Hopkins accepts Pascal’s challenge
After his fight with Dawson, in subsequent interviews, multiple light heavyweight titleholder Jean Pascal made it clear that he would fight anyone interested in contending for his titles. That included the likes of Canadian super-middleweight titlist Lucian Bute, Chad Dawson, Tavoris Cloud, and even Bernard Hopkins. Well, the last guy has weighed in on the offer and apparently finds it to his liking.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer has reportedly discussed the fight with Pascal’s promoter, GYM, and Schaefer, who represents Hopkins, is ready to formalize the fight. He also stated that Hopkins would travel to Montreal for the bout.
"Pascal called out Bernard Hopkins and I talked to Bernard and Bernard will be glad to oblige and is accepting the challenge. So, I have had a couple of conversations with Don Majeski, the agent for Jean Pascal and so I said, 'Look Bernard is ready, willing and able,'” Schaefer clarified.
"It's a matter of just packing the bags, and we're ready to travel and go to Canada. Bernard is ready to show it to a young guy again. They call Jean Pascal the king of the light heavyweights because he beat Chad Dawson, but I think the king of the light heavyweights is Bernard Hopkins, and he's ready and willing and able to go."
A fight between Hopkins and Pascal would undeniable be a huge one for the sport, and particularly also for Montreal should it take place there. While Pascal would be the hometown favourite, for boxing enthusiasts there is no painting Hopkins in a way Dawson was portrayed. He is one of the greatest light heavyweights of all time, according to most lists, and the “executioner” has always been a boxing favourite. Dawson, on the other hand, lent himself to being vilified due to his disrespectful camp and his plethora of excuses after the fight.
In a fight scenario one can expect Hopkins to utilize what he still has going for him, which would be his seasoned technical skills, which have aged much better than some of his contemporaries, and his ring smarts. Pascal has never fought a ring genius like Hopkins, and being able to defeat him would certainly silence the boxing choirs if not the church itself.
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