Jean-Thenistor Pascal vs. Michael Eifert

Thursday evening, co-headlining along with Mathieu Germain vs. Steven Wilcox for the vacant IBF super lightweight intercontinental title. Despite this one not being for any sort of hardware, it's scheduled rather stupidly for 12 rounds @ light heavyweight.

Eifert has only graduated beyond 8 round distances on two previous occasions, both ten rounders: taking an MD over countryman Tom Dzemski two years ago, then a UD over Italian feather-fist Adriano Sperandio last year. Pascal meanwhile has fought the championship length dozens of times, and had 39 pro bouts under his belt when "Diesel" - fifteen years his junior - made his debut.

Press conference underway, live now:

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Lou DiBella says this is Pascal's last chance to stay relevant and get a big payday and/or world title shot.

He says that if Pascal returns to form he can't be ruled out versus anyone in the division, including Beterbiev and Bivol. He then responds defensively to people questioning why he (as in LDB) is getting involved with promoting him now after his PED scandal and most people writing him off as shot. He dismisses any cynical implications that he's just chasing down a few bucks milking a former name and says Pascal has paid his debt to boxing society for his past failed tests and still has plenty left to prove and that you can tell he is competing for legacy and pride because his purses now (including this one and his last against Fanlong Mèng) pale in comparison to what he used to be used to. He says Eifert is young and hungry and has nothing to lose and is a worthy barometer of what Pascal has left.

 

Ali Çelik, the coach of Eifert, speaks next through a translator.

He says they are happy to be here and well prepared. He says he knows that is a cliché and everyone always claims to have trained well and had an excellent camp but in fact this is the case. They are coming to win.

 

Eifert says he sees this as his big chance and has been prepping for "months & months". There is nothing else that matters to him.

 

Orlando Cuellar says he was told he came "at the right time" but coming from Miami he still hates Quebec and wasn't ready for the cold.

He says nobody holds candle to Pascal in terms of heart and being able to dig down deep. He says he is very thankful about being hired on again by Pascal. He says they are bringing their A-game with the plan to force a balls-out dog-fight on Eifert and hopefully if the kid is able to hang produce a FOTY candidate. They also have contingency plans to make adjustments but he reiterates their goal to make it a dog-fight is very transparent. He says it was a team effort and everyone contributed 100% in camp.

 

Pascal, in a pidgin French-English mix, corrects the master of ceremonies, who introduced him as 3-time champ. "Nope, count again, 5-time.."

He is reintroduced, to his liking.

Pascal opts to forego a translator and speak in English. He is then going to actually repeat himself (so, basically self-translating) in French.

He says that some people in the business talk a lot - but "walk is talk". He thanks everyone collaborating on putting on the show, especially Yvon Michel and Lou DiBella. He looks forward to putting on a great show on Thursday.

 

Oh my. I was unaware of and wholly unprepared for the fact that "PPV" when pronounced in French (at least the Haitian-Québecois variant) sounds like "poo-poo voo".

 

Zat ees une spicy poo-poo-voo!

 

Pascal guarantees a KO victory. Eifert retorts that he is the one planning to score a KO, but will be capable of finding a path to winning no matter what, and he is unfazed by Pascal's superior pedigree and name value.

 

I take it back - it turns out there are stakes of significance here despite the lack of hardware. This is an IBF eliminator to determine the mandatory contender for the IBF world title held by Artur Beterbiev!!!!

Picture that, for a moment. Pascal rolls his ankle or gets cut from an errant piece of thumb-lacing or something - or hell, is defeated legitimately (he is 40 with plenty of miles on the odometer, after all) and suddenly Mikey will find himself challenging for a world championship after previously having never fought outside Germany nor in a 12-rounder, and with his best scalp to date being Tom freaking Dzemski (against whom Eifert is 1-1, the aforementioned MD10 victory in 2021 being a rematch of an MD8 loss the year before).

 

Pascal is an "old lion" according to Çelik, and the "young German lion" is coming for him.

Cuellar says they realize how dangerous and motivated Eifert is and they will not be underestimating him.

 

Eifert wants to restore pride to German boxing and follow in the footsteps of his country's past great champions and join his name alongside theirs as well as reviving the scene and fan interest.

The journalist pitching the interview questions says that Pascal has referred to himself as the "underdog" here because of his age; what does Eifert think about that? Eifert says he came all the way to Canada for this fight and it's a showcase for Pascal, but whoever the underdog is he is ready to fight the same.

 

Quick face-off and au revoir!

Tame, barely any eye contact - and once made they both remain impassively expressionless, postures relaxed.

At one point they even do the raised fist in the air thing, and Pascal sort of dissociates for a moment staring off into the middle distance and half-extends his index finger to point at Eifert, then changes his mind and reels it back in except not all the way so it remains sort of dangling limply half-bent in the air for a good few seconds. Very silly.