By Lee Groves/CompuBox

On paper, the fight between WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal and 45-year-old challenger Bernard Hopkins appeared to be a classic "pass the torch" fight in which an aspiring star showcases his wares against an aging legend before a passionate partisan crowd. After all, Pascal was fresh off an upset of onetime pound-for-pound entrant Chad Dawson that demonstrated his speed of hand and foot as well as an encouraging level of moxie.

 

But instead of grabbing the torch and sprinting away from his heavier-legged rival, Pascal flubbed the exchange and the flame of his title reign was nearly extinguished. Not only did the younger Pascal allow Hopkins to recover from two early knockdowns, his anemic output created enough of a respite for the challenger to improbably dominate the second half of the fight. The throng that crowded into the Pepsi Coliseum ached for something to cheer but more often than not they were left to buzz anxiously as Hopkins slowly climbed out of his mathematical hole.

 

In retrospect, those two early knockdowns and the psychological points edge that comes with home field advantage prevented Hopkins from becoming the oldest man to ever capture a piece of a major title. George Foreman was 45 years 310 days old when he stopped Michael Moorer in November 1994 to win two shares of the heavyweight championship and had Hopkins won he would have surpassed Big George by 38 days. Now he is left to ponder what might have unfolded had this fight been staged anywhere else but Quebec City.

 

The CompuBox numbers certainly were in "The Executioner's" favor. He threw and landed more total punches (153 of 502, 30 percent to 86 of 350, 25 percent), attempted and connected on more jabs (24 of 191, 13 percent to 19 of 148, 13 percent) and governed the power punches (129 of 311, 41 percent to 67 of 202, 33 percent). The round-by-round breakdowns showed that Hopkins landed more total punches in 11 of the 12 rounds, with only a 9-9 tie in the fifth preventing a clean sweep in that category. In fact, of the 36 total categories, Hopkins held a commanding 27-2-7 advantage as Pascal's only edges were in connected jabs in rounds nine (3-1) and 10 (3-1).

 

Hopkins solidified his statistical pre-eminence from round six onward as he piled up advantages of 109-55 (total connects) and 95-41 (power connects). Worse yet, Pascal allowed the notoroiusly frugal Hopkins to out-punch him throughout, especially in the crucial home stretch. In the final four rounds Hopkins revved up his output from a pedestrian 35.25 punches per round to a robust (for him) 55, including a fight-high 69 in the final round. Conversely, Pascal -- a full 18 years younger than his challenger -- could only muster a small increase in output as he averaged 25.4 over the first eight and just 36.75 in the final four. Like Hopkins, Pascal mustered his highest output in the final round but his 47 punches and 14 connects couldn't compare to the 69 and 21 Hopkins produced.

 

Although Pascal remains champion, he squandered a tremendous opportunity to consolidate his victory over Dawson with a career-defining performance against someone with high name recognition with the general public. Instead, he failed to channel his considerable gifts into positive action and was forced to rely on favorable jurists and geography to preserve his crown. For a sport that needs more young and dynamic stars, this represents a big-picture setback for the "Sweet Science."

 

As for Hopkins, he proved once again what a physical and psychological marvel he is. The discipline required to maintain his exquisite conditioning at his age is nothing short of remarkable and his emotional stability in the face of a horrific start was something to behold. Knowing Pascal had experienced stamina issues in the past, Hopkins intelligently pounded the body while also firing brief multi-punch bursts. Pascal's spurious output and serial backpedaling around a cavernous 24-foot ring was a strategic gift and "The Executioner" exploited those errors to the fullest degree. These are the fruits not just of his wealth of experience, but also of possessing enough physical skills to carry out his brain's commands with sufficient velocity and dexterity.

 

Given Hopkins' propensity for defiance and conspiracy theories, it is almost fitting that his battle with Pascal produced this result. He -- and many others -- will argue that (save for his first fight with Roy Jones) he has never been demonstrably defeated; that most of his blemishes were the result of hostile outside forces determined to keep him down. This is a man who thrives on conflict, feeds on controversy and revels in beating the odds. What will not be in dispute is that he will receive a call from Canastota five full years after he decides to hang up his gloves for good. When that will be is still in question, and his performance Saturday night gives him the ammunition to push back that day of reckoning for several more months.