World Weekend Boxing Roundup: Kovalev Krushes Pascal

IBF/WBO/WBA Light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev solidified his position as the top man in his division by battering bitter rival Jean Pascal in their rematch on Saturday night in the cavernous Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

The pair had tangled previously in March, 2015 with Kovalev halting Pascal in the eighth, a stoppage that some pundits in the media saw as premature after a thrilling give and take tussle.

Kovalev had set out to use this opportunity to prove that his 2015 victory over the Montreal man was no fluke and the Russian slugger succeeded in bettering his work.

Once the bell rang, Kovalev immediately set upon Pascal, raking the Canadian with powerful jabs that softened up the target in preparation to the combinations to the head and body that the champion was firing off during the middle rounds.

Gone were Pascal’s lighting ripostes to Kovalev’s head that made the first clash between these two light heavyweights such an exciting contest as the challenger had difficulty landing any offense of substance this time around.

Pascal’s fortunes grew worse as the bout wore on as he was clattered about the ring in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds, prompting the local man’s corner to ask the fight be stopped before the eighth round could commence.

Kovalev was ahead on all three scorecards by a margin of 62-70 at the time of the stoppage.

Perhaps Pascal, who falls to 30-4-1 (17), will never be the same fighter he was before the first Kovalev contest, a bout in which he absorbed many punishing blows in a valiant but losing cause.

Kovalev improves to 29-0-1 (26) and is on track to meet former super middleweight divisional champ Andre Ward later this year as the proposed unification showdown with WBC light heavy king Adonis Stevenson seems to be off the table after a potential summertime blockbuster between the two fell apart in the negotiation stage.

On the undercard, middleweight Renan St Juste, 26-5-1 (18), was upset by Francis LaFrenier, 11-5-2 (6), by scores of 99-90, 97-92, 97-92 as the underdog captured the vacant IBF International middleweight belt.

This could be a crushing loss for the 43 year old St Juste, as LaFrenier was not expected to win, despite his standing as the Canadian titlist and having won seven consecutive contests.

An interesting battle occurred at welterweight with rising Russian contender Dmitry Mikhaylenko, 21-0 (9), seeing off the challenge posed by highly regarded Karim Mayfield, 19-3-1 (11), a late replacement in this bout, by scores of 100-90, 100-90, 99-91 to annex the vacant USBA crown.