Photo by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
Back in 2014, boxing heads were treated to a televised card from Montreal, Canada featuring Adonis Stevenson and Jermell Charlo. For many American’s, this was a sneak peek to see a young man with a style that looked straight from the 1940’s.
That man put on an impressive performance and walked away with a win by KO. His name was David Lemieux, and that knockout was just one of the 31 that’s on his record.
Lemieux was a name not that well known in the states, but was a star already in his home of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Lemieux made his pro debut in 2007 and remained undefeated until he met Marco Antonio Rubio in 2011. Lemieux lost another fight immediately after against Joachim Alcine, but turned his career around by winning seven bouts in a row capped off by his United States debut at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
His opponent was the very tough Philadelphia fighter, Gabriel Rosado. With similar fighting styles, the two brawlers put on an amazing showcase with Lemieux packing more punch and getting the 10th round KO. With Americans now knowing his name, Lemieux headed back home to Canada to pick up the vacant IBF Middleweight title in a fight against Hassan N’Dam.
From there, Lemieux was put on the list for possible opponents for middleweight superstar Gennady Golovkin.
“I never say no to a fight, I’ll fight anyone they put in front me. This is what I’ve trained all my life for, and I know what I deserve. I deserve to be in there with the best of the best,” said Lemieux in a recent interview with Round By Round Boxing.
Golovkin dominated Lemieux, and while the he didn’t get to showcase his skills, Lemieux definitely showcased his heart. Eight rounds in, the referee stopped the fight and Golovkin secured his 34th victory.
“Golovkin has perfected his craft, and I have the utmost respect for him,” said Lemieux as he reflected on that night.
“That fight just showed me I need to grow, I need to perfect my craft as well.”
Facing New Jersey’s Glen Tapia (23-2, 15KO’s) on May 7 as part of the undercard for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan fight, Lemieux has been training since the beginning of the year, as a scheduled fight for March fell thru against James De La Rosa.
Lemieux came in 2.6 pounds over the contracted weight and the De La Rosa team refused to fight. With the first quarter of the year dedicated to training, Lemieux says he’s very well prepared for this fight, but not over confident.
“Of course I’m confident with myself, but never over confident. I’ve had a lot of determination for a good training camp, but I remain humble and well grounded. Tapia comes to fight and I’m prepared for that. Once I hit him, it’s going to be a different story. I’m blessed to have the gift of packing good power in my punch, and now we’re just working on ways to be sneaky and dangerous with it.”
Being on the undercard for the middleweight matchup between Canelo and Khan gives fight fans hope for a possible matchup with Canelo in the future.
“Of course I’d fight him, but I’m not doing the catchweight thing, we’re middleweights, we can fight at 160 pounds. Canelo is a big kid and I see him having difficulty making the weight of 155. There is no reason why he can’t make 160.”
Not shying away from the best fights possible, Lemieux says he would easily jump at the opportunity to face Golvkin again.
“Give me a few more fights before, and I’ll sign up for that fight again, no problem,” said Lemieux.
With his only losses to the names of Rubio, Alcine and Golovkin, Lemieux’s resume is still outstanding, and with his fighting style and attitude, the French Canadian is an entertainer indeed.
“I want that title back, and I will work very hard to get it. I want to provide for the fans, and if I’m to be honest, you haven’t really seen the best of David Lemieux. I promise to everyone, the best is yet to come.”
Canada’s biggest boxing star and former IBF Middleweight world champion David Lemieux (34-3, 31 KOs) will be looking to make an impression and use his power against the swift contender from Passaic, New Jersey, Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia (23-2, 15 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight co-main event on Saturday, May 7, 2016 live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
