Jean Pascal vs Fanlong Meng Preview May 20th, 2022
Former WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Jean Pascal of Haiti takes on unbeaten Fanlong Meng of China in a 12-round light-heavyweight tilt this Friday, May 21st. The bout from Plant City, Florida can be seen live on the ProBox TV streaming service. Pascal last fought in December, 2019 when he edged Badou Jack by a 12-round split decision to defend his title and the WBC Silver Light Heavyweight Belt. However, he then lost those after failing drug tests. Meng was last in action in October when he beat Israel Duffus by a 10-round unanimous decision. Pascal originally won those titles in August, 2019 when he beat former champ Marcus Browne via an eighth-round technical decision.
Pascal vs Meng Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jean Pascal +180
- Fanlong Meng -220
My Pick
The 39-year-old Pascal, who fights out of Quebec, Canada, retired in 2018 and then decided against it. At the time it turned out to be a wise move as he won a world title, but of course he also failed drug tests, so perhaps he should have remained on the sidelines. Anyway, this is his first fight in two-and-a-half years and he enters the ring with a record of 35-6-1 with 20 Kos.
He’s actually a three-time champion at light heavyweight and stands just under 5-feet-11-inches tall with a 72-inch reach. He’s strong and generally aggressive with a decent amount of power in his fists but isn’t really considered to be a knockout artist though as his KO ratio currently stands at an average 47.6 per cent.
Pascal has a pretty good chin and speed to go along with his skills even though he was stopped by Sergey Kovalev in 2015 and again in 2016. He’s been in the ring with some fine light heavyweights and super middleweights such as Kovalev, Adrian Diaconu, Carl Froch, Chad Dawson, Lucian Bute, Bernard Hopkins and Eleider Alvarez with his other four defeats coming to Froch, Hopkins, Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol by decisions.
Pascal usually lets his hands go and pressures his opponents while displaying pretty good footwork. His knockouts usually come after he’s worn his opponent down for several rounds but he has enough power to drop anyone if he lands one square on the chin. He has plenty of experience with 321 rounds under his belt since turning pro in 2005.
The 34-year-old Meng is a southpaw with a perfect mark of 17-0 with 10 Ko’s and has boxed just 80 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015. Before that he enjoyed a fine amateur career and fought at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England where he went 1-1. He also boxed at the 2009 and 2011 World Amateur Championships.
Meng will be taking a step up in class against Pascal as his biggest pro wins so far have been against the likes of Daniel Judah, Brad Austin, Emmanuel Danso and Gilberto Rubio. He stopped Frank Buglioni in the fifth round in 2018 to win the IBF Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight title and defended it via unanimous decision against Adam Deines the next year.
Meng has decent power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 58.8 per cent but like Pascal, isn’t really known for his power. He has good size though as he stands 6-feet-2-inches tall with a 75.5-inch wingspan. This gives him a 3.5-inch height advantage over Pascal as well as a 3.5-inch edge in reach. He’s not very well known internationally, but has good skills and pretty solid chin.
Prediction…
Pascal will have some ring rust to get through and it’s unclear how much the illegal drugs aided him in the past. Meng has been more active but lacks the pro experience of Pascal and has faced nowhere near the same level of opposition as Pascal. This is a good matchup and a tough call. It will probably go to boxer who takes the initiative and lets his hands go for all 12 rounds. It’s a very close call but I’m going with Meng in this one.
A tossup but Pascal has been out of the ring for quite a while and is now 39 years old.
Play: Meng -220 @ BetOnline.ag
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Fanlong Meng betting • Jean Pascal betting