Filed under: WBC, Golden Boy Promotions, Boxing Rumors, HBO, Showtime
Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, told FanHouse early on Thursday that WBC president Jose Sulaiman has ordered an immediate rematch of a Dec. 18, majority draw between light heavyweight (175 pounds) king Jean Pascal (above, at right) of Canada and former undisputed middleweight (160 pounds) titlist Bernard Hopkins (above, at left) of Philadelphia.
The decision, by an overwhelming vote of 30-to-2 by the WBC's 32-member Board of Governors, comes despite Pascal's contractual obligation for a return bout against southpaw former WBC interim titlist Chad Dawson of New Haven, Conn., against whom Pascal won a disputed, 11th-round technical decision in August.
If Pascal does not fight Hopkins, he would be stripped of his crown. If he does, however, FanHouse has learned that he could face a lawsuit from Dawson's camp.
"The WBC has ordered the rematch between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins by a vote of 30 votes to two. The WBC has a champion, and that champion is Pascal. If the WBC, after reviewing everything, thinks that there should be a rematch, then there should be a rematch. And whomever does not accept it -- Pascal or Hopkins -- then he is out," Sulaiman told FanHouse.
"They have to accept the rematch, and the reason is this. We believe that the rematch would be another in the great fights that the world is expecting," said Sulaiman. "We believe that the first fight, even though it did not have too much support before the fight, it broke several Showtime ratings records that existed over the last four years. All of that makes this rematch very good for the sport of boxing."
Schaefer was simply elated.
"I've just called Bernard Hopkins, and he is very happy about it," Schaefer told FanHouse. "Just like me, he feels that the right decision was made."
Pascal's promoter, Yvon Michel, initially informed FanHouse that it had appeared that Sulaiman would honor the Pascal-Dawson agreement.
That assertion was made following a Dec. 19 Canadian press conference after the 28-year-old Pascal (26-1-1, 16 knockouts) had dropped Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KOs) once each in the first and third rounds only to have the man who will turn 46 on Jan. 15 rally and out-box him over the second half of a Showtime televised fight that was contested before Pascal's fans at Pepsi Colesium in Quebec City, Canada.
American judge Steve Morrow had it for Hopkins, 114-112, but Canadian official Jean Claude Paquette and Belgian official Daniel Van de Wiele scored it even, respectively, at 113-113, and, 114-114. FanHouse had it for Hopkins, 115-111.
Jean Pascal-Bernard Hopkins Round-by-Round
On Wednesday, Sulaiman told FanHouse that nearly half of the votes of the Board of Governors supported an immediate rematch with Pascal. On Thursday, the WBC's ruling was e-mailed to Schaefer.
"The WBC board of governors has voted in favor of ordering the immediate rematch between WBC champion Jean Pascal and emeritus champion Bernard Hopkins for the WBC light heavyweight championship of the world," said Schaefer, reading from a letter he had received from Sulaiman "just about three minutes ago," adding, "the winner of this fight has the obligation to fight Chad Dawson immediately without any intervening contest."
A deal for Pascal-Hopkins II must be completed within 30 days, said Schaefer, otherwise, a purse bid will be ordered for Feb. 4 at the WBC's office in Mexico City.
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