Draw?

The fight between Bernard Hopkins vs. Jean Pascal at Pepsi Colisee in Quebec City, Canada ends in a majority draw, which allowed Pascal to retain his WBC Light-Heavy Weight Title.

I previously stated that Jean Pascal would have to knock Bernard Hopkins out to remotely make the bout interesting. But the seasoned vet, Hopkins, just one month shy of turning age 46 next month put on a performance that was exciting and skillful. These are not adjectives I would have used to describe Hopkins' last fight against Roy Jones Jr., which is why I didn't anticipate the entertainment value he would bring to this particular match.

One judge scored the bout 114 - 112 in favor of Hopkins. The other two judges scored the fight even (113 - 113, and 114 - 114). Although Hopkins won the majority of rounds during the bout, he suffered 2 knock downs. The first knock down occurred in round 1 from a hook that clearly hit Hopkins in the back of the head while he his bent over. The second knock down took place in round 3 from a hook to the body. In either case, Hopkins did not appear to be significantly hurt or hampered.

Despite the 2 knock downs and probably having lost the first 3 rounds, Hopkins kept his veteran poise and statistically out-boxed Pascal the remainder of the contest. The only exception is round 12, which could have gone in favor of either fighter. Pascal was noticeably tired by round 7 from the steady assault of lead hooks and upper cuts Bernard used to ascend from the hole he was in at the early onset of the bout.

However, only one judge thought Hopkins had done enough to overcome the 2 knock downs and win the fight. The other two judges were impressed to the point that they felt Hopkins was able to draw even. I scored the bout 114 - 112 in favor of Hopkins. I didn't award Pascal with a knock down in round 1, because it came as a result of an illegal punch to the back of the head.

In a post interview Pascal claimed victory over Hopkins, but the statical numbers measuring the effectiveness of each fighter tell a different story. Pascal retains his belt. But the majority of boxing fans will probably perceive Hopkins as the winner, especially fans over the age of 40.

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