LAVAL, Que. — Veteran Montreal boxer Jean Pascal promised the hometown crowd a knockout, but ended up having trouble just laying a glove on Michael Eifert in a 12-round IBF light-heavyweight eliminator at Place Bell arena on Thursday.
The 25-year-old German delivered a boxing lesson to the 40-year-old Pascal and scored a unanimous decision (118-110, 115-113 and 117-111) over the former WBA and WBC light-heavyweight champion.
Eifert (36-7-1, 20 KOs) thoroughly controlled the opening two rounds, before Pascal bounced back with a very good third, during which he landed good combinations and powerful hooks. Eifert, however, accepted the shots unflinchingly and then coasted through the remaining rounds.
With the win, Eifert (12-1, 4 KOs) becomes the mandatory challenger for IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
On the undercard, Montreal’s Mathieu Germain scored a unanimous 10-round decision over Hamilton’s Steven Wilcox to claim the IBF Intercontinental junior welterweight belt.
The 33-year-old Germain (22-2-1, 9 KOs) struggled early to adapt to Wilcox's (24-4-1, 7 KOs) long reach, but eventually figured his opponent out and was able to land counterpunches with regularity.
The new belt guarantees Germain a spot in the IBF's top-15 ratings.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2023.
The Canadian Press
