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Former light heavyweight world champion Jean Pascal, who came out of a brief retirement in July, will seek his second win in a row as a cruiserweight. Pascal will face Gary Kopas in a 12-round all-Canadian fight on Nov. 9 at the Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, promoter Yvon Michel announced on Tuesday. Pascal (33-5-1, 20 KOs), 35, of the Montreal suburb of Laval, retired following an eighth-round knockout victory over Ahmed Elbiali in December, but he returned as a cruiserweight in July and knocked out Quebec rival and former MMA fighter and minor league hockey player Steve Bosse in the eighth round of a novelty fight, only Bosse's second as a pro boxer. Pascal, who held a light heavyweight title from 2009 to 2011 until losing it to Bernard Hopkins in a rematch of their draw, is not facing a top opponent in Kopas (10-11-2, 5 KOs), 39, of Saskatoon, but promised he would take him seriously. "Kopas has not lost in a few years and I will not take him lightly," Pascal said. "I know he will come to surprise the world and try to ruin my career, but everyone who knows me knows that his career will end on Nov. 9. "At this point in my career, it's very important for me to stay active. We had other plans that, unfortunately, fell [apart] at the last minute but, fortunately, the fight with Kopas came." Kopas has won six fights in a row and been knocked out only once in his 11 defeats, but he has faced poor opposition throughout his career. Now he is taking an enormous step up in competition. "I've been staying in the gym, learning new skills and enjoying life," Kopas said. "When I first heard I was fighting Jean, I was shocked -- happy, but shocked. Getting the opportunity to make history and show the world the best me is an insane feeling. "This is a huge fight for me. Pascal has done great things and I'm really looking forward to showing my best against a former world champion. This fight will change my life, but I want Pascal to understand that his life is going to change, too, after his defeat. I hope he stands toe-to-toe with me like he did his last fight. He will not last long."
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