Jean Pascal Vs. The World

Michael Nelson takes a look how Jean Pascal matches up with some of the names being mentioned as potential opponents for the new light-heavyweight king.

A new consensus 175 pound champ has been crowned, and this one happens to have an enticing mix of talent, heart, and vulnerability that makes predicting his fights almost as fun as watching them.

I haven't had tremendous success projecting the results of Jean Pascal's bouts in the past, but that won't stop me from trying. Here are some adversaries he may face in the near future along with postulation on how he'd fare against them.

Chad Dawson

While Bad Chad Dawson had earned his spot as the light heavyweight kingpin by defeating quality fighters, he had never faced anyone with the hand and foot speed of Jean Pascal before last Saturday. So I disagree with the prevalent notion that he took Pascal for granted and simply underperformed. Whether he's the "superior" fighter or not is irrelevant; Pascal presents a skillset and style that makes Dawson uncomfortable.

One of the reasons many felt Dawson half-assed his way to a loss is he didn't fully exploit the tendency Pascal shares with his idol Roy Jones: resting on the ropes. Jean is an easy target that doesn't offer a great deal of resistance when his back is on the ropes, which creates the impression that Dawson could have bagged the majority of the rounds - or eventually forced a stoppage - if he aggressively attacked whenever Pascal was near them.

Maybe. But the fact remains, Pascal completely controlled the proceedings when they were in the middle of the ring (i.e., the vast majority of the fight). The beautiful counter left uppercut that stood Pascal straight up in the 11th was the exception, not the rule. Dawson attempted to progressively stand his ground in 7, 8, and 9, and consequently got rocked in each of those rounds.

While Dawson will almost certainly be more aggressive in the rematch, Pascal will try to match or surpass Chad's aggression while they're in the middle of the ring. Dawson appears to be the slightly more conditioned fighter and should make things rough for the budding Canadian star down the stretch. But I expect Pascal to survive a late rally and earn another upset victory.

Pascal SD12 Dawson

Lucian Bute

Putting too much stock into a surprise KO over a slow, iron-chinned fighter is dangerous. Look no further than Devon Alexander - arguably the cream of 140 pounds, largely due to destroying Juan Urango, before a certain technically proficient Ukrainian peeled a layer or two off his hype.

Similarly, Bute has made his name feasting on crude, but tough fighters. His stock skyrocketed via a shocking knockout victory in his rematch against Librado Andrade, a man who not only gave him hell in their first bout, but was thought to be impossible to knockout. He still hasn't come close to seeing someone with the speed and talent of Pascal during his professional career.

But there's no denying that Bute has a lethal uppercut. And the way Pascal dives in with his punches makes him susceptible to an uppercut, so it's easy to envision a sudden end to the bout with a well-timed counter to the chin or abdomen. As Andrade and Fulgencio Zuniga found out, Bute is one of the more dangerous body punchers in the game.

It's a tough fight to speculate on. Bute would likely have many of the same difficulties Dawson had. But because Bute has the one-punch power Dawson doesn't, and is a bit sharper at counter punching, I see him eventually catching Pascal and finishing him.

Bute KO9 Pascal

Bernard Hopkins

There have been talks of Hopkins having the inside track to being Jean's next opponent, but there's a half dozen light heavyweights I'd rather see Pascal in the ring with (and a half dozen more super middleweights).

Hopkins has battled father time as well as any in boxing history. He has slowed noticeably in recent years though, and pecking his way to a dreadful decision over Roy Jones four months ago did nothing to convince me that he can beat a speedy, exuberant combination puncher in 2010. While Pascal is no prime Roy, he offers a whole lot more than a shot one.

The fight would feature a lot of circling and staring in between sporadic flurries of action. The younger, quicker man would get the better of most of those flurries.

Exhilarating.

Pascal UD12 Hopkins

Tavoris Cloud

In one of the best matchups that can be made in the upper divisions, Cloud would present himself as a more dynamic, eruptive version of Adrian Diaconu, someone Pascal twice defeated in memorable bouts last year. While there's little doubt that Pascal can outbox the relatively cement-footed 28 year old through a stretch of rounds, it's just as likely that Cloud would badly hurt Pascal at some point in the fight.

Tavoris hasn't shown great ability to finish wounded prey. Instead of tearing into the rib cage and keeping his staggered opponent guessing with a variety of blows, he opts to lob haymakers into their guard until he punches himself out.

Nevertheless, the same shots that staggered hardened veterans Clinton Woods and Glen Johnson may be powerful enough to discombobulate Pascal and his ability to defend himself, if not knock him clean out. Pascal's tendency to rest on the ropes would prove pernicious against one of Cloud's explosive torrent of punches.

I consider this nearly a coin flip, but I'm leaning towards Cloud overwhelming the WBC champ down the stretch.

Cloud TKO11 Pascal

Carl Froch

In their 2008 war, Froch exposed Pascal's achilles heel: a strong, consistent jab. The fight was evenly fought until Froch's jab took over in the middle rounds as Pascal began to tire. Pascal tried to rally late but the Brit's stick continued to be a menace, and Froch walked away with a clear decision.

None of the other prospective opponents have a long jab as active as Carl's. Unless Pascal's conditioning is dramatically improved in the rematch (and thus far, it looks to be about the same), I wouldn't expect to see anything terribly different.

But it sure would be fun.

Froch UD12 Pascal

* * *

If I'm shortchanging the new kingpin in some of these, it wouldn't be the first time. His sensational will to win is often enough to overcome his vulnerabilities. Regardless of what happens, now that he has been catapulted towards mainstream recognition, the light heavyweight division is a bit more interesting.

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