Photos: Vincent Ethier – Jean Pascal
Saturday night, in a fight that was lost before it began against Poland’s Michal Cieslak—stronger, faster, taller, younger—Jean Pascal bowed out in the 4th round, when his corner wisely threw in the towel before his courage could put him in real danger.
Even in what may have been one fight too many, he gave us a glimpse of the next generation: Facson Perrine, John Mahoro, and Brandon Poulard—names we must now keep a close eye on.
His post-fight speech felt like a farewell. This piece won’t focus on his loss, but rather his entire body of work.
World Championship
On December 6, 2008, he took part in one of the best fights on the international stage against Carl Froch—a brawl that showcased grit, fireworks, and one hell of a chin.
Jean Pascal defeated Adrian Diaconu twice. The second fight is part of Québec boxing lore. Three times—yes, three—his trainer popped his shoulder back into the socket mid-fight. Judges’ scores read 117–111, 117–111, and 118–110 over “The Shark” Diaconu—all with one functioning shoulder. That’s when the legend was cemented.
His Greatest Performance
Jean Pascal wrote the book on “How to Beat a Southpaw Technician.” He came out swinging against Chad Dawson, kept him on the defensive, rattled him, landed clean shots, and managed the fight to perfection en route to a decision victory.
Let’s not forget: Chad Dawson was ranked the 6th best pound-for-pound boxer in the world before that fight.
The Ticket Seller
Jean Pascal packed arenas for both his fights against Bernard Hopkins, reaching numbers promoters today can only dream of. He even chose to face Lucian Bute for the sake of history rather than give Dawson a rematch—a sacrifice that opened the door for Adonis Stevenson. Another selfless move that helped Québec boxing thrive.
Jean Pascal never turned down a challenge, and that’s what we’ll remember most about him—along with his iron chin. In an era of TV contracts and promoter egos, he took on Carl Froch, Adrian Diaconu (twice), Chad Dawson, Bernard Hopkins (twice), Lucian Bute, Sergey Kovalev (twice), Eleider Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol, Badou Jack, and Michal Cieslak. We’ll never see that again.
Press Conference Moments
-The shark tooth against Adrian Diaconu
-“Bloody spaghetti” line aimed at Sylvio Branco
-The one-piece suit and X over his mouth against Lucian Bute
-“Take the test, Bernard” directed at Hopkins
-Throwing bananas at John David Jackson before facing Sergey Kovalev
At one point, while he was in the ring against Michael Eifert, thieves broke into his home and made off with $100,000 worth of goods. That was also part of the Jean Pascal story—he always made headlines. He was often wrongfully accused by the Québec justice system.
Jean Pascal was never a perfect boxer. He was better than that. He was human, spectacular, unpredictable, electrifying. He burst onto the scene like thunder and will exit on the tips of his gloves—untamed to the very end.
He did it all: packed arenas, stole the show, took on the best, fell, rose again, shone anew, and finally fell once more—but with style. He was never the model child, but always the fighter we wanted to watch.
Jean Pascal is an entire chapter of Québec boxing. An era. A name that will still resonate ten, twenty, thirty years from now—whenever people talk about the greats.
Thank You, Jean Pascal
On the Podcast
Saturday night won’t go down in history for New Era Promotions, but it served a purpose. We discovered John Mahoro, Facson Perrine, and Brandon Poulard, and gave Patrice Volny a chance to stay active. Now, it’s up to Yan Pellerin to find a fighter for his big cards and step fully into the role of full-time promoter.
I ran into several boxers at the Laval event: Jordan Balmir, Jean-Michel Bolivar, and even Francis Lafrenière are all in training camps with an eye on a comeback. Message to Yan Pellerin: they won’t be hard to convince.
Marie-Pier Houle was in attendance, watching her friends in the ring. Even away from the spotlight, she radiates. MPH remains a powerful presence at every Québec boxing event.
Photo: Laurent Poulin, with “MPH”
