The WBC light heavyweight belt will remain in Montreal following Jean Pascal’s victory over Silvio Branco on Friday at the Bell Centre.

The bout ultimately ended at 2:19 in the 10th round when Branco’s trainer threw the towel after seeing his fighter knocked down and in bad form from Pascal’s strong hits to the head.

Pascal was able to knock down Branco twice in the tenth round with strong combinations to the Italian's upper body. This bout was a showcase for Pascal, who won the fight convincingly by throwing strong punches in close and using his speedy jab at points when the slower and less mobile Branco stepped out.

The 26-year-old Pascal won the WBC light heavyweight belt with a 12-round unanimous decision over rival Montreal fighter Adrian Diaconu on June 19.

Jean Pascal looked confident all week during the buildup. Three days prior to Friday night’s fight, Pascal told the media that he expected to knock out the Italian contender. Branco also spoke about his experience and that ultimately he would have the advantage against the young kid from Montreal. In the end, it was Pascal who delivered and Branco was knocked out.

The end result of the match is a credit to Pascal’s conditioning. Branco took the first half of the fight and tried to intimidate a younger and less experienced boxer. However, Pascal looked faster and delivered a wide range of combinations that hurt an older and slower Branco.

There were a lot of questions leading up to fight concerning the legitimacy of Branco as a mandatory challenger for the WBC belt. After the fight, the question was answered but then who is a fair challenger for Pascal?

The announcement was made by Pascal’s management team that Adrian Dianocu will have his rematch against Pascal early in the New Year.

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Boxing News Tags: Adonis Stevenson, Boxing Results, Jean Pascal, Jermain Mackey, Jose Spearman, Sebastien Demers, Silvio Branco