Jean Pascal has returned yet another positive drug test, this time for two of the four banned performance-enhancing drugs he had already recently tested positive for that caused him to be dumped from a rematch against Badou Jack.
Pascal, the WBA’s secondary light heavyweight world titlist – for now – has tested positive again for the anabolic steroid metabolite of Drostanolone and the drug erythropoietin, which is better known as EPO, a source with direct knowledge of the test results told World Boxing News.
Pascal, who was training for a rematch with Jack that was slated to take place on the undercard of the pay-per-view exhibition match between Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul on June 6 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, was randomly tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association on May 28, according to the source.
Those test results were returned on Monday, with the camps being notified of the positive results, the source said.
The recent test results just added to the list of Pascal’s drug test failures related to the canceled rematch with Jack.
Pascal also tested positive for EPO in a sample given to VADA on May 14, whose result was returned on June 2. EPO, which can only be administered via injection, is for blood doping and to increase oxygen-carrying capacity by increasing a person’s number of red blood cells – as was the case for disgraced cycling star Lance Armstrong.
In results returned on May 29 from samples that Pascal provided to VADA on May 14 and May 17, he was positive for three other banned substances — Drostanolone, Drostanolone metabolite, and Epitrenbolone. After the first results came back, the fight with Jack was canceled.
Pascal has the right to have his B samples tested at his own expense, but if they were to come back with a different result than the positive A samples, it would be an extremely rare turn of events. It is unclear whether Pascal has sought to have any of his B samples tested.
After his initial positive test results became public, Pascal claimed he had not knowingly taken any banned substances.
“I am shocked and embarrassed. I would never voluntarily take illegal substances,” Jean Pascal said in a statement posted to social media. “I’ve always fought for a clean sport and will continue to do so. I’m one of the first modern boxers to insist on random testing, and I’ve passed countless tests during my 13 years at the highest level of boxing. I want to assure all my fans that this is an isolated incident, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to prove it.”
After the initial positive tests, Pascal also claimed he had fired a strength and conditioning coach he declined to identify.
“My strength and conditioning coach was fired,” Pascal wrote in his statement on social media. “I realize that no matter what I say, this is a stain on my name, and I’m determined to wash it out. If that means I have to come out of pocket for the most advanced 365 days random VADA testing available to boxers, then that’s what I’ll do.”
JEAN PASCAL SILENCE
Jean Pascal did not make any additional public statements when the other positive test results came to light.
Pascal (35-6-1, 20 KOs), 38, of Montreal, won a split decision against Jack in an all-action fight in December 2019 in Atlanta. With Pascal getting dropped from the Floyd Mayweather card, former super middleweight and light heavyweight world titlist Jack (24-3-3, 14 KOs), 37, of Las Vegas, instead faced late replacement Dervin Colina (15-1, 13 KOs), 33, of Venezuela, and scored three knockdowns en route to a one-sided fourth-round knockout victory.
When the fight was called off after the first set of positive results, Jack said he was always suspicious of Pascal.
“We suspected he was dirty the first time around, and VADA confirmed it this time,” Jack posted on social media.
Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, Jack’s promoter, also condemned Pascal after the first set of positive test results were made public.
“This is just very unfortunate,” Ellerbe said. “Thank God for VADA testing. Badou had some concerns, and he brought them to me and Floyd (Mayweather) after the last fight, ensuring that VADA testing was in place. That’s what we do at Mayweather Promotions. We insist on testing, and we pay for it. We always want a level playing field.
“Pascal was trying to set himself up to have a clear advantage in the fight, and it’s just unfortunate. I’m very disappointed in him and his actions. I’ve lost a lot of respect for him, a lot of respect.”
