Bernard Hopkins set to return to ring against Jean Pascal

Bernard Hopkins - Jean Pascal Rematch Set

Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal will square off once again following a controversial draw in their December 18 boxing match held in Quebec City. This was the decision made by the World Boxing Council which sanctioned the world title match.

"The WBC board of governors has voted in favor of ordering the immediate rematch," said WBC president Jose Sulaiman. "The winner of this fight has the obligation to fight Chad Dawson immediately without any intervening contest."

Pascal was preparing to fight the American challenger Dawson after his bout with Hopkins before the announcement was made. Hopkins was trying to become the oldest world champion in the history of boxing when he stepped into the ring against Pascal nine days prior to turning 46. That record now belongs to the legendary George Foreman, who was 45 years 10 months old when he sent Michael Moorer to the canvass to win both the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association belts in 1994.

The score card after the Hopkins-Pascal fight read 114-112, 113-113, and 114-114 for a rare majority draw.

Hopkins, 51-5-2, will need to ink a new deal in 30 days for his second fight with Pascal, 26-1-1, who was just six years old when Hopkins made his professional boxing debut in 1988.

Bernard Hopkins was pleased with the WBC's decision and said he was looking forward to the rematch. "This is a great thing for boxing and hopefully fans will get to see another great fight with Pascal and I. I'm looking forward to starting off the New Year by making history as the oldest athlete to win a major championship in any sport," Hopkins declared.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Friday January 07 2011, 1:24 AM EST. Ref: Inquirer. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0