No one knew who Michael Eifert was prior to Thursday night’s bout with 40-year-old Jean Pascal, but now they will know him on Friday morning as the man who upset the former two-time light heavyweight champion, in their scheduled 12-round main event bout at 175 lbs. As high a seven-to-one underdog in some sportsbooks, Eifert who was half the age of Pascal, looked it in the ring outboxing Pascal, who looked every bit of his age.
The fight saw Eifert not just fight the fight of his life, but stay composed as well. With Pascal down on the scorecard in the 12th and final round, Pascal began to swing for the fences. Eifert who appeared faster and more fundamentally sound stuck to his game plan despite being tired and didn’t allow that fight-changing big shot to land, as Eifert defeated Pascal in the fighter’s return to Montreal.
Father Time is undefeated and Eifert looked a lot younger and faster than Pascal, who despite some late-round success could never land enough to change the tides in this fight.
In the end, the judges saw the bout 118-110, 115-113, and 117-111, all for Eifert.
With the win, Eifert is now the number one contender for Artur Beterbiev’s IBF light heavyweight world title.
This bout had been delayed as Pascal contracted COVID-19 in 2023, forcing the fight back which is something to note as well.
Other results from the undercard saw an upset as unknown Karla Ramos Zamora sporting nearly as many wins as she had losses, scored a fourth-round TKO against former world title challenger Jessica Camara. The end came at 1:46 when the bout was called to a halt. 2016 Olympian light heavyweight Joseph Ward needed just a minute-and-a-half to stop Mario Andrade Rodriguez, as a left hook was all he needed to get the stoppage in the first round.