Loeffler, De La Hoya Offer Varying Takes on GGG-Lemieux
Oct 14, 2015 • 5:33 AM ET
By Jake Donovan
If there’s a consensus belief heading into this weekend’s middleweight title unification bout between Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux, it’s that it will be bombs away for however long it lasts.
Whatever happens after that is anybody’s guess, with boxing being the theatre of the unexpected.
The buzz has picked up as fight week continues for Saturday night’s headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The middleweight clash marks tops an HBO Pay-Per-View telecast, with both fighters testing the market for the first time, fitting since it is also the first true unification bout for the main event players.
As each boxer has varying opinions on what else – besides raw punching power – it will take to win their fight, their promoters – K2 Promotions (Golovkin) and Golden Boy Promotions (Lemieux) are also on opposite sides of the fence in how things will play out.
“With these two guys’ styles, I don’t think it goes 12 rounds,” Tom Loeffler, managing director of K2 Promotions told host Jessica Rosales after the main event pre-fight press conference Wednesday afternoon in New York City. “There's going to be a lot of action, but I don't see it going 12 rounds.”
Oscar de la Hoya, the founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions (named after his ring moniker during his Hall of Fame boxing career) envisions a number of scenarios, using famous middleweight bouts of the past to support his case.
“I don't know if it's going to go 12 rounds or if it won’t,” de la Hoya told Rosales, though explaining why he was hedging his bet. “You take a look at (Thomas) Hearns versus Marvelous Marvin Hagler. That fight was… three rounds, a slugfest from the opening bell.
“Then you look at a fight like John the Beast Mugabi (24-0, 24KOs at the time) versus Marvelous Marvin Hagler, which was a war for (11 rounds). Who knows if it goes the distance or if it’s one punch. What we know is that we will get amazing entertainment.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
