If there was anything that might have managed to persuade a hardcore boxing fan to buy the June 6 Mayweather-Paul PPV card ($49.99 in the US, £16.95 in the UK), it was the intriguing return fight between light-heavyweights Badou Jack and Jean Pascal, which as set to take place on the undercard of Mayweather’s easy, win any way he likes “fight.”
But now, as was first reported by Kevin Iole, the rematch fight is off, as Pascal has tested positive for not one, not two, but three illegal substances – epitrenbolone, drostanolone, and drostnaolone metabolite A.
This is bad news for Pascal and his career, it’s bad news for Jack, who wanted to get revenge over the man who defeated him via split decision back in December of 2019, and it’s bad news for the fans who were looking forward to another slice of the thrilling action Jack and Pascal put on in their first fight.
Whether the pulling of this fight proves to be bad news for the PPV buys the Mayweather card pulls is remains to be seen. Jack, 23-3-3(13), who had won one fight since losing to Pascal, is reportedly set to remain on the June 6 card, but there is hardly any time in which to find a suitable replacement foe.
Pascal, 35-6-1(20) and inactive since the points win over Jack, may struggle to carry on with his career at any meaningful level.
Of course, we are sure to hear Pascal’s pleas of innocence (and like any fighter, Pascal will have the right to appeal), but it seems the damage has been done to yet another high-profile fighter. At age 38, where does Pascal go from here?
The ongoing drug problem in boxing is not going away, sadly.
Indeed, aside from the proliferation of world title belts, failed drug tests are the single biggest problem in the sport today. Why any fighter, knowing they are going to be tested, risks taking illegal stimulants is beyond me.
For the sake of 37-year-old Jack, let’s hope a decent late sub can actually be found, so the long weeks of training he put in for the Pascal rematch are not entirely wasted.
