Former world champion Jean Pascal, 42 years old, is preparing for his return to the boxing ring on June 28. He is set to compete against experienced cruiserweight veteran Michal Cieslak in Quebec, Canada, headlining an event in his home city.
Adding significant stakes to the contest, the World Boxing Council (WBC) has sanctioned the fight for its interim cruiserweight championship. The winner will earn a clear path to challenge current WBC champion Badou Jack.
Despite the interim title opportunity, the latest rankings released by the WBC show a disparity. Pascal, holding a record of 37-7-1 with 21 knockouts, is ranked at number 10. In contrast, Cieslak, with a record of 27-2 and 21 knockouts, is ranked higher at number 5 and appears, based on the rankings, to be the more established contender.
The upcoming bout was recently announced by the lesser-known promotional group ‘New Era Promotion’. Further details regarding the undercard are expected to be released soon.
Pascal has a notable history with the current champion, Badou Jack, stemming from a competitive light-heavyweight fight in 2019. More recently, however, Pascal has unfortunately been associated with positive tests for performance-enhancing substances.
Following his split decision victory over Jack (known as ‘The Ripper’), the Canadian athlete tested positive for several banned substances, including epitrenbolone and drostanolone. These positive results ultimately led to the cancellation of a scheduled rematch between Pascal and Jack.
While Jean Pascal has only one professional fight at the cruiserweight limit, his opponent Michal Cieslak has been actively campaigning in the division. Cieslak has secured six victories at 200lbs since suffering a points defeat to Lawrence Okolie in 2022.
The co-main event on the June 28 card is expected to feature former light-heavyweight world title challenger Marcus Browne. Browne is slated to return after a 22-month layoff to face Olanrewaju Durodola, considered by some to be a limited opponent.
Similar to Pascal, Browne has only one victory at the cruiserweight division but will be looking to improve his position in the WBC rankings with this upcoming fight.
