MONTREAL (AFP) - World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion Adrian Diaconu puts his title and his unbeaten record on the line Friday against fellow Canadian Jean Pascal.

Diaconu brings a record of 26-0, with 15 knockouts, to the fight against his former sparring partner.

It's his first defence of the title he emerged with after a victory over Chris Henry in his native Romania in April of 2008, which was followed by unbeaten Chad Dawson being stripped of the belt for refusing to face Diaconu.

Pascal, a native of Quebec, is coming off his only loss in a WBC super-middlweight world title bout against champion Carl Froch.

Pascal, who fought with a left biceps injury against Froch, brings a record of 22-1-0 with 15 wins inside the distance.

Diaconu, who turned 31 earlier this month, has fought only a non-title bout since claiming the belt, with plans for title bouts falling through.

Now he'll get a chance to prove in front of fans in his adopted home that he's a worth champion.

But Pascal, 26, promised to go for the knockout against a rival who has made Quebec his base.

"I?m the boss in this town," Pascal said Monday, as the two traded verbal jabs in a pre-fight press conference. "Montreal is my town."

"I want to prove to the world I?m the best," he added. "I am going there for the knockout. If it happens, perfect. If not, I?m going to give a great fight.

"I had a great training camp in Florida. No pain, no gain and I had a lot of pain there. So I?m ready to take the crown."

Diaconu responded in kind.

"I?m going to bring everything," he promised. "The intelligence. Everything I?ve learned in 21 years of boxing. I?m going to put everything into that fight.

"If a knockout comes, it?s going to come," Diaconu added. "I?m not necessarily looking for that. I look for a hard fight, aggressive. A good intelligent fight."