Lemieux: Will Golovkin's Chin Withstand My Onslaught?

By Jake Donovan

Even if he boasted the necessary skill set to put on a clinic, David Lemieux has no intention of allowing a boxing match to break out on a night where most are coming to see a fight.

It’s the very threat of intense in-ring violence that has aroused public interest surrounding his October 17 middleweight title unification match with Gennady Golovkin. Their bout headlines at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York City, with HBO Pay-Per-View to air live (Saturday, $49.95 SRP). 

“You know this is a fight that people wanted to see. The fans and the world want to see this fight because they know it will be a war,” Lemieux (34-2, 31KOs) firmly believes. “In war there is pain; if you accept that and decide to go in there, it means you made up your mind that through thick and thin. You will pay the price that needs to be paid.

“I believe it is a night that there will be blood, there will be pain and suffering and at the end of the day the winner is the one that wants it most.”

Perhaps it can be argued that Golovkin (33-0, 30KOs) has simply ‘wanted it’ a hell of a lot more than any of his opponents to date. Even among his past opponents who didn’t give up until the bitter end, there’s the issue of the unbeaten knockout artist from Kazakhstan just being that much better than the rest of his field.

It’s not just his two-fisted firepower, but his knockout intentions coupled with his all-around skillset that has led to worldwide success. Golovkin racked up nearly 350 amateur wins, an amazing run highlighted by nabbing an Olympic Silver medal in the 2004 Athens Games (ironically, that he claimed silver actually represents a rare loss he endured in the amateur ranks). 

Through 33 fights as a pro, he shows no signs of slowing down and in fact improving every day under the tutelage of Abel Sanchez.

Conversely, Lemieux is still (and perhaps unfairly) cast as a free-swinging puncher from Montreal. However, his current nine-fight win streak has shown that he’s more than a one-trick pony. Sure, power punching was key in his building a sizeable lead versus Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam in their vacant title fight this past June. But when the brave Frenchman kept climbing off the deck, Lemieux had to resort to Plan B… and C… in order to emerge victorious in claiming his first title.

“Believe me there is a difference between thinking you want something and knowing that you want it,” Lemieux points out. “I know that I want it and am fully aware of how much I am willing to take and how much I will have to dish out. Some people can dish it but can't take it.

“Well isn't that the question mark about Golovkin? We will find out on the 17th and there will be a lot of answers given to the world. I will shock the world. I have been there in the past where I had nothing left in the tank and kept on going. My fight with (Marco Antonio) Rubio, I was never knocked out, in fact, I knocked myself out although it was a technical knockout my corner stopped the fight because they could see at the time that I had nothing left in the tank but I wasn't going to quit. In a way that is a testament to some of these questions.”

The win over N’Dam was a far cry from the worst stretch of his career, dropping back-to-back fights in 2011 – including the aforementioned stoppage loss to Rubio - when he was still a year or so away from coming into his own as a boxer. Improvements have since been made, including his joining forces with top Canadian boxing trainer Marc Ramsey. With such adjustments has also come the confidence that he can overcome any circumstance, something he questions in his upcoming opponent, who quite simply hasn’t yet been forced to prove it.

“[W]ith all the adjustments that were made in my life and career in the last few years, well we'll never have to worry about that again,” Lemieux promises. “Does Golovkin have the chin to be able to withstand the onslaught I will be bringing on the 17th? Time will tell but I can tell you one thing, they all have a plan until I hit them in the mouth. I love that phrase that Tyson said because I feel that it really describes what happens to the guys that fight me. This fight will be epic because you have two guys that are ready for war that want to unify four world titles.

“One thing is for sure, I am all about legacy and as our slogan at Eye of the Tiger says "What we do in life will echo in eternity" I believe this one is for the ages. Questions about taking punches? It's all in how bad do you want it and to answer you I want it real bad! I will not be denied.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.

Twitter: @JakeNDaBox

Facebook Page: JakeBScene