Around the Net: Jean Pascal vs Chad Dawson Post-Fight Edition

Jean Pascal pulled off a major upset Saturday night with a technical decision victory over previously unbeaten Chad Dawson before a raucous Bell Centre crowd in Montreal.  Scheduled for 12, the bout was halted in the 11th by referee Michael Griffin on the recommendation of the ringside physician after Dawson suffered a nasty laceration over his left eye from an accidental clash of heads.

The timing of the fight ending incident was a fortunate break for the Canadian as Dawson was coming on strong, having hurt Pascal with some heavy blows in the final round of action.  The tiring Pascal had  fought a clever battle up to that point, picking his spots to jump in and touch up the visiting fighter frequently enough to deservedly earn the nod on the cards of all 3 judges - winning by scores of 106-103 twice, and a questionably wide 108-101 tally.

The Boxing Bulletin's Joseph R. Holzer had the bout 106-103 for Pascal.

Let's check out some of the post-fight reaction from around the net...

Bad Left Hook - Chad Dawson's first loss could be a blessing in disguise

The loss could work one of two ways, in theory. It could be the thing that eats at Chad and lessens him as a fighter, but that's not what I expect. He clearly felt he was trailing on the scorecards starting the 11th round, and went on a blistering attack, wobbling Pascal badly with a beautiful counter left hand that banged the Quebec transplant dead on the chin. That Pascal didn't go down from that shot says something about how tough Pascal is. That he was withstanding a big charge by Dawson was also admirable, and he was fighting back. But Dawson, for the first time all night, had fire in his belly and was going for the gusto. If he was going to lose, he was going to lose throwing everything he had at Pascal.

That tells me that Chad Dawson is going to come back from this loss with a renewed hunger. We've all seen fighters get dreadfully attached to the "0" on their record, to the point where they will avoid tough fights and almost clutch onto the number for dear life. Risks stop being taken by these fighters.

The Cruelest Sport - Le Saboteur: Jean Pascal WTD11 Chad Dawson

Apart from the sneaky left uppercut that stiffened Pascal and a big flurry in the 11th, Dawson never really got his offense on track. Occasionally, he would pin Pascal against the ropes and throw quick combinations punctuated by right hooks to the body, but he could never sustain his attack. Within a flash, Pascal would scoot away or return fire, and Dawson would be back to looking confused in center ring, throwing a petty jab that often bordered on a backhand and following Pascal around without clear intent. When Dawson opens up, he throws eyecatching combinations, but in the past, against opponents without the legs to keep up with him, he rarely felt the need to go all out. Against Pascal, he seemed unable to adjust from the cruise control setting he has been on for his last three fights and it cost him.

The Queensbury Rules - The Day After In Montreal, Much To Contemplate With Jean Pascal Vs. Chad Dawson

It's often the case that a fighter who's accused of "not trying hard enough to win" is, in actuality, trying hard, but has a good reason for appearing not to be. There were some modestly justifiable reasons for Dawson's apparent lack of effort. For instance, Dawson would occasionally trap Pascal on the ropes, and some saw Dawson not taking full advantage of that. But if you've seen any tape of Pascal, he loves to lay on the ropes, take or block a few shots, then out of nowhere explode with a big left hook. And Pascal did that a couple times to Dawson. You'd think twice about going off on Pascal on the ropes under those circumstances, too. But it's really the case this time that Dawson should have done more, and inexplicably didn't. You need look no further than his success in some of the late rounds, or the way he had success against Pascal for a stretch in the 7th after some thought Dawson was hurt and Dawson retaliated with voluminous fury.

BoxingScene.com - "Fighting Words" – A Clash In Styles, A Dynamic Duel

Both took shots in this duel. But this duel ended with bullets still in their chambers, an ending that was clear in that Pascal was the deserving winner but inconclusive in that Dawson had not yet been decisively beaten.

The remaining four minutes could have run out and brought about a Pascal decision win. They also could have been enough time for Dawson to keep the fight from going to the scorecards.

That Pascal had done more and won more rounds earned him the number-one spot in the light heavyweight division. That Dawson had previously been number-one had earned him enough sway in the fight negotiations that he can redeem a contractual rematch.

The New Haven Register - Pascal hands Dawson first loss

Experts felt before the bout that the Canadian would have great difficult closing distance on Dawson, due to a near 9-inch reach deficit, but such was not the case.

Dawson negated his jab early on, and opened the fight pursuing Pascal (26-1, 16 KO), however the Montreal native mounted quick bursts of offense, mostly with wide hooks to the body.

The Montreal Gazette - 'I'm the new king at 175 pounds': Jean Pascal

"They said there was no blueprint, no solution to beat Chad Dawson," said the Laval fighter, who made the fourth defence of his WBC title. "Tonight I proved I was the blueprint, I was the solution."

"We stayed exactly on the plan throughout the fight," Pascal’s trainer, Marc Ramsay, said. "We worked four months on this fight and tonight we executed perfectly. You’ve seen other fighters just try to pressure him and nobody has ever beaten him that way."

Fight Insight - Larry Merchant's Light Heavyweight Boxing Tournament

With arguably the best super middleweight in the world Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KOs) sitting ringside, it is only natural to consider pitting him against Pascal in all-Canadian superfight at 175 pounds. Merchant echoed that sentiment, and went even further. He suggested that the just-vanquished Dawson fight the recently-victorious (over Glen Johnson) Tavoris Cloud (21-0, 18 KOs).

And there you have it. A truncated version of Showtime Boxing’s Super Six super middleweight tournament, featuring the division’s top four fighters. Making the match-making conceivably easier is the fact that they are all HBO fighters.