Jean Pascal Has A Date With A Mean Old Man

During the last encounter between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins, howls of "Hopkins was robbed" amidst a disputed draw, echoed about many corners of the boxing world, and rightfully so in this writer's opinion. Sometime after the fourth round Pascal seemed to become engulfed by the pugilistic wizardry of the much older Hopkins, even after putting him down twice. In the latter rounds Pascal looked like he was the older opponent. Critics had always questioned Pascals conditioning and against Bernard Hopkins, a man nearly 20 years his senior, he did not fail to dispel the criticisms.

What excites us about rematches is that both fighters are far more familiar with one another than before. Bernard Hopkins should know right off the bat that the power and speed advantage belong to Pascal. Pascal should understand that as well. For the early portion of their fight it looked as if he did. Hopkins is as crafty and skilled as they come, even at 46 years old. However, you are what you are and styles make fights. Speed, particularly unorthodox speed that comes from odd angles has always befuddled "The Executioner." Be it Joe Calzaghe, Roy Jones, Jr. (they're first encounter), or even Jermaine Taylor, speed bothers Hopkins. Not only is Pascal fast, he has the power to gain Hopkins' respect; and he will have Hopkins' respect in that regard. However, none of it will make a difference to a ring wizard like Hopkins if Pascal can't stay the course. Pascal will need to fight every second of every round and not give Hopkins a second to think.Hopkins has a gift for targeting his opponent's flaws and exploiting them; and as we all witnessed, Pascal's lack of conditioning granted Hopkins a great many targets. Pascal will need to come ready for a long night, thus, for his sake I would hope he has nipped his conditioning issues.

For Hopkins, history is within his grasp once again. Already a pugilistic immortal, Hopkins will further sear his name into the pages of boxing lore with a victory that will make him the oldest boxer in history to win a title. An accomplishment which ought to be lauded throughout the world of sports. Often the deciding factor between two gallant foes is not so much skill or guts, as it is, why. Why, is the fuel of the will. Hopkins why is clear. History is always a motivating factor. Pascal must find a why that exceeds not wanting to lose against a man old enough to be his dad. His why must be of such depth that it allows him to overcome those latter round energy drains. He will need to dig deep come Saturday night and impose his will upon Hopkins early and often; and remind the great pugilist of his age. Perhaps Pascal's why ought to be the fact that he does not want to be the name on the other side of Hopkins' historical feet. Such a lose would resonate through the remainder of Pascal's career. A convincing loss to Hopkins would be far more devastating than Jean Pascal could ever know. Getting a beat down by A Mean Old Man is career changing, just ask Felix Trinidad and Kelly Pavlik.






Copyright 2011