:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2718057/gyi0064851108.0.jpg)
Jean Pascal, absent from the ring since May 21st, 2011, is scheduled to return to the ring against Aleksy Kuziemski on December 14th, 2012. Although he's tried to secure fights earlier in the year, most notably against IBF champion Tavoris Cloud, things managed to go south for one reason or another. Pascal claims he suffered a hand injury in training camp and had to pull out of his fight against Cloud. The fight was not rescheduled because Cloud has to make a mandatory defense against Karo Murat or will be stripped of his title.
I know, I know. Why does a good fight like Cloud-Pascal need an alphabet trinket on the line? These guys aren't Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Titles actually matter. But that's a story for another day...
Whether you like it or not Cloud-Pascal didn't happen and Pascal-Kuziemski will (most likely). And unfortunately Kuziemski is no world beater by any means. To be honest as far as televised Polish light heavyweights go Kuziemski is middle of the road at best. Kuziemski has unsuccessfully attempted to pick up a world title in the past on two separate occasions and got stopped by Juergen Braehmer and Nathan Cleverly for his troubles. Pascal is expected to do the same.
But as none of that helps sell the fight promoter Yvon Michel would rather remind us that Pascal and Kuziemski were once Olympians, representing Canada and Poland in 2004 respectively. Of course, they also both lost in the first round. Yordanis Despaigne eliminated Pascal while Kuziemski was taken out by Beibut Shumenov. Ironically Shumenov is another opponent that Pascal was rumored to fight but never did.
Anyways, should everything go as planned on Dec. 14th, Michel eyes a meeting between Pascal and Cloud and/or a Pascal-Chad Dawson rematch.
In any event this card will be televised by WealthTV in the US and Canal Indigo, Bell TV, and Shaw TV in Canada. Up and coming light heavyweight Eleider Alvarez will see if he can get by gate keeper Edison Miranda on the undercard. In WBO ratings as of Oct. 15, 2012 Alvarez rates #14 at light heavyweight. Don't be surprised if a victory over the unranked Miranda propels Alvarez into the top 10.
And then there's perhaps the most interesting bout of this card: David Lemieux vs TBA. Why is TBA interesting this time? Because Lemieux's opponent is rumored to be Matthew Macklin. If that's true David's management obviously doesn't put much stock into triangle theory. In Macklin's last fight he destroyed Joachim Alcine in 1 round while Lemieux dropped a decision to Alcine a year ago. As Lemieux has yet to fight a respectable opponent since losing to Alcine, it is indeed curious why his team would go this route. I don't much care for triangle theory either, but I'd at least get my guy proven at a level below before challenging at the level above. Stay tuned...
Ryan Bivins is a staff writer for BadLeftHook. You can contact him on twitter (@sweetboxing) or through email (rgbivins@gmail.com).