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AVENTURA, Florida – Badou Jack is even more disgusted with Jean Pascal than he was at this time last week.
Jack called for Pascal to be banned from boxing for life after learning Pascal tested positive for a fourth banned substance while training for their ill-fated, light heavyweight championship rematch. The Ring’s Dan Rafael reported Thursday that Pascal failed a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association test for erythropoietin, better known as EPO, in addition to the three steroids for which the WBA world 175-pound champion previously was known to have tested positive – Drostanolone, Drostanolone Metabolite and Epitrenbolone.
“It just proves he’s a piece of sh-t, and he should be banned for life, in my opinion,” Jack told BoxingScene.com following a press conference Friday for the Floyd Mayweather-Logan Paul undercard at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa. “They should change the rules, so that it’s at least five years for something like that, maybe for the first time. But something like this, he should be banned for life.”
Venezuela’s Dervin Colina (15-0, 13 KOs) replaced Pascal on barely one week’s notice as Jack’s opponent. Showtime Pay-Per-View will broadcast their 10-round fight as part of the Mayweather-Paul show Sunday night from Hard Rock Stadium in nearby Miami Gardens.
The Swedish-born, Las Vegas-based Jack claims Pascal was using performance-enhancing drugs before their fight in December 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion pushed for VADA testing prior to that bout, but they were only tested on fight night by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission.
“None of us were tested [in camp], but we begged them to do VADA testing because we know what kinda guy he is,” Jack said. “Now I’m just happy that we finally proved it. So, hopefully they can overturn the [result of the] first fight.”
The 38-year-old Pascal (35-6-1, 20 KOs, 1 NC), of Laval, Quebec, overcame a 12th-round knockdown to edge Jack by split decision in an entertaining, back-and-forth fight 17 months ago. Jack (23-3-3, 13 KOs) was dropped during the fourth round of that bout, but he got up and made their title fight very competitive.
The 37-year-old Jack wanted nothing more than to avenge another close loss. He is bothered because he won’t get that opportunity, yet Jack is angrier that Pascal used PEDs to prepare for their rematch.
“Before the pandemic, I think six boxers died in the ring,” Jack said. “So, I mean, this is not football. This is no game. You can die in the ring. So, of course, I’m a little crazy. I’ll fight him anyway. I beat him up the last time and he was on steroids. That’s probably why he took more steroids. But, of course, I’m very frustrated I didn’t get my win. I don’t care about money. I don’t care about the title. I don’t care about nothing. I just wanna get my win, on paper, even though I already beat him.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.