By Keith Idec

Jean Pascal plans to atone for a “bad night” against Sergey Kovalev in his first fight since Kovalev stopped him.

The former WBC light heavyweight champion from Laval, Quebec, will encounter Cuba’s Yunieski Gonzalez in a 10-round fight Saturday night at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. HBO will air their 10-rounder to start a “World Championship Boxing” doubleheader scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET. Russia’s Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KOs) will defend his IBF, WBA and WBO light heavyweight titles against IBF mandatory challenger Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KOs), of France, in the 12-round main event.

Pascal (29-3-1, 17 KOs, 1 NC) will face an unbeaten but unproven opponent in the Miami-based, 30-year-old Gonzalez (16-0, 12 KOs), who has built his unblemished record against unknown, club-level boxers. It is an opportunity, however, for the 32-year-old Pascal to begin building momentum toward a rematch with Kovalev, whom Pascal tested at times during a captivating clash Kovalev won by eighth-round technical knockout March 14 at Bell Centre in Montreal.

“This is my chance to make a statement on Saturday night,” Pascal said. “I know I am still among the best in the world and best in my division. I know Yunieski Gonzalez is hungry and he wants to make a statement. I want to give you guys a great show on Saturday night.”

Pascal declined to discuss specifics of a potential Kovalev rematch, but previously made it clear he thinks their fight was stopped prematurely and wants another shot at the fast-rising knockout puncher.

“My philosophy is the best must fight the best,” Pascal said. “I believe I am still among the best in the world. I am the best light heavyweight in the world, but I had a bad night on March 14.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.