Fanlong didn't heed history, however, which states that those that write off Jean Pascal do so at their own peril, and at the end of twelve close and interesting rounds, it was the veteran Pascal bouncing back from a PED suspension that had kept him idle for over two years and winning a unanimous decision in Plant City, Florida.
Meng was the more aggressive fighter for much of the match and badly hurt Pascal with a straight left late in the second round that had Pascal grasping for clinches to make it to the bell.
Pascal began to rally in the middle of the match as his counters (especially his looping right) began to land on Fanlong as the China native continued to walk forward behind his jab but at the end of eight rounds, I had Fanlong ahead on my scorecard.
Pascal scored a knockdown in the ninth round connecting with a right hand to the side of the head that stunned Fanlong but didn't seriously hurt him.
That was not the case in the final round with the fight in the balance on my card, Pascal landed a right that spun Fanlong into the ropes with Pascal following up with a barrage of blows as the final bell clanged.
Pascal's winning scores were 116-111, 115-112, and 114-113, while I agreed with the final score of 114-113 with Pascal sweeping the final four rounds and the knockdown to squeeze out the win.
Many people that I've seen on Twitter had Fanlong the winner and it was indeed a close fight and a strong performance from the now-former number one contender.
As for Jean Pascal, every time that people write him off, he seems to return with an effort that keeps him in the light heavyweight picture.
Boxing Challenge
TRS: 81 Pts (2)
Vince Samano: 69 Pts (0)
Ramon Malpica: 67 Pts (0)
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