The light heavyweight showdown between champion Jean Pascal and former champ Bernard Hopkins will be televised live on Showtime in the U.S. and not a pay-per-view broadcast as originally proposed, the subscription cable network announced on Thursday.

The scheduled 12-round bout for THE RING's 175-pound title will be held in Pascal's home of Quebec, Canada at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City on December 18 and be televised live on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this important championship fight directly to our loyal subscribers and fight fans,” said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Showtime Sports. “This is a milestone fight for each man's respective career and thus this matchup fits perfectly into our programming strategy-to televise the most competitive and meaningful bouts in the sport.”

Pascal (26-1, 16 knockouts), a 27-year-old native of Haiti, is coming off his title-winning 11-round technical decision over undefeated Chad Dawson in August.

Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KOs), a 45-year-old former middleweight and light heavyweight champ, is coming off a unanimous decision over Roy Jones Jr. in April.

“I want to thank the promoters for this event — Group Yvon Michel Inc., Golden Boy Promotions — and of course the fighters themselves for working with us to bring this bout to our faithful audience,” Hershman said. “It's an early holiday present for Showtime fight fans.”