Photo by Ismael Gallardo/RBRBoxing
The three-stop press tour to promote the Middleweight unification fight between Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30 KOs) and David Lemieux (34-2, 31 KOs) made its final stop in Los Angeles, California in front of a packed crowd of boxing media members.
The two knockout artists are set to face off on October 17 at Madison Square Garden, and will headline an HBO PPV event.
Lemieux, 26, certainly has a challenge ahead of him, but a nine-fight win streak and an 86 percent KO ratio has certainly given him confidence.
“Yes, I do believe that I can win on October 17. I don’t just believe it; I know what it takes to win,” said the native of Montreal, Canada at Thursday’s presser.
“I know how to do this because of my experience; I know my abilities, and I know myself inside and outside the ring,” said Lemieux.
Another thing that may perhaps—or, in the eyes of some, hurt—his chances are two losses in his career.
Lemieux lost to Marco Antonio Rubio and Joachim Alcine in 2011, but after several changes in his team, he came back better than ever, stopping seven of eight opponents before defeating Hassan N’Dam to earn the IBF crown in June.
Some may see this as a sign of his impending loss against Golovkin because Rubio, their common opponent, was disposed very easily by Golovkin last year.
But perhaps it also means that he’s battle tested, has faced adversity, and could give Golovkin the toughest fight of his career.
Nevertheless, the fight is a breath of fresh air in a time when fans are desperately waiting for tough fights between the best fighters, and Lemieux is proud to step up to the challenge.
“I’ve come along way and I’m proud to be here today to fight the Goliath of the Middleweight division,” said Lemieux, admitting that he indeed finds himself in the position of a seemingly overmatched biblical David.
“Gennady Golovkin is a good champion; he has good values. But in the ring you’re not friends. It’s two pit-bulls going for the neck,” said Lemieux.
Indeed, as both aim for each other’s chin like two pit-bulls at each other’s throats, we’ll learn if Lemieux really is the underdog many currently believe he is.
