Quebec City, CAN (December 20).....Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins knew going to Quebec, Canada could prove fatal for a history-making victory over Jean Pascal if the fight was close. In fact, he knew this from his own experience when, almost 16 years to the date of Saturday night's robbery, he received a similar verdict in Quito, Ecuador on December 17, 1994 when he battled Segundo Mercado to a similar draw decision for his first-ever title challenge.
The outcry from that fight led to an immediate rematch between Hopkins and Mercado, which took place April 29, 1995, less than five months from the original fight. With fight stats from Saturday night clearly in his favor, as well as the majority of media reports and fan outcry backing Hopkins' assessment of the outcome, a rematch between Hopkins and Pascal should be scheduled immediately.
"I knew if they could they take it from me they would, and now that I have had the chance to review the fight on tape, I clearly know I won that fight," said Hopkins. "Jean Pascal, his corner and all of the Canadians in the arena and on television know I won the fight too. The crowd was loud in the beginning, but the silence was deafening as I dominated Pascal from the middle rounds all the way to the end of the fight. After the last round, Pascal went back to his corner with his head and hands down. I am sure he is still hanging his head today to think he let a 45-year-old man beat him up the way I did. If I were him, I would want to redeem myself and my reputation immediately after what happened Saturday night."
For Hopkins, it was a brilliant performance in front of a sold out crowd at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada, as well as for the millions watching on SHOWTIME® in the United States, on pay-per-view in Canada and around the world. Complementing his argument for an immediate rematch are the statistics behind the bout, which reflect the pure genius of Hopkins' intense execution of his own game plan and his destruction of Pascal's. Hopkins threw a total of 445 punches, of which he landed 141 power shots, more than 50% of the 270 he threw. Pascal threw 100 less punches than Hopkins with 353 total shots, but landed only 85 of the 196 power shots he threw.
"Again, it is crazy to think that a 45-year-old fighter like myself threw and landed more punches than this so-called young gun, the current champion, and still I am not given the win," said Hopkins. "Watch the tape. The poor guy was running scared, winded and backing up from round six and on. He seemed to just be holding on for dear life. But, he knows what happened in there and he has to live with it too. The film doesn't lie, but I bet he doesn't even watch the tape so he, and all his people around him, can tell him something other than the truth. He lost the fight."
Hopkins continued, "The whole thing is bad for boxing, bad for Pascal and especially bad for Canada. Pascal knows he should do the right thing and fight me as soon as tomorrow."
16 years earlier, Hopkins got his rematch and convincingly defeated the Ecuadorian to capture his first middleweight world championship.
"Pascal is a hard punching, young gun who gave it his all Saturday night," said Hopkins. "But he is 18 years younger than me and that speaks for itself. It showed Saturday night too by just getting a draw, which everyone knows is really a loss, against a 45-year-old man. If this guy has a backbone and wants to walk around with any kind of dignity and self-worth, the only thing he can do is fight me again. If that was me, I know that is the only way I could really live with myself."
