QUEBEC - Jean Pascal was going to be a star in the National Hockey League but, at age 13, was barely taller than 5 feet and couldn’t even hit 100 pounds on the Toledo.

Jean Pascal was going to be a police officer, but never made it to the academy in Nicolet. His career as a professional prizefighter kind of got in the way, although he claimed he may yet complete the course once his days of pugilism have ended. On the other hand, as a brash and cocky 28-year-old - a guy who gets his ride for free thanks to a sponsorship contract with a Montreal dealership - Pascal admits to occasionally having a heavy foot when he’s tooling around town in his Porsche Cayenne or Range Rover. He might be the World Boxing Council’s light-heavyweight champion, but when Pascal gets stopped for speeding, no matter his pedigree or potential future career, he’s no different than the common stiff trying to sweet-talk his way out of an infraction.

“Of course, I go too fast sometimes, but I never drive dangerous,” he claimed during an exclusive interview with The Gazette following a light training session Thursday morning. “Sometimes I get tickets. Sometimes I get away, although most of the time I get tickets.”

We’re guessing the Laval resident can pay the fines without compromising his next meal. He’ll earn a tidy $1.5-million for Saturday night’s 12-round main event defence against 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins at the Colisée Pepsi - this coming four months after Pascal earned his first million-dollar payday against Chad Dawson.

If he continues winning, Pascal, 26-1 with 16 knockouts, will never have to work another day in his life upon retirement - as a cop or anything - and will continue to see his bank account accrue exponentially. Dawson’s owed a rematch, likely this spring in the provincial capital, and there are many other lucrative fights on Pascal’s horizon, ending with a potential 2012 matchup against Montreal’s Lucian Bute, the International Boxing Federation super-middleweight champ.

“Money hasn’t changed me at all. I’m still the same,” Pascal claimed. “Money doesn’t change people who have money. It only changes the people around you, but I’ve had the same friends since I was 15.

“I’m in a position where I can help other people, and I love to help people,” he added. “I always knew I would become a millionaire. I knew, one day, I would make it big.”

It’s the public side of Pascal we’ve all come to know over the years. He turned pro in early 2005, a promoter’s dream and media darling, never shy to hide his feelings or speak his mind. He carried his hands low in the ring, and it seemed he would eventually get clocked, but compensated with quick fists, a solid punch and a dollop of toughness.

But there’s a private side of Pascal many probably don’t know exist. Born in Haiti, he and his older half-brother, boxer Nicholson Poulard, moved to Quebec with their mother, a nurse, for a better life and education. Pascal’s father, a well-respected politician in Haiti, has never left; Pascal not seeing him since that day although they remain in telephone contact. It was Pascal’s stepfather, Francois Laporte, who was the influential male figure in his life.

Pascal became a father himself at 21, although he and his former girlfriend never married. Indeed, despite his lifestyle, Pascal went to court and won full custody of his daughter, Angel, now 7. When Pascal’s at camp preparing for a bout - he spent 40 days training in Miami, preparing for Hopkins - his mother takes care of the child.

“It grounds you more,” he said of his added responsibility. “Now you have to think about two people.

“I don’t know if I’m a good father,” Pascal added, “but at least I’m trying to be good. I’ll do anything possible to make her happy.”

Pascal was a shy, introverted kid, but gained confidence through boxing. He was a gifted amateur; seven times crowned national champion. He came fifth at the 2001 world championship; won gold at the ‘02 Commonwealth Games; bronze at the Pan-Am Games a year later and represented Canada at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He completed his amateur career 103-18.

Boxing taught him discipline, making Pascal the man he has become. He realized, through boxing, all things were possible with hard work, discipline and determination. Those were the keys to success, in and out of the ring.

“Before the age of 16, I was quiet and had little confidence. I had a bit of a complex,” he said. “But when I became a national champion, the best in the country, I knew I could be the best at something. People thought I was cocky.

“Most guys go into a club and try to get a girl. But first, they talk to themselves and wonder whether they’re going to be rejected. I just go forward and see what happens, without fear. I have confidence in myself, and girls love a confident man.”

Pascal won his first 21 fights before taking a calculated risk, travelling to the United Kingdom to meet Carl Froch for the vacant 168-pound WBC crown. Pascal lost a unanimous decision but acquitted himself well. He redidicated himself, moved up a weight class and, within six months, had another title opportunity - this time defeating Adrian Diaconu. The Hopkins bout will be Pascal’s fourth defence.

“He was always serious and trained hard, but started listening a lot more after the loss. That’s what’s needed at this level, and he knew he was close,” said trainer Marc Ramsay, who has been in Pascal’s corner since his amateur days. “He’s easy to work with because he’s ready to work hard. But he needs to know everything. You have to explain why and where something will bring us. And I think he’s a complete boxer, gifted by nature. He’s fast, his power is above average and he’s solid. He can fight, box and do a bit of everything.

“I always told him before that he was a dreamer. But now he’s a winner. That’s a big difference.”

hzurkowsky@montrealgazette.com