By Jake Donovan
At what point is an upset prediction still considered an upset?
There are so many people in the industry predicting Bernard Hopkins to once again defy the odds (and Father Time) this weekend, that you have to wonder if perhaps the oddsmakers are the ones who have it wrong.
Then again, the voting public hasn’t quite yet nailed it when it comes to handicapping Jean Pascal.
It’s the quest for public approval that prompted the Haitian-born Canadian-raised light heavyweight king to gun for a big name for the first defense of his lineal championship.
“I want to become a legend myself one day,” Pascal (26-1, 16KO) states in defending his choice of the near-46 year old former middleweight king as his opponent for this weekend’s headliner at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada.
Showtime will air the light heavyweight championship bout (Saturday, 10PM ET/PT), though much of the promotion seems to be geared around a Hopkins homecoming of sorts. It was on their airwaves in which his middleweight reign began, knocking out Segundo Mercado in the seventh round of their April 1995 rematch to win a belt that he would defend a divisional record 20 times.
While the upside of Pascal clearing out the last of the old timers that have long clogged up space atop the division has been acknowledged by the network brass, much attention has been paid to the possibility of Hopkins becoming the oldest champion in boxing history.
George Foreman was two months shy of his 46th birthday when he knocked out Michael Moorer to reclaim the heavyweight throne. Hopkins heads into this weekend just four weeks away his 46th birthday as he contends for the lineal light heavyweight championship.
In that regard, Pascal’s involvement in such a historic event would be as the answer to a trivia question. Not surprisingly, Pascal’s view of this weekend comes from a much different perspective.
“It's going to be a good start for me to beat a legend to become a legend one day. Hopkins was the big name and that's why I chose to fight him… I want to fight the best to prove that I'm the best.”
Such proof should have come of his most recent performance, becoming the first to hang a loss on the career of rising young star Chad Dawson in their vacant lineal championship bout this past August.
Pascal already entered the ring as a defending titlist, winning the very belt Dawson willingly vacated more than a year prior. Yet the night was viewed by most going in as a coronation for Dawson, particularly cable giant HBO, whom had invested heavily in the then-undefeated American.
As the rounds passed by, it was clear that it just wouldn’t be Dawson’s night. Pascal had the perfect game plan in building up a huge lead, which would prove to pay off when the bout reached a sudden ending. An accidental headbutt left Dawson cut over his eye at a time when he was rallying back and Pascal seemingly run out of gas.
What would’ve happened in the final round remains the stuff of mythical discussions. Instead, the bout went to the scorecards, where Pascal took a well-deserved unanimous decision.
But rather than receive full credit for bumping off perhaps the most talented young fighter in the game, Pascal was instead criticized for being on the verge of falling apart down the stretch.
Visions of that ending is what have people believing Hopkins will find a way to outlast the champion 17 years his younger. Most would take such a viewpoint as a sign of disrespect, or claim that they haven’t paid any attention to such talks.
Pascal not only acknowledges what’s being whispered in boxing circles, but actually views this weekend as one where he – and not Hopkins – is playing with house money.
“For the first time, he has the pressure because if you read the magazines, if you read the newspaper, a lot of people in the States think that Bernard is going to defeat me,” Pascal points out. “Bernard has to back up his legacy. He's going out there with all the pressure.
“Even if I'm the champion, it doesn't matter because he's the legend. He's got the legacy. He has to back it up, his history. So, he has a lot of pressure over his shoulder and me, I'm going out there like the young lion with no pressure. I'm going to do my best to win this fight against a living legend, because I'm not supposed to beat a living legend.”
Sounds an awful lot like a man with nothing to lose, considering he does in fact have so much to lose.
At a time when America struggles to build superstars and bring fans to arena, the boxing scene continues to thrive north of the border. Ticket sales went through the roof for this event, moving more than 16,000 within the first two days and eventually selling out the arena.
Even though the fight takes place in Pascal’s home country, to call Quebec City his backyard is a bit of a stretch. The majority of his career has taken place in Montreal, some three hours away from this weekend’s venue. The equivalent would be claiming the Philly-born Hopkins as the house fighter for an event in Washington, DC.
To sell out an arena in a region he has yet to fight speaks volumes both of Pascal’s drawing power as well as the anticipation surrounding this weekend’s event. So to say that he has nothing to lose might be missing the big picture.
A Pascal loss means the light heavyweight division once again belongs to the middle-aged, as youth has only recently found its way to the top of the rankings. A loss would mean the end of his light heavyweight reign and perhaps a damaging hit to his drawing power in his adopted homeland.
All that taken into consideration, the question Pascal ponders is – what if Hopkins loses?
“He made history and can remake history. Me? I've nothing to prove. So I'm going up there with everything to win because even if I lose I'm still young, I can do it again.
“But Bernard, if he loses that's going to be the end, this is it for him.”
None of this is to suggest that he enters this fight even with the slightest belief that he will lose. Quite the opposite – just that he’s not stressing out over it, but instead savoring the moment.
“I am like a kid in a toy store. I am very excited. I even have to calm down because I want to keep everything under control, but I am very happy. I understand this is the most important thing-the most important fight that can make it big for me.
“The rest of my career might depend on my performance against Bernard Hopkins.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .
