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Cloutier's Canada Corner
Stéphan Larouche: "My Priority?
For Pascal To Be Proud Of His Performance"
By Daniel Cloutier
TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Québec, Canada — Former WBC light
heavyweight champion of the world, the Montrealer Jean
Pascal will dispute a tune-up fight Friday evening at the
Cogeco Theatre in Trois-Rivières, a city located between
Montréal and Québec City. Pascal (30-4-1) was supposed to
fight the Croatian Stjepan Bozic (29-11-0) in a 10 rounds
fight, but he will face the Argentinian Ricardo Marcelo
Ramallo (21-10-1).
Bozic, who lost four his last five bouts by KO or TKO,
failed a medical tests imposed by the Quebec Athletic
Commission (Régis provinciale des sports de combat). Ramallo,
on his side, compiled a poor record of 6-7-1 at his last 14
bouts. .
“Jean got to rebuilt his confidence in his talent, after his
lost by TKO against Sergey Kovalev (last January at Bell
Centre in Montréal), and the first step in this direction,
will be Friday evening, said the new Pascal’s trainer,
Stéphan Larouche, the former trainer of Lucian Bute. My
priority? I want to see Jean proud of himself, proud of his
performance. It’s crucial for me that he uses his skills
from the beginning to the end of the fight. As you know,
Jean has a good jab, he is good mover in the ring, he is
fast and he can punch very hard. I really believe you will
see in action the real Jean Pascal Friday evening and next
year. He wants to take part to significant fights in 2017,
and I am sure it will become reality.”
Larouche said that Pascal got a great training camp during
the last two months. “Jean was working very hard every days
in training, said Larouche. He prepared himself with a great
determination, physically, mentally, and also in the
sparring sessions. If some boxing fans believe that Jean
lost his passion for boxing after his lost against Kovalev
in January, they are so wrong. Jean is determinate to get
back on the winning track, and you will understand what I
mean when you will see him in action Friday night and in
2017. Jean is very impatient to prove he still a very
efficient fighter.”
Pascal, obviously, is agree with his trainer. “Yes, Stéphan
is right, I am extremely impatient to be back in the ring,
said the Montrealer boxer of 34 years. The boxing still a
passion for me. I want to win clearly the Friday's night
fight, and challenge the big names of my division. i know I
can win significant bouts with a perfect preparation like I
have now. If Lucian Bute wins February 24th in Québec City
(against the Montrealers Colombian Eleider Alvarez), I will
certainly give him a rematch.”
In January 2014, in the ring of the Bell Centre, Pascal beat
Bute by unanimous decision in a NABF light heavyweight North
American championship. The Pascal’s promoter, Camille
Estephan, loves the idea that his fighter face the winner on
the eventual match up Bute-Alvarez. “Jean hopes to face the
winner of the bout Bute-Alvarez, and I am totally agree with
his ambition, said Estephan. I will do everything possible
to make this idea a reality. I am positive the Québec boxing
fans would love to assist to a confrontation between Jean
and the winner of the match up Bute-Alvarez. However, the
winner of the fight Bute-Alvarez is supposed to meet the WBC
light heavyweight champion of the world, the Montrealer
Adonis Stevenson (28-1-0, in April or May.”
At the weight in, supervised by the Québec Athletic
Commission (Régie provinciale des sports de combat), Pascal
posted an official weight of 181.2 pounds, versus 177.6 for
Ramallo.
The welterweight Montrealer Kazakh Batyrzhan Jukembayev
(6-0-0), the middleweight Steve Rolls (14-0-0), from
Toronto, the Montrealer Kazakh lightweight Ablaikan
Khussainov (3-0-0) and the super bantamweight François
Pratte (3-0-0), from Trois-Rivières, will be involved in the
preliminaries bouts of the evening. Jkembayev will fight the
Mexican Manuel Mares (16-10-0), Rolls will face the
Hungarian Attila Koros (12-7-1), Khussainov will meet the
Mexican Jesus Perez and Pratte will be opposed to the
Mexican Emmanuel Villamar (6-0-0).
At the weight in, Jukembayev posted an official weight of
141.4 pounds, Mares 14 1.4, Rolls 162.7, Koros 167.6,
Khussainov 134.5, Perez 134.9, Pratte 121.9, and Villamar
122.3 pounds.
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