Jean Pascal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jean Pascal
Pascal vs. Froch, 2008
Statistics
Real name	Jean-Thenistor Pascal
Rated at	Super-middleweight Light-heavyweight Cruiserweight
Height	5 ft 10+1/2 in
Reach	72 in
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1982-10-28) 28 October 1982 (age 42) Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	45
Wins	36
Wins by KO	20
Losses	7
Draws	1
No contests	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  Canada Jeux de la Francophonie Gold 2001 Ottawa-Hull Light-middleweight Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester Light-middleweight Pan American Games Bronze 2003 Santo Domingo Middleweight

Jean-Thenistor Pascal, born on October 28, 1982, is a professional boxer from Canada. He was born in Haiti. Jean Pascal has won several important boxing titles. These include the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title from 2019 to 2021. He also held the WBC, IBO, The Ring magazine, and lineal light-heavyweight titles between 2009 and 2011.

Jean Pascal's Early Life and Amateur Boxing Career

Jean Pascal was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When he was four years old, his mother and older brother moved to Laval, Quebec, near Montreal. His father, a politician, stayed in Haiti.

Pascal enjoyed playing hockey and soccer. But after seeing his older brother become the Quebec Boxing Champion in 1996, Jean became interested in boxing. At 13, he started training at "Club Champions St-Michel." His first coach, Sylvain Gagnon, thought Jean was very talented. Jean Pascal's boxing hero was Roy Jones Jr..

Jean Pascal represented Canada in boxing. He won a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He also competed as a middleweight at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Jean Pascal's Professional Boxing Journey

Jean Pascal started his professional boxing career in February 2005. He quickly showed his skills in the ring.

Becoming a Super-Middleweight Champion

Early Fights and First Titles

After winning nine fights, Jean Pascal earned his first national titles. He won the Canada National and Quebec Boxing Council (CQB) super-middleweight titles in 2005. He defeated Martin Desjardins in the seventh round.

Pascal continued to win, taking the TAB (Trans America Boxing) title. In September 2006, he fought Lucas Green Arias for the WBC Latino title. Pascal won when Arias could not continue after the sixth round.

In November 2006, Pascal won the NABO super-middleweight title. He kept defending this title, adding the NABA and NABF titles in June 2007. These wins made him a well-known boxer in Canada.

Challenging for the WBC Super-Middleweight Title

With a record of 21 wins and no losses, Pascal got his first chance at a world title. He fought British boxer Carl Froch for the vacant WBC super-middleweight title. This big fight happened on December 6, 2008, in Nottingham, England.

It was a tough and exciting fight, with both boxers landing many punches. Carl Froch won by a unanimous decision. Even though Pascal lost, he and Froch became friends. They even talked about fighting again someday. After this loss, Pascal won the WBO Inter-Continental super-middleweight title in April 2009.

Moving Up to Light-Heavyweight

Pascal then decided to move to a heavier weight class: light-heavyweight. He challenged Adrian Diaconu for the WBC light-heavyweight title on June 19, 2009, in Montreal. Pascal won the fight by a unanimous decision and became a world champion.

He defended his WBC light-heavyweight title twice. First, he stopped Silvio Branco in the tenth round in September 2009. Then, he won a rematch against Adrian Diaconu in December 2009. After this fight, Pascal had surgery on his right shoulder to fix an injury.

In 2010, Pascal signed a big contract, which was a record for a Canadian boxer. This meant he would earn a lot of money for his upcoming fights.

Big Fights: Chad Dawson and Bernard Hopkins

For his third title defense, Pascal faced Chad Dawson in August 2010. This fight was for Pascal's WBC title and two other important titles: the Lineal and The Ring light-heavyweight titles. Pascal started strong and won the fight by a technical decision in the eleventh round. The fight was stopped because Dawson had a cut from an accidental headbutt.

After beating Chad Dawson, Pascal's next opponent was 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins. This was a very popular fight, with over 15,000 tickets sold quickly. The fight took place in Quebec City in December 2010. Pascal knocked Hopkins down twice early in the fight. However, the fight ended in a controversial majority draw, meaning there was no clear winner.

The Ring magazine ranked Pascal as one of the top boxers in the world at the end of 2010.

The Rematch with Bernard Hopkins

Pascal (left) vs. Hopkins, 2011

Because of the controversial draw, a rematch with Bernard Hopkins was set. It happened on May 21, 2011, in Montreal. Both fighters started carefully. In the third round, Hopkins began to land good punches. Later in the fight, Hopkins even did push-ups in the ring! The judges scored the fight in favor of Hopkins, so Pascal lost his WBC, IBO, and The Ring light-heavyweight titles.

More Challenges: Kuziemski and Bute

After a break due to a hand injury, Pascal returned to the ring in December 2012. He fought Aleksy Kuziemski and won by a clear unanimous decision.

Then, a big fight was announced against Lucian Bute for January 18, 2014. This fight was for the NABF light-heavyweight title and the vacant WBC Diamond championship. Pascal won this important fight by a unanimous decision.

Battles with Sergey Kovalev

On March 14, 2015, Pascal faced Sergey Kovalev, who held several world light-heavyweight titles. Kovalev was aggressive and knocked Pascal down in the third round. Kovalev continued to land powerful punches, and the referee stopped the fight in the eighth round because Pascal had taken too much damage. Pascal felt the fight was stopped too soon and wanted a rematch.

Before the rematch, Pascal fought Yunieski Gonzalez in July 2015. It was a very close and exciting fight. Many people thought Gonzalez won, but the judges scored it in favor of Pascal. This win helped Pascal get his rematch with Kovalev.

The rematch with Kovalev happened on January 30, 2016. Kovalev was dominant, landing many more punches than Pascal. Pascal's trainer stopped the fight after the seventh round, as Pascal was taking too much punishment.

Later Fights and a Brief Retirement

Pascal continued to fight, winning against Ricardo Marcelo Ramallo in December 2016. In June 2017, he fought Eleider Álvarez for the WBC Silver light-heavyweight title. Álvarez won by a majority decision.

In December 2017, Pascal fought Ahmed Elbiali. Pascal won by a technical knockout in the sixth round. After this fight, Pascal announced he was retiring from boxing.

Cruiserweight Comeback

Return to the Ring

Despite his retirement announcement, Jean Pascal decided to return to boxing in 2018. He moved up to the cruiserweight division. On July 20, 2018, he fought former mixed martial arts fighter Steve Bossé. Pascal dominated the fight and stopped Bossé in the eighth round. This was Pascal's second straight stoppage win, which hadn't happened for him in 12 years.

Back to Light-Heavyweight

Challenging for the WBA Title

After his cruiserweight fight, Pascal decided to return to the light-heavyweight division. On November 24, 2018, he challenged Dmitry Bivol for the WBA light-heavyweight title. Pascal lost this fight by a wide unanimous decision.

On August 3, 2019, Pascal faced undefeated Marcus Browne. Pascal knocked Browne down three times during the fight. The fight was stopped in the eighth round due to an accidental head clash. Because Pascal was ahead on the judges' scorecards at that time, he won by a technical decision. This made him the new WBA interim light-heavyweight champion.

Defending the WBA Title

Pascal defended his WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title against former world champion Badou Jack on December 28, 2019. It was a very competitive and tough fight. Pascal started well, knocking Jack down in the fourth round. Jack fought back strongly in the later rounds, even knocking Pascal down in the final round. However, Jean Pascal won the fight by a split decision.

Professional Boxing Record Summary

Jean Pascal has had a long and successful career. Here is a quick look at his professional record:

• Total Fights: 45
• Wins: 36
• Wins by Knockout: 20
• Losses: 7
• Draws: 1
• No Contests: 1

Images for kids

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  Pascal (left) vs. Hopkins, 2011