No, Jean Pascal was not robbed by the judges

UPGRADE DAY

After his loss to Michael Eifert, Jean Pascal spoke of a theft from the judges. He did not understand the scores which had been attributed to the two boxers. His trainer Orlando Cuellar too. The sad reality is that the Quebecer lost this fight clearly and clearly.

It was his seventh loss in 43 career games. It is the first time that he loses against a boxer who does not have a strong international reputation. Eifert is not part of the light heavyweight elite. His name cannot be put in the same sentence as Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, Anthony Yarde, Gilberto Ramirez and a few others. 

The German didn't do anything spectacular. He worked behind an effective jab, some power shots and good footwork. Simply the basics of boxing. He avoided going blow for blow when Pascal wanted to force the muscular exchanges. He didn't fall for the trap like many other Laval opponents in the past. 

Eifert was methodical from the first to the last second. Contrary to what Orlando Cuellar claims, his boxer was hit often. Enough to influence the three judges on the pace of the fight. Eifert built a comfortable lead in the first half of the fight. 

Too passive

I don't know if it was part of the Pascal clan's strategy, but the latter was too passive during the first rounds. I rather believed that he would take advantage of it to take control of the fight and put the crowd in the fight. It didn't happen. It looked like he was managing his energies by the fourth round. The awakening came in the second half of the fight, but it was too late.

The judges' cards? 118-110, 115-113 and 117-111. The second score is a bit far-fetched. The match was not as close. As he has always done, Pascal tried to steal rounds. However, his success rate was not high. Eifert was able to handcuff him when he gave chase. 

Pascal says he never felt in danger. It's normal. Eifert is a good technician, but not a puncher. He has only four professional knockouts. Nothing to write to his mother. I would have been worried to see him face clients like Joshua Buatsi or Anthony Yarde. The defeat could have been more brutal, dishonorable. 

One thing is certain: Pascal was celebrating his 40th birthday in the ring. We saw a pale copy of the pugilist who fought wars against the best boxers on the planet in his best years. 

A blessing and a retirement?

Pascal lost the chance to become mandatory challenger to unified champion, Artur Beterbiev. We can almost speak of a blessing. Several observers, including me, did not want to see the former world champion against the Chechen steamroller. A dangerous fight that would have been dangerous for his health. Courage is all well and good, but there is a limit. 

The most successful Quebec boxer must now think about his future. Did we witness the end of his brilliant career? It's possible. Before the fight, he mentioned several times that he was not thinking about retirement. That he still had “gas in the tank” as he likes to say. That's not what we saw.

He must be looking in the mirror. He has nothing more to prove. He gave everything to his sport and even more. If he goes on to pocket a few more scholarships, it would be a bad decision. He would have a good chance of mortgaging his long-term health. We're not playing boxing.

This time he has to hang up his gloves for good. That's what we want him to do. Although he did not win against Eifert, he had the opportunity to fight again in front of his Quebec supporters. It would be a great way to put an end to his brilliant career.