by James Slater – WBC light-heavyweight king Jean Pascal of Canada was a very interested, not to mention dapper-looking ringside observer at the weekend’s Carl Froch-Andre Dirrell fight in Nottingham. Accompanied by his stunning girlfriend or wife (my apologies for not knowing which exactly) the 26-year-old proved quite a hit with the fans in attendance. Respected by Froch fans due to the way he and their hero went to war in a great fight last December, the man who lost on points but then moved up in weight and captured a belt at 175-pounds was asked to pose for numerous photos and to sign autographs.
Clearly a popular fighter then, in Britain as well as his adopted home country of Canada (Pascal was born in Haiti) Pascal will not want to lose for a second time when he meets the tough Adrian Diaconu in a rematch in December 11th. Once against facing the Romanian-born “Shark” in Montreal, Canada (Diaconu now also lives there, of course) the WBC light-heavyweight champion will be looking to make his second successful defence, and against the man he won the title against, at that.
Though he was a clear winner on the scorecards back in June of this year, Pascal’s UD win over Diaconu was an extremely good to watch and entertaining fight with plenty of action. We can certainly stand watching the two fan-friendly warriors going at it again as a result. But will the outcome be any different this time? Or will the once-beaten younger man again prove to be too fast and too good for his 31-year-old rival and countryman?
Both men have very similar records, with Pascal being 24-1(16) and Diaconu being 26-1(15), and their first fight was very competitive. Pascal scored a 5th-round knockdown and busted up Diaconu’s face some, but “The Shark” kept coming and forcing the issue all night. Still, it really is tough to see how the older man can improve on his showing in the June fight. Of course, Diaconu always has his power and Pascal, as he showed most vividly in his fight with Froch, enjoys a slugfest and that style of fighting gives the other guy a chance. A shock KO aside, though, Diaconu will likely lose another points verdict. Or could Pascal, who is probably in his physical prime now, improve on HIS performance, and stop Diaconu this time round?
Whatever the result, the December fight promises to be another enjoyable affair. Both guys really gave their all last time, and both guys are sure to do so again. Look for the classy Pascal to win another points decision, only this time an even wider one.