By Chris Robinson
It was a crowded scene at Friday’s weigh-in for the 'Believe it or Not' HBO Pay-Per-View, headlined by WBC light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins defending his belt against former champion Chad Dawson. It just so happens that one of the most notable names in the crowd was Haitian-Canadian Jean Pascal, a man who knows each man very well.
Pascal pulled off a big upset in August of last year when he stormed out of the gates and seized the initiative against Dawson, eventually winning an 11th round technical decision after a clash of heads caused a nasty gash above Chad's left eye and forced the bout to go to the scorecards. Pascal would follow that up with two fights against Hopkins, dropping him twice last December in a majority-draw verdict while he would be clearly defeated this past March, surrendering his belt via unanimous decision.
Asked for his personal take on the fight, Pascal feels that the 46-year old Hopkins simply has too much craft for the talented Dawson.
“Honestly I think Hopkins is going to win because he’s too smart for Chad Dawson,” Pascal stated. “Chad is a really great boxer but I don’t think he’s smart enough to beat Hopkins, because Hopkins is an old fox. He has a lot of experience.”
As our conversation continued, Pascal admitted that Hopkins ability to adapt was unlike any other fighter he had faced. As for his own career, Pascal pointed out that a fight with IBF champion Tavoris Cloud seems out of reach because of promoter Don King but did note that he would be interested in fights with the likes of Zsolt Erdei, Houston's Chris Henry, and even the winner of tonight’s main event.
Asked whether it was hard for him being away from the ring, Pascal denied as much as seems to be enjoying soaking up a different type of spotlight for the moment.
“No, because I’ve been really busy. I’ve been fighting maybe three, four times a year and I’m just going to take a good rest and come back stronger.”
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. An archive of his work can be found here, and he can be reached at Trimond@aol.com Tags: Bernard Hopkins 
, Jean Pascal , Chad Dawson , Hopkins vs Dawson , Hopkins-Dawson 
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