Jean Pascal vs Roberto Bolonti ends in strange no-contest

Jean Pascal probably preserved his March 14 HBO date with Sergey Kovalev, but he didn't do so how he might have wanted, leaving the Bell Centre in Montreal tonight with a trademark boxing bit of bizarreness, with the fight ending in a no-contest in round two.

Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KO) was looking sharp against Argentina's Roberto Bolonti (35-3, 24 KO), a stay-busy opponent brought in to lose. But Pascal fouled Bolonti in round two, blatantly hitting him on a break, at which point Bolonti hit the canvas and never got up.

The ringside physician was later described as having "left the scene in disgust" by BoxNation's Steve Bunce, and though Bolonti was carried out on a stretcher with an oxygen mask, there didn't seem to be any serious concern from the EMTs or other officials on hand.

There was an argument that Pascal, 32, could have -- or should have -- been disqualified, but a member of his corner was caught on mic describing Bolonti's move as a, "European fuckin' soccer fuckin' dive," which seemed to be the general belief going around.