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By: Johnny Walker
WBA light-heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (34-6-1 20 K0s) of Laval, Quebec, has been one of boxing’s most durable warriors for the last decade and a fine representative of Canadian boxing.
And while training over the holidays in Atlanta, Georgia for his upcoming title fight Saturday night at the State Farm Arena with Badou Jack (22-2-3 15 KOs) of Sweden, Pascal’s mind has been on his homeland in the Great White North.
Canada enjoyed one of its greatest years in international sport in 2019, including a title win for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and the US Open women’s title in tennis being captured by Toronto teenager Bianca Andreescu.
Pascal, 37, also had a part in this Canadian wave of sporting success when he upset Marcus Browne in Brooklyn back in August to become a light-heavyweight champion once again.
And, with his typically playful sense of humor, Pascal says he is hoping to continue the golden flow of Canadian success when he steps in the ring with former light-heavyweight champion in Jack on Saturday night.
In an online interview, Pascal has gone so far as to needle the current US President Donald Trump for his obsession with erecting a “wall” between Mexico and the USA so as to keep immigrants out.
Pascal says he disproves of Trump’s long planned USA/Mexico wall, and jokes that Canada may instead need a wall constructed between it and the United States instead in order to keep Americans out, as the Great White North looks to continue its run of sporting and even pop cultural dominance.
“Hey listen, I don’t like Donald Trump trying to build a wall between Mexico and the US,” Pascal explains.
“I really don’t know why [Trump wants that], because the Mexican people are very nice people.”
“[Trump] should build a wall between Canada and the US [instead], because Canada, we winning everything this year,” Pascal continues.
“We got the best rapper in the game, Drake, we are NBA champions with the Raptors, we even are the tennis US Open winner with Bianca Andreescu, and the [WBA light-heavyweight ] belt is gonna stay up North where it belongs, in Canada,” Pascal jibes.
“So Donald Trump, build a wall between Canada and the US, not between the US and Mexico!”
Jean Pascal versus Badou Jack is the co-featured event as two-time Super Featherweight World Champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis taking on former unified Featherweight World Champion Yuriorkis Gamboa for the WBA Lightweight Title
