Earlier today, Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins completed their weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s (December 18) light-heavyweight championship fight. Hopkins came in at a trim 174.6 pounds. Pascal looked just as ripped and strong as he did against Chad Dawson, coming in at 174.1. Hopkins, known for last-minute stare down antics at weigh-ins, took the subdued approach, while Jean Pascal was the one fired up. The champ attempted to back Hopkins off the stage, and had to be restrained by his promoter and Hopkins trainer Naazim Richardson. Below is video of the entire incident.
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This fight has really racked my brain the last few weeks. On one hand, you have Bernard Hopkins, who’s looked his age in his last two fights, but also has a history of out-foxing younger fighters. On the other is Jean Pascal, a strong, bullish light-heavyweight who should have a strength advantage over Bernard Hopkins.
What swayed my prediction was two factors: Jean Pascal’s activity and speed. The champ likes to fight in spurts, unloading with short bursts of punches before falling back and regrouping. That’s exactly the type of pace that favors Hopkins, who at 45 years old needs to pace himself. In his last defeat to Joe Calzaghe, the Welshman focused on constant, albeit sloppy pressure, resulting in Hopkins being forced to clinch instead of countering. B-Hop had to resort to exaggerating low blow damage in order to catch his breath. Against Pascal, Hopkins will be able to dictate the pace, and get off first.
Second, Pascal doesn’t have the speed and athleticism to take Hopkins out of his comfort zone. This is the reason why Hopkins took this fight immediately, but put off facing Chad Dawson. Bad Chad had the speed to trouble Bernard, much like Jermain Taylor was able to even with limited boxing skills. Calzaghe’s speed was also a factor in keeping Hopkins focused on defense rather than building points through offense. Pascal is strong, but wild in his attacks. His hooks come in wide, and Hopkins should have no issues avoiding most of Pascal’s power punches.
Although I’m confident in my pick, it’s still a 45-year-old man in there. There’s always that chance of the Executioner turning old overnight. Who do you see coming out on top?
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 