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Mitch Abramson is reporting that Lou DiBella wants to make Khurtsidze/Lemieux for Lemeiux's Montreal fight. HBO owes Lemieux another fight as part of the Golovkin deal, I can't think many other MW's they'd approve over Khurtsidze. Be a great fight for late September.
It sounded like Langford turned down the WBO eliminator, and only Murat (#3) is rated higher than Lemeiux (#4), but that could change by August paving the way for a WBO eliminator to fight Saunders.
http://ri ngtv.craveonline.com/news/428727-middleweight-spark-plug-avtandil-khurtsidze-is-targeting-aug-and-sept-to-return
It sounded like Langford turned down the WBO eliminator, and only Murat (#3) is rated higher than Lemeiux (#4), but that could change by August paving the way for a WBO eliminator to fight Saunders.
Mitch AbramsonMiddleweight Avtandil Khurtsidze is targeting Aug. or Sept. to return
July 14, 2016
Promoter Lou DiBella is targeting the end of August and September for the return of the rugged, squat, 5-4 spark plug Avtandil Khurtsidze.
DiBella told Ri ngTV.com on Wednesday he plans to reach out to officials at Golden Boy in the coming days about matching Khurtsidze, 37, with former titleholder David Lemieux, who is seeking an opponent for a hometown fight in Montreal.
Gennady Golovkin’s pursuit of a big-name opponent has garnered most of the headlines. But fellow middleweight Khurtsidze (32-2-2, 21 knockouts) has also struggled to lure a top-grade foe because of a relentless, punishing style.
“We’ve been trying to make a big fight for him and it has not been easy,” DiBella said in a phone interview. “I was trying to arrange an eliminator in the WBO (Khurtsidze is rated No. 1 by the organization) and that hasn’t been easy. I’ve been trying to get him a fight with Golovkin and Golovkin obviously went with a big-money fight with Kell Brook. I would be very interested in doing a fight with Lemieux. But it takes two to tango. But he has to get back into the ring soon.”
Khurtsidze, who lives in Brooklyn by way of Georgia, showed just how difficult a fight with him can be in his tenth-round stoppage of previously undefeated Antoine Douglas in March in a bout he took on short notice. He pursued Douglas from the opening bell, seemingly sucking the life out of him before it was halted.
July 14, 2016
Promoter Lou DiBella is targeting the end of August and September for the return of the rugged, squat, 5-4 spark plug Avtandil Khurtsidze.
DiBella told Ri ngTV.com on Wednesday he plans to reach out to officials at Golden Boy in the coming days about matching Khurtsidze, 37, with former titleholder David Lemieux, who is seeking an opponent for a hometown fight in Montreal.
Gennady Golovkin’s pursuit of a big-name opponent has garnered most of the headlines. But fellow middleweight Khurtsidze (32-2-2, 21 knockouts) has also struggled to lure a top-grade foe because of a relentless, punishing style.
“We’ve been trying to make a big fight for him and it has not been easy,” DiBella said in a phone interview. “I was trying to arrange an eliminator in the WBO (Khurtsidze is rated No. 1 by the organization) and that hasn’t been easy. I’ve been trying to get him a fight with Golovkin and Golovkin obviously went with a big-money fight with Kell Brook. I would be very interested in doing a fight with Lemieux. But it takes two to tango. But he has to get back into the ring soon.”
Khurtsidze, who lives in Brooklyn by way of Georgia, showed just how difficult a fight with him can be in his tenth-round stoppage of previously undefeated Antoine Douglas in March in a bout he took on short notice. He pursued Douglas from the opening bell, seemingly sucking the life out of him before it was halted.
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