By Edward Chaykovsky

Former IBF middleweight champion David Lemieux created headlines this week for the wrong reasons.

The boxer was scheduled to return to action on Saturday night in Montreal, in what would have been his first bout since getting stopped by Gennady Golovkin last October in New York City.

There was only one problem, on Friday Lemieux failed to make the contracted weight limit of 163-pounds. He weighed in at 165.6-pounds, while his opponent - James De La Rosa - was 162. 

Lemieux's team tried their best to reach a deal with De La Rosa, who refused to fight at a higher weight limit.

 

The boxer's team is planning to have him evaluated by a doctor and a nutritionist on Monday. They want to ensure that Lemieux will still be capable of making the middleweight limit of 160-pounds in a safe manner. Many of his fans are currently wondering if a move to the super middleweight limit of 168 is part of Lemieux's immediate future.

“We never thought this would happen for two pounds,” said Marc Ramsay, Lemieux’s trainer told the Montreal Gazette. “We all thought it was going to be okay. We’d pay the 20 per cent and it would be enough."

“For sure, it’s never good when a boxer fails to make weight. His image is (damaged) a little bit. It’s never good, but it happened. We have to find a reason and fix it.”

“We need someone who will look at David scientifically. We can’t just go with our feeling. At the end of the day, it’s more important to analyze what happened and find solutions and answers. The line is very thin between putting the guy in the ring to perform as opposed to protecting his health. My first role is to protect Lemieux — not teach him techniques and tactics."