Light heavyweight contender Eleider Alvarez's rapier jab (26.4 thrown/8.3 connects per round, exceeded 10 connects in a round five times) and timely power connects (75 of 191, 39%) allowed him to overcome Jean Pascal's round-stealing last-minute flurries to capture a majority decision that many saw as unanimous.
Alvarez vs. Pascal Fight Photos Gallery - Bell Centre, Montreal - In a battle for the WBC light heavyweight Silver world title, Eleider Alvarez (23-0, 11 KOs) won a twelve round majority decision over former world champion Jean Pascal (31-5-1, 18 KOs), who had former four division champion Roy Jones Jr. working his corner. The scores were 114-114, 117-111 and 116-112 for Alvarez.
Eleider Alvarez wasn’t spectacular Saturday night, but he was busier and better than Jean Pascal. The taller, sharper Alvarez out-boxed the former WBC light heavyweight champion to win a majority decision in their 12-round, 175-pound bout at Bell Centre in Montreal. One judge, Richard DeCarufel, scored the fight even (114-114), but judges Rodolfo Ramirez (117-111) and Jack Woodburn (116-112) favored Alvarez’s accuracy and activity during much of the fight.
Pascal vs. Alvarez Live Scorecard BoxingScene - MONTREAL – WBC Light Heavyweight No. 1 contender Eleider Alvarez and former 175-pound champ Jean Pascal both measured 174 ½ pounds for their co-featured bout that opens the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
This could be a high contact affair, as Eleider Alvarez landed 41.7% of his power punches, while Jean Pascal landed 41.4% of his. Pascal's 32.7 punches thrown per round is the lowest on the CompuBox Categorical Leaders list and his 11 landed per round is the second lowest.
Jean Pascal readily admits that Eleider Alvarez has distinct advantages over him in their fight Saturday night. Alvarez, one of Pascal’s former sparring partners, is trained by Marc Ramsey, Pascal’s longtime trainer. That’ll make defeating the Colombian-born Montreal resident even more difficult for Pascal when they meet in a 12-round light heavyweight fight at Bell Centre in Montreal (Showtime; 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).
Back when Jean Pascal was an up-and-coming contender and later the WBC light heavyweight champion, the transplanted French-Canadian helped draw huge crowds to Montreal’s Bell Centre. Adonis Stevenson was unknown then and sometimes fought on Pascal’s undercards. If Pascal can upset Eleider Alvarez on the Stevenson-Andrzej Fonfara undercard Saturday night at Bell Centre, he’ll earn a mandatory match against the Stevenson-Fonfara winner.
Jean Pascal recognizes his place in his fight against Eleider Alvarez on Saturday night. Though only one year younger than Pascal, Alvarez is typically perceived as the fresher fighter, the light heavyweight contender from Quebec capable of knocking off WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson. Pascal’s supposed role in their 12-round light heavyweight fight is that of a faded former champion who’ll serve as another impressive conquest on Alvarez’s record.
Adonis Stevenson and Andrzej Fonfara both made weight without any difficulty Friday for their light heavyweight championship rematch Saturday night. The 39-year-old Stevenson (28-1, 23 KOs), who’ll defend his WBC 175-pound championship, weighed in at 173.6 pounds late Friday afternoon at Casino de Montreal. The 29-year-old Fonfara (29-4, 17 KOs, 1 NC) was slightly heavier than Stevenson (174.2 pounds).
By Cliff Rold - So far 2017 has been good for boxing across the scale. From Jr. bantamweight to heavyweight, we’ve seen fierce battles, changing faces, and all with the stage setting for even more big business in the fall. And then there’s light heavyweight. The world’s best 175 lb. fighters have been notably absent for much of the year. Oh, sure, there has been a sighting or two. Last month, fo...