Bernard Hopkins vs. Jean Pascal II
Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images
Bernard Hopkins met Jean Pascal (26-1-1 16 KOs) for a second time on May 21, 2011 in Pascal’s hometown of Montreal, Canada. Their previous fight, six months prior, had resulted in a draw, leaving both fighters unsatisfied.
Hopkins, then 43, was the top contender in the Light Heavyweight division and entered as a slight underdog to the IBO and WBC champion Jean Pascal.
The bout opened slowly, with both fighters attempting to feel out their opponent with jabs, though Pascal pushed a bit harder than Hopkins. In the third round however, Hopkins cracked Pascal with a beautiful right hook and buckled his knees, forcing the champion to hold for most of the round.
Throughout the fourth round, both fighters exchanged periodically and Hopkins began taunting Pascal, sticking his tongue out at him. This may have been the wrong move however, as Pascal landed a powerful hook to the head of Hopkins in the closing moments of the round.
Through rounds five and six, Hopkins’ counterpunching took over and he dominated Pascal, landing numerous counter right hands and frustrating the champ. Between Rounds 6 and 7, Hopkins showboated by doing push ups between the rounds, essentially telling Pascal he was just getting started.
From that moment on, it was all Hopkins. Pascal kept getting caught with counterpunches, one of which dropped him (though it was ruled as a slip).
At the end of the bout, Hopkins came out with a convincing unanimous-decision win and became champion for the fifth time in his career.
