Jean Pascal and Badou Jack have agreed to terms to face each other in a rematch later this spring. Pascal won the first bout in December.
Jean Pascal and Badou Jack are running it back up.
The light heavyweight contenders went tit for tat for 12 rounds on the Dec. 28 Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card before Pascal prevailed narrowly – and a tad controversially – on the scorecards. Now, they are headed toward a rematch after both parties agreed to terms, according to BoxingScene.
The fight could take place on three possible dates, May 9 or 23 on FOX, or May 16 on Showtime, the website reported. Al Haymon has output deals with both Showtime and Fox to showcase his Premier Boxing Champions cards.
The card could also feature a light heavyweight bout between Sullivan Barrera and Marcus Browne, who fought Jack and Pascal last year. Browne beat Jack but suffered three knockdowns en route to a technical-decision loss to Pascal.
Pascal-Jack stands to reprise what was one of the more entertaining fights in the latter half of 2019. Pascal controlled the early rounds, scoring a knockdown in Round 4, before Jack (22-3-3, 13 KOs) began to take control in the second half of the fight. He put Pascal on the canvas in the final round. Two of the judges scored it 114-112 for Pascal, while the third had it 114-112 for Jack.
Pascal has resurrected his career after flirting with retirement. Aside from a one-sided loss by decision to titleholder Dmitry Bivol, Pascal has looked sharp. He is 4-1 in his last five fights.
Jean Pascal believes he controlled his fight against Badou Jack and deserved the victory Saturday in Atlanta.
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.
Jean Pascal’s fire combined with a passionate response from Badou Jack made for an exciting light heavyweight fight Saturday night.
GOOD
I don’t know what got into Jean Pascal but I hope it’s catching.
The Haitian-Canadian fought Badou Jack with the hunger of a 21-year-old trying to establish himself in boxing, not an aging veteran, winging hard punches at a high rate from the opening bell on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday in Atlanta.
His best moment came in the fourth round, when he landed a right to the side of Jack’s head that sent him sprawling to the canvas.
Pascal, 37, couldn’t maintain his pace beyond the first half of the fight, which opened the door for the more-steady Jack to take control of the later rounds and score his own knockdown in the 12th and final frame.
Still, Pascal’s youthful energy and a passionate response from Jack gave fans a terrific light heavyweight bout that stole the show at State Farm Arena.
I had a problem with the decision – a split verdict for Pascal – because I thought Jack was the tortoise to Pascal’s hare. I thought he controlled the fight with his jab, outworked Pascal overall and was much more precise in his punching.
CompuBox supports those observations: Jack outlanded Pascal 244 to 155 and had an edge in his connection rate, 39 percent to 28.
That said, I don’t want to be overly critical of the judges for two reasons. One, they had similar scores. All three had it 114-112, two for Pascal and one for Jack. That kind of consistency is ideal. And, two, the fight was damn good. That’s also ideal.
BAD
Gervonta Davis (left) landed plenty of power shots and ultimately stopped a gimpy Yuriorkis Gamboa but something was missing. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
I was expecting one of two things from the Davis-Gamboa fight: a firefight for as long as it lasted or a spectacular performance from Davis. Neither happened, which was a shame.
The foot injury Gamboa suffered when he went down in the second round – or whatever it was – precluded any chance that the 38-year-old Cuban would be competitive. We can’t expect much from an old, declining fighter with an Achilles injury.
That would seem to have made Gamboa easy prey for a knockout artist like Davis, who had stopped 21 of his previous 22 opponents. It didn’t. Gamboa, clever if nothing else, did what he could to survive and Davis was unable to put him away until the 12th and final round.
“Tank” might’ve had an off night. It happens. Or Gamboa might’ve been trickier than we realize. Most likely, Gamboa didn’t train properly leading up the fight, which would explain the fact he initially missed weight and then gave a sluggish performance.
Whatever the reason, a fight that should’ve been exciting was mildly entertaining at best. Davis did land a high percentage of his power shots, which we’ve come to expect. He just didn’t throw many punches, 321 the entire fight, according to CompuBox, and seemed to be tired in the later rounds.
I don’t know whether Davis’ stock suffered as a result of his performance but I’m guessing a lot of people were disappointed.
WORSE
Davis is a role model for a lot of young people, including his daughter. He should keep that in mind when it comes to his behavior. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
A bit of unsolicited advice for Davis: Be a professional.
The Gamboa fight was billed as Davis’ debut at 135 pounds, although he had fought over 130 at least nine times. Still, he was moving up in weight. And he initially weighed in 1.2 pounds over the limit before making weight on his second try.
Seriously? This is supposed to be your biggest fight and you miss weight?
I don’t want to draw conclusions based on an extra 1.2 pounds but it raises questions in my mind about Davis’ training for the fight. And that was reinforced by his so-so performance, at least by his standards. Is he willing to put in the work to become great or not? It’s not going to happen without the effort.
And was the shove at the weigh-in necessary? Perhaps it was orchestrated to promote the fight, although I doubt organizers would trot out such a tired gimmick. Either way, pushing your opponent and igniting a melee does nothing but make you look bad.
Davis has the potential to be a great fighter, his performance against Gamboa aside. That means he could enjoy fame and fortune. And he already is a role model for a lot of kids in Baltimore and perhaps beyond, who will follow his lead.
With that in mind, I would hope Davis learns from his missteps and grows as both a man and a fighter.
Jean Pascal controlled the first half of the fight and held on to beat Badou Jack by a split decision on Saturday in Atlanta.
Jean Pascal started on fire, slowed almost to a crawl but hung on to win a split decision over Badou Jack in a 12-round light heavyweight bout on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday in Atlanta.
Pascal opened their fight like a mad man, firing hard shot after hard shot in an immediate test of Jack’s resilience. The onslaught included a right to the side of the head that put Jack down in Round 4, which gave Pascal a 10-8 round and control of the fight at that point.
However, by the middle rounds, Pascal had begun to slow down while Jack maintained a solid pace and seemed to seize the momentum.
Jack punctuated his performance by putting a seemingly exhausted Pascal down early in the final round but failing to finish him off, which cost the Swede the fight.
Two judges scored it 114-112 (seven rounds to five) for Pascal and one had Jack winning by the same score. Boxing Junkie scored it 115-111 for Jack.
“I think I was in control the whole fight,” Pascal said in the ring afterward. “I kept the fight in the middle of ring most of the time. I was the better fighter. Badou Jack is a great fight but I won the fight.”
Pascal (35-6-1, 20 KOs) fought with overwhelming intensity early in the fight. He threw a lot of punches and he threw them hard, as if he was attempting to end the fight early. Jack blocked a lot of those shots but enough got through to make Jack’s life very difficult.
Jack maintained his poise, though, even after the knockdown. While Pascal, 37, slowed down, Jack, 36, stayed busy. Pascal had his moments in the second half of the fight but, clearly, the busier, more precise Jack controlled the action.
The knockdown in the final round probably clinched it for some observers but two judges saw things differently, which gave Jack (22-3-3, 13 KOs) another in a frustrating series of controversial decision losses.
“Of course I feel I won the fight but it is what it is,” Jack said. He was then asked whether he would describe the fight as a bad decision. “I’m not sure,” he responded. “Maybe he was the better man tonight. I don’t know.
“… I thought I was winning. Maybe I’m wrong.”
Jack said he’d love to fight Pascal again. And the Haitian-Canadian seemed amenable to the idea. The controversial result almost makes it imperative.
Gervonta Davis had trouble making the 135-pound limit for his fight on Saturday against Yuriorkis Gamboa but he ultimately was successful.
Gervonta Davis had some trouble making the 135-pound limit Friday afternoon for his fight on Saturday against Yuriorkis Gamboa but he ultimately was successful.
And, just for good measure, Davis reportedly shoved Gamboa during the weigh-in. That caused a tussle on stage that required police and security personnel to quell.
Davis, fighting for the first time as a full-fledged lightweight, initially weighed 136¼ but came back 90 minutes later at 134¾. Gamboa weighed 134½.
Jack Reiss of California will be the referee for the main event. The judges are Ed Kanner (Georgia), Dave Moretti (Nevada) and Steve Weisfeld (New Jersey).
The card will take place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta and will be televised on Showtime.
Gervonta Davis needed two tries Friday to make the 135-pound limit for his lightweight fight against Yuriorkis Gamboa on Saturday in Atlanta. Sean Michael Ham / Mayweather Promotions
Also, Jean Pascal and Badou Jack, fighting at light heavyweight, made the 175-pound limit. Pascal weighed 174¾, Jack 174½.
And Jose Uzcategui and Lionell Thompson made the 168-pound limit for their super middleweight fight. Uzcategui weighed 167¾, Lionell Thompson 168.
Floyd Mayweather, Davis’ promoter, is excited to stage the fight in Atlanta. This is the first big fight card in that city in some time.
“This is great,” Mayweather said. “It’s not just about boxing being in one place. It’s about thinking outside the box. So I said, ‘Why not?’ Atlanta is a great place with so many beautiful people. It’s just a great city.
“It’s all about taking chances and rolling the dice. It’s the same thing I did in my career: took chances and rolled the dice. There is a lot of great talent that comes out of Atlanta, a lot of great boxing talent.”
Badou Jack believes the lesson learned in his loss to Marcus Browne will work in his favor against Jean Pascal on Saturday.
Badou Jack remembers it as an accident. It left him with multiple stitches and scars. Mostly, it left him with a lesson.
It’s the lesson of losing to Marcus Browne nearly a year ago that Jack believes will be his greatest ally against Jean Pascal in an intriguing light heavyweight fight on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday night in Atlanta.
The card will be televised on Showtime.
“Mentally I’m better than I’ve ever been,’’ Jack (22-2-3, 13 KOs) said to reporters when the fight was first announced. “I’m hungrier and I feel like I did the first time I fought for the title. I’m always hungry, but I’m really excited for this fight.
“Sometimes, losses make you better. My first loss was an accident, and I became better because of it. The loss to Marcus Browne, it wasn’t the fairest loss, but it’s made me even hungrier. I’m going to go out there and win the fight no matter what.”
Badou Jack (left) is hoping to bounce back from his loss to Marcus Browne last January. AP Photo / John Locher
The accident was a head butt, a collision that cut Jack across the forehead. His face was a bloody mask. He fought through it, but he couldn’t fight past it. Browne wound up winning a unanimous decision on Jan. 19 in Las Vegas.
“I feel 100 percent, physically,’’ said Jack, a former super middleweight champion who will fight at light heavyweight for the fourth time. “The cut was cleared in March, and we’re way past that. I’ve been ready physically. This camp has proved that to me and my whole team.’’
In Pascal (34-6-1, 20 KOs), Jack sees a fighter often underestimated. He promises not to make that mistake.
“People have written Pascal off a couple of times and he always came back,’’ Jack said of the Quebec fighter who beat Browne by a technical decision on Aug. 3 in Brooklyn. “He’s a throwback fighter, who definitely knows how to fight. He brings it every time.
“He’s got more mileage than me, but I can’t overlook a guy like him. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win the fight.’’
Jean Pascal and Badou Jack are both fighting to stay in title contention in the light heavyweight division.
Jean Pascal just wouldn’t go away.
The Haitian-Canadian, known as much for his fighting spirit as his skill set, lost a decision and his light heavyweight title to Bernard Hopkins in 2011. He bounced back. He was stopped by Sergey Kovalev in two title fights, in 2015 and 2016, and simply got back to work. He lost a decision to Eleider Alvarez in 2017 and then titleholder Dmitry Bivol last year, which seemed to signal the end of his career as an elite fighter.
Not quite. Pascal got one more big fight – against Marcus Browne in August – and this time his persistence paid off. Pascal, 36 at the time, won a close, eight-round technical decision after Browne was cut by an accidental head butt to remain in the 175-pound title hunt.
Pascal fights Badou Jack on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday in Atlanta on Showtime.
“I’ve been fighting at the highest level for the last 11 years,” Pascal (34-6-1, 20 KOs) said. “That means something. I’m a special fighter. I have things that nobody can teach, which is a chin and a heart.”
Jean Pascal (left) and Badou Jack are both fighting to remain in title contention in the light heavyweight division. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
Jack (22-2-3, 13 KOs) hasn’t fought for almost a year, since he suffered a ghastly cut on his forehead in a unanimous-decision loss to Browne last January.
Before that, the former super middleweight titleholder had his own share of disappointment. Most recently, he had to settle for draws in two of his previous three fights – against James DeGale and Adonis Stevenson – that some believe he deserved to win.
Jack, 36, also is fighting to remain in the thick of things. That fact isn’t lost on Pascal.
“I know that Badou has had a long layoff and he’s fresh and will be even hungrier. I’m always hungry and that will make it a great fight on Saturday night,” Pascal said.
For his part, Jack can’t wait to get into the ring.
“I guess you have to wait until Saturday night for me to prove that I still have it,” Jack said. “I was flat against Marcus Browne, regardless of the cut, but I feel much better this time than I did heading into that fight.
“All of the close decisions I’ve had in the past, everyone who watched those fights knows that those were wins. Saturday night I’m going to win and there will be no doubt.”
Pascal, now 37, doesn’t plan to go away just yet.
“Badou Jack is a solid fighter with great defense and good attack,” he said. “I’ve had a great camp in Puerto Rico. I’ve been away from my family for three months and I’m war ready. Make sure you tune in.”
Marcus Browne is looking to fight the winner of the Jean Pascal-Badou Jack light heavyweight bout this Saturday in Atlanta.
Marcus Browne will have a vested interest in the outcome of the Badou Jack-Jean Pascal light heavyweight bout on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday in Atlanta .
“Good fight,” the 29-year-old contender told Boxing Junkie. “I want the winner. I feel like I deserve the winner.”
So much so that Browne (23-1, 16 knockouts) will be ringside for the fight. Browne has a bit of history with both fighters. He dominated Jack in a career-best performance in January, winning a wide decision. He didn’t fare as well with Pascal, who knocked down the Staten Island native three times in August en route to a technical decision. The fight was stopped in the eighth round because of a cut over Browne’s brow. Repeated headbutts initiated by Pascal played a role in that, Browne said.
“(Pascal) was coming at me with his head since the second round, and the referee never warned him, never did anything,” Browne said. “It’s boxing, I don’t complain. I just want a rematch.”
Marcus Browne (left) defeated a bloodied Badou Jack last January. Brown would like to give Jack a rematch if the Swede beats Jean Pascal on Saturday. AP Photo / John Locher
Depending on what happens on Saturday night, he’d also be fine with a rematch against Jack.
“Leonard Ellerbe said [Jack] was flat that night,” Browne said. “So, I mean, if he was flat, I respect it, and I’ll give him another shot. Maybe he won’t be flat. Hell yeah, why not?”
After he takes care of business against Saturday’s winner, he wants the other titleholders in the division, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
“I don’t care which champions I’m going to fight, I’m with whatever champion that wants to fight me,” Browne said. “I’m looking to get the rematch and fighting one of those titleholders.”
But will Browne, an Al Haymon-advised boxer, be able to get those fights when Bivol is aligned with Eddie Hearn/DAZN and Beterbiev is linked with Top Rank/ESPN?
“Bulls—, man. It’s boxing, man,” Browne said. “If the guys want the fights, it can happen, man. And if the fans want the fight, it can happen. And if it makes sense, it can happen. Why not? Gary Russell fought (Vasiliy) Lomachenko, right? That was two sides of the street, right? They had to go down the same block, right?
“It’s boxing, it’s possible. It can happen. That’s where I’m at. I want it if they want it.”
Jean Pascal, who defends his title against Badou Jack on Saturday, is inspired by the “Rocky” character.
Every great movie has a sequel and Jean Pascal hopes to have one of his own against Badou Jack in a light heavyweight fight on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Saturday in Atlanta on Showtime.
Pascal has been taking inspiration, if not some training tips, from “Rocky” in the fight to get his career back on track.
Before upsetting Marcus Browne by a technical decision on Aug. 3 in Brooklyn, Pascal chased chickens.
“Obviously Browne was lefty so sparring was different, but for that fight, I trained like Rocky chasing the chicken because of Browne’s style,’’ Pascal (34-6-1, 20 KOs) said in a release from Premier Boxing Champions. “Everyone saw me catch that chicken, too, but for this fight, I’m training like Rocky in the freezer, ready to fight.’’
Both Pascal and Jack (22-2-3, 13 KOs) have faced Browne. A badly bloodied Jack lost to him, dropping a unanimous decision nearly a year ago in Las Vegas. Pascal floored Browne three times, getting a decision when the fight was stopped in the eighth round after Browne suffered a cut from a head butt.
“Badou is a great fighter,” Pascal said. “We both always look to fight the best. In my last fight, I knew that Marcus would be on his back foot, but Badou comes to fight, so I’m going to be war ready.
“I consider him a boxing friend, but on December 28th ,when that bell rings, he’s the enemy.”
Badou Jack is scheduled to face veteran Jean Pascal on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Dec. 28, his first fight in almost a year.
Consider the last seven opponents that former super middleweight champ Badou Jack has faced: Anthony Dirrell, George Groves, Lucian Bute, James DeGale, Nathan Cleverly, Adonis Stevenson and Marcus Browne.
Who faces a gauntlet like that in this day and age? Precious few.
Indeed, if any fighter deserves an easy opponent, it’s Jack. So who will the 36-year-old Swede fight on the Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa card Dec. 28 in Atlanta on Showtime? Jean Pascal, another tough veteran coming off an upset victory over Browne in August.
It never ends.
“I’m getting older,” Jack said on The PBC Podcast. “I might deserve a tune-up fight. When I fight better opposition, I step up my game more, I fight better. My first loss … I fought a journeyman (Derek Edwards). I wasn’t really 100 percent. And that’s when accidents happen. … I fight my best when I fight top guys.”
Jack (22-2-3, 13 KOs) fought a top guy last January, Browne, who won a wide decision at least in part because of a gruesome cut in the middle of Jack’s forehead – the result of an accidental head butt in the seventh round – that bled profusely.
Badou Jack is hard at work preparing for his fight against Jean Pascal on Dec. 28 in Atlanta on Showtime. Sean Michael Ham / Mayweather Promotions
Jack fought hard the remainder of the fight but, having fallen behind in the early rounds, he couldn’t make up the lost ground.
“I should’ve won that fight,” Jack said. “… He’s a front runner. He always looks good in the beginning. He’s fast, athletic. I break you down. Usually I’m better in the later rounds. He won some of the early rounds. I won maybe one round or two before the cut. And then I got the cut. I couldn’t even see for six, seven rounds. He still couldn’t do nothing.
“It’s in the past, a learning experience. I shouldn’t have lost that fight, though. It is what it is.”
Of course, Jack went into the fight with the reputation of being a tough guy – remember that gauntlet – but he enhanced his image with his determination to persevere through one of the worst gashes in recent memory.
“It’s crazy, people giving me … more credit for that fight than any of my good wins,” he said. “And that was my worst fight in my pro career. Just because I showed heart and kept fighting with that cut.
“That’s something you can’t teach. You’re either a fighter, you’re either born with it or not.”
Jack, returning from a bad cut, will have been out of the ring for almost a year when he takes on Pascal. Sean Michael Ham / Mayweather Promotions
Jack certainly remains a fighter, even in his mid-30s. He said he doesn’t feel a sense of urgency in spite of his age. The cut has healed well, he said. In fact, doctors cleared him to fight a few months after the Browne fight.
And he said he feels as if he’s back on track after the setback. He’s confident going into the fight with Pascal (34-6-1, 20 KOs).
“I don’t feel no pressure,” he said. “… I still feel young. Even though (Jean Pascal) is only a year older than me, he’s been a pro longer than me. I have only 10 year in the pro game and 26, 27 fights, whatever I’ve got. I don’t feel no pressure. But I definitely need to win this fight, of course.”
Jack has begun to think about the legacy he will leave. He held a major 168-pound title from 2015 to 2017 and won what the WBA calls its “regular” 175-pound title in 2017. Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize that belt.
“I want to define my legacy,” Jack said. “I feel good. I feel good in the gym. I felt like s—t in my last fight because of some mistakes that happened in camp and this thing with (Adonis) Stevenson happened right before I started camp. I don’t want to make excuses.
“Right now, I feel great in the gym. As far as running, rounds, letting my hands go … I’m doing great numbers. On fight night we’ll see what happens. I’d love to become a three-division world champion.”
