Lucien Bute landed a whopping six left hooks to Jean Pascal's right side. That is how far the Romanian-Canadian has slipped. I am not sure if it was the layoff, Pascal's style and newfound ring generalship, the fallout from the Froch loss, or a simply matter of aging, but Bute was not himself. Hats fully off to Pascal for getting the job done. He did not look a world beater by any stretch, but his ring generalship, something that was previously inconsistent at best, was fully in-force on January 18.
Bute was the fighter who, not so long ago, was finishing off nearly every opponent with hard lefts to the body. He barely tried to throw any Saturday night, seeming clearly fearful of the right hands that were coming back his way from Pascal. Pascal has not exactly shone in front of the Canadian crowds with the regularity that Bute did, hence his having a bit less of the crowd cheering for him. If he thinks that will end here, he is sorely mistaken... he will not even likely have the lion's share of Haitian Canadian fans if he tries to reclaim the linear Light Heavyweight championship.
Pascal may genuinely be proud of his Haitian compatriot, but showing brotherly love makes fans question whether he is truly interested in a risky fight with Adonis Stevenson. Maybe he simply wants to enjoy this victory before he thinks about such a tough assignment. That is his excuse, although he should have at least acknowledged that he is looking to face Adonis in an all-Canada showdown. This would be two Haitians... former champ vs. current champ... for what would amount to the biggest fight in Canadian history. Stevenson, however, has no excuse for why he is not calling out Pascal.
'Superman' is already being chastised for his seeming unwillingness to face fellow belt-holder and number one contender Sergei Kovalev. Fights with Froch or Hopkins seem silly for him to discuss, as Froch looked terrible last time out, and Hopkins is on another network (at least for now). However, if he was looking for an easier, and more lucrative fight than Kovalev, Pascal would seem to provide it. Yet, both men seem uninterested.
On the list of reasons that the public is being denied the fights they crave: cold war networks, promoters, weight issues, injuries... cowardice should never be one of them. The public deserves better than Stevenson-Fonfara, and more Pascal inactivity. Ward would box circles around both of them, and has expressed no interest in moving up to 175 just yet. Given the big money fights available with Chavez and GGG at lower weights, why would he? The light heavyweight division has the potential to be the most exciting division in boxing, and there is no GBP and TRT issue to blame it on, if it does not pan out.
Chris Strait
www.convictedartist.com
