadelphia, and Vyacheslav Glazkov (19-0-1), from Russia, will dispute an elimination bout for the IBF heavyweights (12 rounds) championship of the world.

The Russian Vasily Lepikhin (17-0-0) will face the South African Issac Chilemba (23-2-2) in a NABF light heavyweight championship (10 rounds). The Montrealer lightweight Dierry Jean (27-1-0) will come back in the ring after a therapy to cure a problem of alcohol, in fighting the Mexican Carlos Manuel Reyes (25-3-1) (10 rounds). The French light heavyweight Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3-0) will be opposed to the American Lee Junior Campbell (8-1-0) (10 rounds). The Montrealer welterweight Yves Ulysse Jr. (5-0-0) will fight Miguel Antoine (17-1-1), from Barbados (8 rounds). The Russian welterweight Dmitry Mikhaylenko (18-0-0) will challenge the Mexican Felipe De La Paz (14-3-0) (10 rounds), and in the opening bout of the evening, the welterweight David Théroux (5-0-0), from Sorel, Québec, will meet the Polish Lukasz Janik (12-9-1) in a four or six rounders.

At the weight in, Cunningham posted an official weight of 209.6 pounds, Glazkov 218.4, Lepikhin 174.9, Chilemba 175.5, Jean 137.7, Reyes 136.8, Mikhaylenko 146.8, De La Paz 145,3 Mohammedi 173, Campbell 174.2, Ulysse Jr. 143.3, Antoine 143.9, Théroux 144.4 and Janik 144.6.