Jean Pascal Planning April/May Ring Return, Wants Chad Dawson Rematch

Jean Pascal is still planning to return to the ring in April or May, according to Ryan Maquiñana and promoter Yvon Michel, after a fight with Zsolt Erdei for April 14 fell through.

After a tune-up fight, which will be Pascal's first since May 21 of last year, when he lost to Bernard Hopkins, the former light heavyweight champ wants a rematch with Chad Dawson. Pascal defeated Dawson to win the vacant Ring Magazine title in August 2010.

"Look, Jean Pascal was the WBC champion and gave him a chance," [Michel] added. "Dawson had nowhere to go, and Dawson even waited for him when Pascal hurt his shoulder. He gave Dawson a chance; too bad Dawson doesn’t feel the same way. A real fighter will try to avenge his greatest losses, so we’ll see about Dawson’s character."

Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KO) has seen talks with Ismayl Sillakh fall through recently, as well as with Erdei, and the Pascal story is that Erdei backed out of this one, and this one was why the talks with Sillakh ended anyway, and I guess I'm willing to buy it as much as I buy anything, but he also didn't fight in December, which had been planned, and we'll see if he actually plans to fight here, or if it's just more talk. Where there is a constant in these situations, no matter where the blame goes, the constant becomes suspicious. The constant is Jean Pascal.

As for a Dawson vs Pascal rematch, I think that's the fight to make if Dawson beats Bernard Hopkins in their April 28 rematch. Dawson isn't a big-time fighter, doesn't have a lot of fans, and a Pascal rematch can draw in Quebec. Dawson also should, by all accounts, beat Pascal, and should have the first time, but he Dawson'd it up something fierce.