By Jake Donovan
David Lemieux is well aware of what he's up against heading into his October 17 middleweight title unification bout with Gennady Golovkin. The recently crowned titlist from Montreal is a massive underdog in a matchup of knockout artists, although it's worth noting that just about any other middleweight going up against Golovkin faces an equally challenging task.
All of this has been taken into consideration prior to agreeing to terms over the summer. There was a point where Lemieux and his team flirted with the idea of moving in another direction. Instead, the decision was made to move forward with the most dangerous assignment awaiting any middleweight today.
“I am absolutely ready for Golovkin,” Lemieux (34-2, 31KOs) promises. “There is not a single doubt in my mind, and I would not have taken the fight if there was.”
The bout will mark the first attempted defense of the title he won in a 12-round thriller versus Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam at home in Montreal this past June. Lemieux scored four knockdowns on the night, but still found himself in a donnybrook in ultimately prevailing by unanimous decision after N’Dam N’Jikam managed to make it to the finish line.
It was his ninth consecutive win following a disastrous 2011 campaign that saw him collect the lone two losses of his career. It's also his biggest victory to date, proving to himself that he's ready for the absolute best middleweights in the world.
“I think that my last fight against Hassan N’Dam is the one that prepared me the best for this championship fight,” Lemieux believes. “It was a major fight, a championship fight as well, and I delivered a great performance. I also showed that I could perform well and achieve great things under pressure.
“I have an experienced team behind me, we have all the tools and the experience needed to get me in the best shape that I can be in the ring on October 17th. My preparation for N'Dam went extremely well, we had a great camp and I was ready physically and mentally the day of the fight, and I proved that with my performance. We will use the same recipe.”
Granted, what worked on that night won't necessarily produce similar results next month. Golovkin has never been down as a pro and has managed to put away his last 20 opponents well inside the distance. The hard-hitting rising star from Kazakhstan comes in with the reputation as the best middleweight in the world - and also the one whom few others are in a hurry to face.
Even Lemieux's team gave pause when the fight was first proposed, instead showing an eagerness to await an assignmed mandatory challenger. Rather than play the waiting game, Lemieux took the reins and insisted upon making this fight happen, taking well into consideration not just the risks that comes with a Golovkin fight, but the rewards that can follow should he pull off the upset.
“This is my next step, a big one, but one that I am definitely ready for,” Lemieux insists. “I honestly think that I'm the best chosen opponent to beat Golovkin now because of the boxer that I am, physically and mentally, but mostly because of my character, my strength of character.”
The bout will air live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter:
@JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page:
JakeBScene
