BKB Produces Another Action-Packed Night Of Boxing

There was much anticipation heading into the fourth BKB Boxing card on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In it’s nearly two year history the concept/sport known as BKB: Big-Knockout Boxing has established itself as a new venue for the sport of Boxing and has also become known for consistently producing action-packed excitement with each card.  This card, much like previous BKB cards would be no different. 

The night’s action began with an exciting Heavyweight battle between Julian Pollard and Elijah McCall. From the opening bell both fighters were willing to engage each other and each had periods of effectiveness in the first round.  Although both fighters would continue to let their hands go in the second round it was Pollard who would begin to stand out from McCall by landing combinations highlighted by his right hand. 

 

McCall was able to be effective during periods where he was able to step in on the inside of Pollard and get his offense off first. When Pollard was able to establish some distance however, and execute his offense before McCall could get on the inside the advantage was in his favor.    A flush right hand from Pollard dropped McCall early in round four. McCall was able to beat the count, but was on unsteady legs causing Referee Russell Mora to stop the fight. Official time of the stoppage was 1:07 of round four. 

As the concept of BKB continues to grow it will be interesting to see where Julian Pollard will rank in the BKB’s Heavyweight division. With now two victories in BKB, one might assume that Pollard could be a contender in a fight to determine a vacant BKB Heavyweight world championship. We will have to wait and see what the future holds for both Pollard and the BKB’s Heavyweight division. 

In a Jr. Welterweight bout Gabe Deluc scored a five round unanimous decision over Antonio Canas. Deluc dominated this fight with combination punching and his ability to keep turning Canas to avoid being a stationary target inside the narrow fighting area known as the “BKB Pit.” Official scores were 50-45 on all three scorecards for Gabe Deluc. Unofficially I scored this fight the same as the judges 50-45 for Gabe Deluc.

Also in the Jr. Welterweight division Herbert Acevedo scored a five round unanimous decision over Bill Hutchinson. The story of this fight was Acevedo’s well-balanced attack to the body and head that battered Hutchinson over the course of the fight. Hutchinson was very “Game” and despite suffering a cut under his right eye in round three, he never stopped trying to turn the fight around in his favor. Official scores were 50-45 all in favor of Herbert Acevedo. Unofficially I scored this fight the same as the three official judges 50-45 in favor of Acevedo.  It will be interesting to see whether a potential fight can be made between Acevedo and Gabe Deluc. Based on their dominant performances in their respective bouts on this card a bout between the two is intriguing and quite possibly could headline a future BKB card.

In a bout for the BKB Welterweight world championship Jonathan Chicas scored a third round knockout over champion Javier Garcia to win the title. Chicas established a consistent body attack on the champion in the opening round and dropped Garcia twice in round two. Chicas closed the show with a left hook to chin of Garcia in round three. Following the third knockdown the fight was immediately stopped by Referee Tony Weeks.  Official time of the stoppage was :16 of round three.

In first ever Women’s bout in the history of BKB for the vacant BKB Women’s Lightweight world championship Layla McCarter scored a seventh round knockout over Diana Prazak to win the title. McCarter dictated the pace of the fight from the outset picking her spots, and frankly put on a Boxing clinic. McCarter scored a knockdown of Prazak with a combination at the end of round four.

McCarter dropped Prazak for the second time with a barrage of punches in the seventh and final round. Prazak was able to get up from the knockdown, but McCarter closed the show with another barrage of punches forcing Referee Russell Mora to step in and stop the fight with ten seconds left in the contest. Official time of the stoppage was 1:50 of round seven.

In a bout for the BKB Cruiserweight world championship Anthony Johnson successfully defended his world title with a seven round unanimous decision over Joey Montoya.  Both fighters suffered knockdowns in the opening round. Montoya dropped the champion with a left hand to score the first knockdown of the bout.   Johnson however, would score a knockdown of his own in the closing seconds of the round when he dropped Montoya with a left hand of his own.

Both fighters continued to engage and would each score a knockdown for the second time in round three. As was the case in the first round Johnson would be knocked down first in the third round from a left hand. Johnson would however, be credited with a knockdown later in the round when Montoya stepped out of the fighting area of the “BKB Pit.”

The tempo of the fight began to shift in Johnson’s favor in rounds four and five due to his combination punching and landing the cleaner punches. Montoya however, had a solid round six where he briefly stunned the champion with a right hand and brought the fight to Johnson throughout the round. 

Johnson would ultimately earn a hard fought unanimous decision to retain his world title. Official scores were 68-65 on all three scorecards in favor of Anthony Johnson. Unofficially I scored this fight the same as the official judges 68-65 in favor of Johnson.  This was a very entertaining fight to watch and it would not surprise this observer to see a rematch between these two fighters on a future BKB card.  On this night Johnson simply did a little more than Montoya and was able to retain his world championship as a result.  

In a bout for the BKB Jr. Middleweight world championship Khurshid Abduliaev scored a seven round unanimous decision over champion David Estrada to win the title.  Abduliaev consistently pressed the action and backed the champion up from the outset with a well-balanced attack to the body and head. Estrada seemed to have trouble letting his hands go with consistency during this fight due to Abduliaev’s ability to control distance, get his punches off first, counter punching, and being solid defensively.

Abduliaev was credited with a knockdown in round five when Estrada stepped out of the “BKB Pit.” Moments later Abduliaev would score a second knockdown of Estrada as a result of a straight left hand. Despite Abduliaev dominating the fight, he would be penalized a point in round six for pushing Estrada.

Although Abduliaev lost a point in round six he dominated the fight from start to finish and earned a convincing unanimous decision on the scorecards. Official scores were 69-61 (on two scorecards), and 68-62 all for Kurshid Abduliaev. Unofficially, I scored this fight 69-61 in favor of Abduliaev. If one takes the point deduction against Abduliaev out of the equation, he nearly won every round of this fight. Estrada was able to connect with some solid punches in the final round, but he simply could not find a way to be consistent with his offense and that should be credited to the Boxing ability of Abduliaev. 

Also in the Jr. Middleweight division Jesus Soto Karass scored a five round unanimous decision over Ed Paredes.  Soto Karass consistently pressured Paredes over the course of this fight. Soto Karass’ pressure and ability to mix his offense to the head and body of Paredes including landing several flush overhand rights throughout allowed Sotto Karass to earn a convincing unanimous decision. Official scores were 49-46 on all three scorecards in favor of Jesus Soto Karass.  Unofficially I scored this fight the same as the official judges 49-46 in favor of Soto Karass. Paredes was able to have his moments periodically throughout this fight, but he was unable to neutralize Soto Karass’ pressure and that is what cost him the fight, in my opinion.

It will be interesting to see what may be in store for Jesus Soto Karass in the BKB’s Jr. Middleweight division. If Soto Karass chooses to continue to compete in BKB fights against either Kurshid Abduliaev or David Estrada could both be potential options.  

In the main event of this card BKB Middleweight world champion Gabriel Rosado retained his world title in a hard fought seven round draw with Curtis Stevens.   This was a fight that was extremely competitive and was a contest where both fighters had their moments.  Stevens seemed to get the upper hand when he was able to get on the inside of Rosado and let his hands go. Rosado meanwhile was more effective when he was able to establish some space between himself and the challenger and able to keep Stevens at distance and able to work off of his jab. 

 

Several of the rounds in this fight were difficult to score due in part to both fighters being able to have periods of effectiveness as well as the two minute round durations in which all fights in BKB are fought. Stevens scored a knockdown of Rosado with a flush left hook in the closing seconds of round five. Rosado did not appear hurt by the knockdown and the battle continued into round six. Although he was more effective when he was able to keep Stevens on the outside, Rosado was more than willing to engage with the challenger whenever Stevens would get on the inside. Despite Rosado suffering the knockdown in round five, the fight remained close and competitive.  At the conclusion of the seven round championship bout the judges rendered a majority draw.  Official scores were 69-63 for Stevens, and 66-66 (on two scorecards) resulting in a majority draw.  

Unofficially I scored this fight a draw 66-66.  Although Stevens was able to drop Rosado in round five, neither fighter was able to really stand out from the other for much of this fight and given that the BKB format differs from the traditional form of Professional Boxing with different round limits and durations than a traditional Boxing match, it was not surprising to this observer to see this fight scored a draw.  It was also not surprising to see one scorecard determine a winner by a significantly wider margin than the other judges. Much as is the case in traditional Boxing, when it comes to close fights it will often boil down to what a judge prefers in their own individual criteria in how they score a fight based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense.  The same criteria exists in BKB and from time to time close fights as this fight was will happen and there will be a difference of opinion as to who won.

Based on how close this fight was I believe that those behind BKB should consider an immediate rematch between Rosado and Stevens. If a rematch between the two is in the near future it will be interesting to see whether the rematch will be scheduled for a distance beyond seven rounds. 

Although BKB is still very much in its growing stages and even though the BKB format is different from traditional Professional Boxing this observer believes that championship fights should be scheduled for a distance of at least ten or twelve rounds. The fight between Rosado and Stevens was very competitive and could have gone either way, but I believe the outcome of this fight can be best summed up as “Inconclusive” and it would have been interesting to see what might have happened had the fight been scheduled for a longer distance.

Overall the fourth card in this history of BKB and the second card since undergoing a slight revamp and name change much as the previous three produced action, excitement, and a healthy mix of knockouts and competitive fights.  As this concept/sport continues to grow it will be interesting to see more fighters attempt to make the transition to the BKB format and whether BKB will attempt to stage cards perhaps on a cable network in addition to traditional pay-per-view to expand the exposure of BKB to a wider audience.

In this observer’s eyes the concept of BKB: Big-Knockout Boxing has consistently showed progress with each card and will likely continue to grow in time. For now, the future looks bright for BKB and I very much look forward to seeing this concept continue to evolve.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

 

A Look At The Latest Installment of BKB: Big-Knockout Boxing

Over the last two years since the concept known as BKB debuted in July 2013 readers have become accustomed to this observer’s coverage of the sport’s new venue. From its initial inception as a modernized form of Bare-Knuckle Boxing, which saw the introduction of specifically designed Boxing gloves where the knuckles were exposed inside of the glove to the introduction of the fighting area in which all fights under the BKB format take place known as the “BKB Pit” it has not taken long for the concept of BKB to evolve.

Following the first two BKB cards where fights were fought with the knuckle exposed Boxing gloves, BKB underwent a slight revamp and name change. The knuckle exposed gloves were replaced by traditional Boxing gloves that weighed between eight and ten ounces depending on the weight class in which a fight takes place. Along with the change in gloves, BKB was renamed Big-Knockout Boxing.

One thing that did not change when the third BKB card took place last August was the “BKB Pit.” Unlike a traditional 20x20 Boxing ring, the BKB Pit has no ropes measuring seventeen feet in diameter and 227 square feet. The BKB pit along with the use of two minute rounds has certainly produced entertaining fights in the brief history of BKB. Although the fighting area where all fights under the BKB format has remained the same, there was also one significant change in addition to the adaptation of traditional Boxing gloves. The third BKB card unlike the previous two cards was the first that did not feature an open scoring format.

As I stated following the third BKB card last August the change to a non-open scoring format was not surprising in my opinion and did not have an impact on the concept or the intention behind BKB, which is to provide entertaining action-packed bouts. The third BKB card, which implemented a slightly tweaked version of the original concept provided much action and excitement with a good mix of competitive fights and knockouts. The third BKB card was also the first to be carried in the United States by both cable and satellite providers after previously being broadcast on pay-per-view exclusively to subscribers of the United States television provider DirecTV. Clearly the concept of BKB has shown an ability to grow and evolve with each card.

Now BKB looks to build off of the success of it’s third  event last August when it presents a card titled BKB 2 on Saturday, April 4th at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although this is in actuality the fourth BKB card this observer believes the titling of “BKB 2” is an attempt to embrace the revamped concept now known as Big-Knockout Boxing. 

While there may be some who may not have had the opportunity to see the first two BKB cards, this observer believes that not only for historical purposes, but also and perhaps more importantly to show the evolution of the concept known as BKB that this card should be titled simply “BKB 4.” In my previous coverage of the first three BKB cards, readers may remember how I have regularly referenced the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and its evolution in comparison to the concept of BKB. Even though the sport of MMA eventually evolved from essentially no holds barred fighting to it’s current form of implementing the use of gloves and weight classes, the era where MMA fights were fought under essentially no holds barred rules is still very much a part of the sport’s history.

Even though it is understandable that those behind BKB want to embrace the revamped concept, which was put into practice with the third BKB card, I believe that by not referencing the previous cards which took place prior to BKB’s slight revamp, it is a mistake and that much as MMA promotions like the UFC have over time adapted and evolved, they have not at the same time rewritten history and that the chronological evolution of the sport is still part of it’s history. There is no reason in this observer’s eyes why the concept/sport of BKB should not adapt a similar approach.

This observer’s slight criticism of the titling of this card notwithstanding, the fourth BKB card much as the previous three should provide entertainment and excitement. In the main event of this card BKB Middleweight world champion Gabriel Rosado will make the first defense of his title against top Middleweight contender Curtis Stevens.

On the third BKB card last August Rosado scored a sixth round knockout of longtime contender Bryan Vera to win the BKB Middleweight world championship. Rosado however, is coming off a tenth round knockout loss against top Middleweight contender David Lemieux in December of last year in a fight fought under traditional Boxing rules. Although fights fought under the BKB format remain unofficial in the eyes of official Boxing record keepers as of this writing and even though Rosado’s BKB world championship was not at stake one might wonder whether the beating he suffered at the hands of Lemieux will have any effect on him in this fight against Curtis Stevens.

Stevens will be fighting for the first time in BKB and it will be interesting to see how he will adapt to the format. In addition to the BKB Pit, one should also remember that fights in BKB are also fought under different round and time limits as compared to traditional Boxing rules. Fights under the BKB format are scheduled for five, seven, and ten rounds respectively and round limits are two minutes in duration. Although one could logically assume that since this is a championship fight that the bout will be scheduled for ten rounds, it will be interesting to see how Stevens adapts to fighting two minute rounds.

Stevens however, is a fighter who much like Rosado lets his hands go and has knockout power having scored knockouts in twenty of his twenty-seven career wins in fights fought under traditional Boxing rules. As is the case with Gabriel Rosado, Stevens also comes into this fight off of a loss in October of last year when he dropped a twelve round unanimous decision to former WBO Middleweight world champion Hassan N’Dam. As has been the case in previous BKB cards, I have no doubt that the two minute rounds as well as the BKB Pit will ensure the likelihood of a potential action-packed fight between Rosado and Stevens. 

The fourth BKB card features a total of five championship fights in a card that will feature nine fights overall. BKB Cruiserweight world champion Anthony Johnson will defend his title against Joey Montoya.

In a bout for the BKB Jr. Middleweight world championship champion David Estrada will defend his title against Khurshid Abduliaev. Both Estrada and Abduliaev are coming off victories on the third BKB card last August.

In a bout for the BKB Welterweight world championship champion Javier Garcia will defend his title against Johnathan Chicas. Garcia is also coming off a victory last August and will be making his second defense of the BKB Welterweight championship he won in December 2013. 

As the concept of BKB continues to evolve a theme that will be present for a time will be how newcomers to the BKB format will fare against fighters who have experience fighting under the format. We will see how fighters such as Curtis Stevens, Johnathan Chicas, and Joey Montoya do in their first BKB bouts.

The fourth BKB card will also for the first time in BKB history feature a Women’s bout for the vacant BKB Women’s Lightweight world championship as former WBA Women’s Lightweight world champion Layla McCarter will face former WBC Women’s Jr. Lightweight world champion Diana Prazak.

In other bouts:

Jr. Welterweights: Herbert Acevedo vs. William Hutchinson

Jr. Welterweights Gabe Duluc vs. Antonio Canas

Heavyweights: Julian Pollard vs. Elijah McCall 

Jr. Middleweights: Jesus Soto Karass vs. Ed Paredes

BKB: Rosado vs. Stevens takes place Saturday April 4th and is available on cable and satellite pay-per-view throughout the United States for $29.95. Contact your local pay-per-view provider for ordering information.

The first three BKB cards provided much excitement and has shown the relatively quick evolution of the concept now known as Big-Knockout Boxing. The revamp of the BKB concept has resulted in BKB being able to stage cards in Las Vegas, Nevada after previously staging cards in New Hampshire. With the second card under the slight revamp of BKB on the horizon it will be interesting to see which fights and fighters stand out in what continues to be an evolving concept. As someone who has covered the first three BKB cards, I am very much looking forward to seeing the next installment of BKB.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

For more information about BKB: Big Knockout Boxing and a list of cable and satellite providers carrying BKB: Rosado vs. Stevens please visit: www.bkb.tv

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Brook Stops Dan In 4 To Retain IBF Championship, Khan Next?

Undefeated IBF Welterweight world champion Kell Brook dominated IBF number one contender Jo Jo Dan on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England. The champion, who was making the first defense of his title, controlled the fight from the opening bell keeping Dan at distance and landing his right hand seemingly whenever he threw it.

Brook stunned Dan with a right hand early in the second round and moments later dropped the challenger with a right uppercut. This would be followed by a second knockdown seconds later from another right hand.

The battle tested Jo Jo Dan simply could not deal with the champion’s hand speed and power. Brook would continue to dominate the action and would drop Dan for the third time as a result of a barrage of punches in round four. Despite being outclassed, Dan showed his mettle and arose from the knockdown. Brook however, would send the challenger down for a fourth time as a result of a left hook just prior to the end of the round. After seeing their fighter suffer four knockdowns and facing a significant deficit on the scorecards, the bout was stopped by Dan’s corner following the conclusion of the fourth round.

Kell Brook advances to 34-0, with 23 Knockouts. Jo Jo Dan falls to 34-3, with 18 Knockouts.

It was certainly an impressive performance by a world champion in his first title defense. What may be even more impressive is Brook not only dominated a fighter in Dan who had never been stopped in thirty-six previous bouts as a professional, but did so six months following an injury where he suffered a severe stab wound to his left leg that briefly appeared as though it may have threatened his career.

Brook continues to build momentum in the talent stacked Welterweight division following his championship win, a twelve round majority decision over Shawn Porter last August. Following his stoppage over Jo Jo Dan, Brook called out former Jr. Welterweight world champion Amir Khan for a potential fight in June.

As for what this might mean for the rest of the Welterweight division Brook finds himself in an interesting position as the IBF’s Welterweight world champion. Much of the focus of the division is now firmly centered on the unification bout between WBC/WBA world champion Floyd Mayweather and WBO champion Manny Pacquiao, which will take place on May 2nd in Las Vegas.

There are however, a few interesting possibilities that exist outside of that fight in the division. Along with Kell Brook fighters such as Keith Thurman and Andre Berto, who each hold interim/regular champion status in the WBA’s Welterweight ratings could each be possible opponents for Brook if a fight with Khan is not in the immediate future. Brook, Thurman, and Berto much like the rest of the division are all looking to position themselves for a potential fight against the winner of Mayweather-Pacquiao.

As the lone world champion in the division outside of Mayweather and Pacquiao however, one might argue that Brook could be closer to a potential fight against the winner of that fight in what would be a bout to fully unify the Welterweight division. The landscape of the Welterweight division may indeed become a little more clear after Mayweather and Pacquiao square off in May.

If Kell Brook is intent on fighting in June, the most logical option out there in this observer’s opinion would be a fight against Amir Khan who has had difficulty in trying to find an opponent to fight after being unable to secure a fight against either Mayweather or Pacquiao. In Brook, Khan not only would have an opportunity to win a world title in a second weight class, but it is a fight that would draw significant interest both in the United Kingdom as well as here in the United States.

Both fighters have significant followings and it just may be the type of fight that both fighters need in order to secure a potential fight against either Mayweather or Pacquiao down the road. Regardless of who may win between Brook and Khan, both fighters could pose a threat to either Mayweather or Pacquiao.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

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Kovalev Stops Pascal, Rematch? Stevenson-Bika Winner? What’s Next?

The latest chapter in the storyline of the potential full unification of the Light-Heavyweight division took place on March 14th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada where undefeated unified WBO/IBF/WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev defended his crown against former WBC world champion Jean Pascal. A fight that presented an interesting clash of styles between a fighter in Kovalev who is known for his punching power going against an opponent in Pascal who has an unorthodox style that combines hand speed, power, and who has the ability to execute his offense in spurts.

Prior to this fight I stated that for Pascal to be successful in this fight I believed that he needed to establish himself as an elusive target,  look to play the role of counter puncher, and look to capitalize on openings that Kovalev might leave as well as find a way to nullify the champion’s consistent pressure. It was not surprising to see the fight begin with Kovalev looking to immediately pressure and walk Pascal down.

Despite being known as a power puncher, Kovalev has also shown the ability to be tactical and measured in his attack. This fight was no exception as the champion’s jab and right hand were a focal point of his offense from the outset. Kovalev was able to mix his jab to the body and head of Pascal to land effectively with his right hand.

Although Kovalev was the more active of the two fighters, Pascal was able to have success when he was able to land counter punches and able to land periodically at points where Kovalev was not on the offensive. A problem for Pascal in the early rounds seemed to be that although he would have periodic success landing right hands, left hooks, and body punches, he had trouble landing his punches in combination. This can be attributed to Kovalev’s ability to control distance with his jab, make Pascal miss, and return offense when Pascal would have success.

A flush right hand from Kovalev sent Pascal partially through the ropes in the closing seconds of round three and he was credited with a knockdown.  The knockdown was the first of Pascal’s career as a result of the ropes holding Pascal up as determined by Referee Louis Pabon. Despite appearing that he may have been out on his feet, Pascal withstood a barrage of punches from the champion at the beginning of round four and landed some solid counter right hands of his own throughout the round.

 A question that is often asked of fighters who are known as power punchers and knockout artists as Kovalev is, is how that fighter responds when an opponent takes their power shots, gets knocked down, but keeps fighting. Kovalev began the fifth round throwing punches with both hands and did not appear discouraged by the success of the challenger in the fourth round. Pascal however, would continue to rally and continued to have success landing counter punches to the head and landing punches to the body of the champion in what was Pascal’s best round of the fight to that point. Pascal also succeeded in being the first fighter to test Kovalev’s ability to take a punch as he was able to stun the champion particularly when he was able to counter with right hands to the head.

To the champion’s credit he showed a granite chin and did not slow his offensive output, despite Pascal’s success and increasing aggression in rounds five and six. The ebb and flow shifted back to the champion in round seven as Kovalev was the more active of the two fighters. Kovalev was able to execute his offense off of his jab as was the case in the early rounds. What became a spirited battle between two of the Light-Heavyweight division’s elite would come to a conclusion in round eight.

After stunning Pascal with a left hook that sent Pascal into Kovalev’s corner, Kovalev was inadvertently tripped by Pascal and knocked down to the canvas. Pascal, clearly suffering the effects of the left hook and the barrage of punches that preceded it staggered into a neutral corner. The bout resumed and after taking two flush right hands from Kovalev, the fight was stopped by Referee Luis Pabon. Official time of stoppage was 1:03 of the eighth round.

The win for Kovalev, which was his fifth successful title defense keeps him in position for a potential unification bout between himself and the winner of the April 4th WBC Light-Heavyweight world championship fight between champion Adonis Stevenson and former WBC Super-Middleweight champion Sakio Bika. In his last two fights however, Sergey Kovalev has answered some questions that some may have been asking.

Kovalev proved in his unification bout against Bernard Hopkins that he is more than a mere seek and destroy knockout artist and could go a full twelve rounds  in a fight that he dominated from start to finish. In this fight against Jean Pascal, Kovalev showed not only the ability to take a punch, but also to respond well to a fighter who showed significant resistance, and who was able to recover from being knocked down. 

There is simply not much more that you can ask of a fighter than what Sergey Kovalev was able to do in this fight. As solid a performance it was for Sergey Kovalev, what was equally impressive was the performance and determination of Jean Pascal who more than proved his mettle in defeat.

Pascal was not only “Game”, but he also showed significant resistance against a fighter who with the exception of his fight against Bernard Hopkins has carved out a reputation as one of the sport’s most devastating knockout artists. Although Jean Pascal did not emerge from this fight as a two-time world champion, he has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

Whether or not the storyline of the potential full unification of the Light-Heavyweight division will see a conclusion with Sergey Kovalev facing the winner of the Stevenson-Bika fight remains to be seen. If however, a fight for the undisputed Light-Heavyweight world championship is not on the horizon for later this year, what could be for Kovalev in the near future just might be a rematch with Jean Pascal. It was a spirited battle between two great fighters. Pascal fought this fight hard and is deserving of a rematch.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison