By Steve Kim
Today's final press conference to promote Saturday's rematch between light heavyweights Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal became very heated and contentious as Pascal ramped up his verbal venom - over what the Canadian star believes to be racist comments made in the past by the WBO/WBA/IBF champion. Pascal even handed out bananas of all things to make his point.
Much of Pascal's focus was directed at Kovalev's trainer, John David Jackson (who just happens to be African-American). Pascal urged him to stand up for his people and the respected trainer wasn't afraid to hold his ground.
Hours after the near confrontation between the two, Jackson told BoxingScene.com:
"He's trying to stir up interest in this fight and trying to get under Sergey's skin by saying stupid things. If Sergey was racist, I wouldn't be in his corner - that's first and foremost. Sometimes he says things the wrong way like with Adonis Stevenson, the Stevenson picture - that was in bad taste, he did that wrong, it was a bad joke. Pascal's just reaching for straws"
Jackson is referring to picture that Kovalev tweeted out that had a picture of a monkey on a young boy's shirt that he was posing with.
''Here's the funny thing about it,"continued Jackson. "He says I'm a sell-out, that I've got this racist, well, if you're that pro-black - why did he hire a white trainer to be in his corner? Nothing against Freddie(Roach), Freddie's my friend. I'm just saying if you're that pro-black, bottom line you brought in a white man to be in your new trainer. All that race stuff, why would you hire Freddie to be in your corner?"
Jackson has worked with Kovalev the past several years as his career has ascended. He says his fighter has never given him any indication of being prejudiced.
"No, he's a different guy, he's moody, he has his way,"admitted Jackson, who added,"but he's never been racist. Listen, think about it, he comes to my gym and it's predominantly black. If he has a problem somebody would have checked him on it. But no, he doesn't have a problem, he comes in, does his thing. Yeah, sometimes he says things without thinking and that's his problem but he's not racist."
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.