Roy Jones: 'Good Possibility' Pascal Upsets Kovalev

By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Roy Jones Jr. respects Sergey Kovalev and considers the unbeaten Russian the best light heavyweight in boxing.

The legendary Jones still is convinced the IBF/WBA/WBO 175-pound champion will have much more difficulty defeating Jean Pascal on March 14 in Montreal than the odds indicate. Jones doesn’t understand why Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) is a 5-1 favorite over Pascal, a former WBC light heavyweight champion who has boxed better competition overall than Kovalev during his 10-year professional career.

“Jean just has all the physical attributes that it takes to disrupt this guy’s career,” said Jones, Pascal’s co-trainer. “Nothing against Kovalev. Kovalev is a very good fighter, a very well-rounded fighter. But you’ve got to have somebody who’s athletic and can do things most people can’t do. Jean can do things normal people can’t do. Jean’s athleticism will trouble him a lot because he hasn’t faced anyone as athletic Jean is. So having that on his side, there’s a good possibility he’ll win this fight.”

That said, Jones – once the top boxer, pound-for-pound, in the sport – recognizes there won’t be anything easy about this 12-round fight for Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs, 1 NC).

“Kovalev is not a normal animal,” Jones said. “Sergey Kovalev is the best light heavyweight out there right now. It’s that simple.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.