Montreal's golden boy Jean Pascal takes a step up in competition on Friday Night fights against former middleweight contender Kingsley Ikeke. Pascal will be defending his NABF Super Middleweight title as Ikeke steps up in weight. Ikeke hasn't fought since losing by 5th round KO to Arthur Abraham in Dec. of 2005. Sportsbook.com has posted boxing betting odds on Kingsley Ikeke as a +500 underdog.
In that fight Ikeke killed himself to make the 160 Lb. weight limit and was severly weakend. The 6'4" Kingsley should benefit from having some extra meat on his elongated frame in this bout. Jean Pascal is a hot prospect who was a star amateur in Canada and posesses superstar marketability. Jean has drawn comparisons to his idol Roy Jones Jr. for his flashy handspeed, high energy movement and ripped physique. Pascal like Jones, likes to fight with his hands low but has yet to have been tested against anyone above C level competition.
Kingsley likes to stab his opponents at range with a piston like jab. Pascal has a tendency to loop his punches which could pose a problem against such a straight puncher like Ikeke. Hatian Pascal has been reported to have had his best training camp to date in his brief 2 1\2 year pro career so he should be very sharp. Nigerian Ikeke has been inactive for a long stretch now but is know as a gym rat who loves doing roadwork.
Neither one of these fighters are huge punchers so a distance fight is a likely scenario. While Pascal has all the talent he has yet to be tested. Ikeke is a determined fighter who has fought at a higher level and should benefit from fighting at a proper weight. I get the suspicion that Jean Pascal for all his ability is technically unsound and overrated. The fight is in Canada so with Ikeke also being Canadian this should give him a level playing field. While on paper Pascal should win Ikeke at +500 is a great bet.
Tale Of The Tape
Ikeke Pascal
HT. 6'4" 5'11"
WT. 168 168
Age 34 24
Reach: 79" 73"
Record: 23-2 (13) 16-0 (13)
Sportsbook.com has posted boxing odds on the Kingsley Ikeke vs Juan Pascal boxing match
Juan Pascal -800
Kingsley Ikeke +500
Brad Marchetti Boxing Prediction: Kingsley Ikeke 1 unit to profit 5 units
