Jean Pascal is back: Summary of the evening

By William Dumoulin
Photo credit: New Era Promotions / Gabriel Cinju

This Saturday, at the Colisée de Laval, marked the return of Jean Pascal in a gala organized by New Era Fighting and Promotions. Pascal was attempting a final climb up the world rankings, this time in a new weight category. He faced Terry Osias from Longueuil. Here's a summary of the evening.

In the grand final, Jean Pascal (37-7-1, 20 KOs) faced Terry Osias (13-1, 6 KOs) in a 10-round duel for the NABO light heavyweight title. It was a first fight in this category for both boxers, who had mostly fought in the middleweight division. A victory guaranteed a place in the world's top 15 in this division.

From the outset, Osias made effective use of his excellent jab and mobility to maintain distance and force Pascal to keep moving. Jean, less active in terms of the volume of blows thrown, preferred to save his energy, relying on punctual explosions to try and steal rounds. Osias looked set to win on points, but Pascal, true to form, had a surprise in store. In the 10th and final round, he unleashed a powerful right hand, sending Osias to the mat with a spectacular knockout. At this point, Pascal was leading on two of the three judges' cards after round 9 (84-87, 89-82, 86-85), to the surprise of many.

What followed was fascinating for Jean Pascal, who now ranks in the top 15 of the light heavyweight division. A fight against Ryan Rozicki for the interim WBC light heavyweight title is in the pipeline, with the Bell Centre being considered as the venue.

In the semi-final, rising Quebec boxing star Derek Pomerleau (10-0, 8 KOs) faced Argentina's Marcelo Coceres (32-8-1, 18 KOs), a last-minute opponent and by far the toughest he'd faced. Coceres had previously shared the ring with the likes of Billy Joe Saunders, Edgar Berlanga, Erik Bazinyan and Osleys Iglesias, and so proved a real test for Pomerleau.

Derek started the fight strongly, dominating thanks to his speed and power. However, in the following rounds, he often found himself pinned against the ropes, allowing Coceres to land a few punches. But in the 5th round, Pomerleau blew the Colisée de Laval away with an explosive combination that sent the Argentine to the mat, sealing his victory by KO.

Petar Gavrilovic (5-1, 1 KO) faced mixed martial arts champion Danny Mallette (2-0, 2 KOs) in a 4-rounder. Mallette came out swinging, sending Gavrilovic to the mat before wrapping up the fight before the end of the first round. An impressive performance for the man who already reigns as champion in Quebec's Samurai MMA organization.

Hubert Poulin (3-1-1, 0 KO), initially scheduled to face Yohan Lainesse, was pitted against David Logue (3-1, 3 KO), a last-minute replacement. Poulin showed fine technical skills and sent his opponent to the mat in round 3, subsequently winning the judges' unanimous decision (39-36, 40-35 X 2).

Other results of the evening:
David Canuel (1-0, 0 KO) defeated Carl Demontigny (1-1, 0 KO) by unanimous decision (39-37, 39-37, 37-39).

Guillaume Gosselin (1-0-1, 0 KO) defeats Serge Ntetu (0-2, 0 KO) by unanimous decision (39-37 X 3).

Simon Risler (1-0-1, 0 KO) defeats Yoan Trottier (0-1, 0 KO) by unanimous decision (38-37, 40-35 X 2).

Simon Lagarde (1-0, 1 KO) passes a violent KO to Raphaël Peloquin (0-1, 0 KO) at the end of the first round.

Maxime Lepage (1-1-2, 0 KO) and Alexandre Gagnon (0-1-1, 0 KO) fight to a draw (40-36, 38-38 X 2).