On Saturday, March 12, 2016, former IBF Middleweight champion David Lemieux (34-3, 31 KOs) will be making a quiet comeback in his backyard of Montreal at the Olympia Theatre.
His opponent will be San Benito, Texas’ “King” James De La Rosa (23-3, 13 KOs) who was gone 2-2 in his last four bouts, including an upset victory over Alfredo Angulo and a knockout loss to Hugo Centeno.
The 10-round middleweight bout will air live on Fox Deportes and Ring TV Live in the United States.
Lemieux was last seen in the ring back in October of 2015 when he took on undefeated Middleweight juggernaut, Gennady Golovkin.
Golovkin essentially mopped the floor with Lemieux, stopping him in eight rounds, and after such a one-sided beat down, many in the boxing world are wondering how Lemieux will fair in his return.
“I’m just coming back from a big fight, but I’ve moved on. I am ready to step into the ring to win,” said Lemieux during the final press conference on Wednesday.
At 27, Lemieux is young enough to climb back to championship status and he looks to keep evolving as well.
“De La Rosa is a very good fighter. He’s someone who is legit and someone on the good way to my evolution I’m looking at,” said Lemieux in an interview with The Montreal Gazette.
“There is nothing that is going to surprise people. I’m coming in better than I did in any of my other fights,” said Lemieux.
Of course, De La Rosa is no Golovkin, but a knockout victory for Lemieux will still go a long way in strengthening his psyche and getting him one step closer to a big-time fight.
Header photo by Karljessy Photographe
