Last night in Quebec, Canada, Poland’s Michal Cieslak scored a fourth-round TKO win over a badly faded Jean Pascal, this in a fight that somehow contested the WBC interim cruiserweight title. Cieslak, at age 36 the younger man by six years, completely dominated former WBC light heavyweight champ Pascal, with him landing more than enough damage to persuade Pascal’s corner to pull their man out in the fourth round.
The time was 1:10 and Pascal was wobbling around the ring prior to being saved from taking yet more punishment. Cieslak is now 28-2(22) and he has now won seven fights on the bounce since losing to Lawrence Okolie in a failed WBO cruiserweight title challenge back in February of 2022. Pascal falls to 37-8-1(21) and he really does have no option now but to call it a career and retire.
Cieslak faced some aggression from Pascal in the opening round, this as the Canadian came out fast, firing some hooks. But soon enough Cieslak took control of things and it proved to be a tough fight to watch, a real mismatch. Pascal was issued a count in round-three, this as he fell into the ropes after taking some punches.
Cieslak knew he had a wounded, and badly faded, fighter in front of him, and he stepped things up a notch in the fourth, this enough for Pascal’s team to throw in the white towel of surrender. Again, Pascal, who was once a great fighter who rumbled with the likes of Carl Froch, Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson, has to walk away now. surely.
As for Cieslak, he is now a player in the 200 pound division. Cieslak has been beaten only by Okolie and by Ilunga Makabu (in a fight that contested the vacant WBC cruiserweight title, this back in January of 2020), and he has never been stopped.