Jean Pascal planned to be in the gym. Instead, he went into quarantine.
In another example of a world paralyzed by a pandemic, Pascal went to Miami to begin training for a possible rematch with Badou Jack. He wanted to be ready. He planned on getting an early start. But coronavirus did to Pascal what it has been doing to everyone else. It put plans on hold.
Pascal arrived in Miami just as the threat began to force border closures. Pascal, who had hoped to train in south Florida for two weeks before moving into a camp in Puerto Rico, decided to go home to Quebec.
Instead of two weeks of training, he got two weeks of quarantine.
“They closed the borders,’’ Pascal told The Montreal Journal. “So I decided to come home wisely.”
Two weeks of quarantine is the Canadian recommendation for returning citizens. Pascal complied.
“I’m in quarantine, but my daughter Angel is not with me,’’ he said. “She will stay with my aunt for the duration of my confinement.”
Still, Pascal is frustrated.
“It is a waste of money because we paid for plane tickets, hotel rooms and food,’’ he said. “It’s a shame to come home and start from scratch. In a case where there is a cancellation due to an injury, we already have another fixed date. Because of this virus, we have no idea what will happen next. I don’t know if I’m going to go back to the ring in June, July or fall.’’
Pascal (35-6-1, 20 KOs) won a split decision over Jack (22-3-3, 13 KOs) for a light heavyweight title on Dec. 28 in Atlanta. It was controversial. A rematch looked inevitable.
“I did not yet have a fixed date for my next fight,” Pascal said. “However, I knew I was going to get back in the ring before the start of the summer.’’
Now, Pascal will wait.
“When I have a date, I am able to align my mind according to that,’’ he said. “Since it’s all in the air, it’s hard to keep motivated for training. It is especially hard to stay motivated in the chaos we are experiencing at the moment. I would find myself a little selfish to be so hungry, given that people are dying and many others are sick.”