Cruiserweight Michal Cieslak stopped former titleholder Jean Pascal, picking up a fourth-round technical knockout over the hometown hero at the Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada.
The time of the stoppage was 1 minute, 10 seconds.
In the all-action opening round, Pascal, from Laval, got off to an explosive start, firing big power shots just after the opening bell sounded. Cieslak, of Radom, Poland, was not to be outdone, ending the round by landing a big right hand to catch Pascal’s attention. In the second round, Cieslak began to use his reach advantage, peppering Pascal with a jab. Pascal began to charge forward with wild hooks at the end of the round, and he hit the canvas in a confusing sequence that the referee ruled a slip.
Cieslak, 36, continued to press Pascal, 42, who appeared to be fatiguing by the third round. Cieslak dropped Pascal at the end of the round as a right hand forced Pascal to the corner, which kept him up and which the referee counted as a knockdown. Seconds later, Pascal would hit the canvas again as the awkward flurry from Cieslak was ruled a slip. With Cieslak continuing to land clean punches on Pascal in the fourth round, Pascal’s corner, having seen enough, decided to stop the fight.
Cieslak is now on a seven-fight knockout streak since losing to Lawrence Okolie in 2022. Cieslak improved to 28-2 (22 KOs), while Pascal fell to 37-8-1 and was stopped for only the third time in his long career.
In victory, Cieslak became the interim WBC cruiserweight titleholder, as this bout was contested for the vacant belt. Badou Jack currently holds the WBC cruiserweight title.
In the co-feature, super middleweight Patrice Volny, of Montreal, won an eight-round unanimous decision over Mponda Kalunga, of Toronto. Scores were 80-72, 80-72 and 79-73.
Volny, 35, controlled the action from the onset, moving forward with a high guard and forcing the 25-year-old Kalunga backward. In the later rounds, Volny opened up, landing big power shots.
Volny improved to 20-2 (13 KOs) after his March loss to Austin “Ammo” Williams. Kalunga saw his nine-fight win streak snapped as he dropped to 11-3 (3 KOs).
A scheduled cruiserweight bout between Marcus Browne and Olanrewaju Durodola was cancelled. The bout signaled the second fight of Browne’s career at cruiserweight. Browne, a 34-year-old from Carteret, New Jersey, is a former light heavyweight belt holder.
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
