It was close. It was controversial.
But don’t call it a robbery, says Jean Pascal.
“I won this fight, it was a close fight, but I won it,” Pascal said at a late news conference after his split-decision victory over Badou Jack Saturday in a light heavyweight bout on Showtime. “Badou is a great fighter, but no one can say he was robbed. I won that fight.
“I’m the champ. I think I was in control the whole fight. I kept the middle of the ring most of the time. Badou is a great fighter, but I won.’’
Many in announced crowd of more than 14,000 at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena booed the scoring – 114-112 on two cards for Pascal and 114-112 on the third for Jack.
Pascal appeared to control the first five-to-six rounds, which included a knockdown of Jack in the fourth. But Jack gained momentum midway through the bout. He consistently landed more punches over the final six rounds. Boxing Junkie scored it 115-111 for Jack.
Lingering controversy dictates a rematch.
Said Pascal: “I’ll do the rematch any time.”