By Richard Cloutier

At the final press conference in the Houston restaurant, located in the business district of Montreal, unbeaten middleweight David Lemieux (25-0) finally met face to face with his future rival, Mexican contender Marco Antonio Rubio (49-5).

"I know that Rubio is well prepared. He has a lot of experience and he hits hard, but so do I," said Lemieux. "I've been training since the age of nine-years-old for such a fight. In the gym, I met all kinds of boxers. Some who were punchers, guys that move, stylists - so I'm really ready. In fact, I'm in the best shape of my career."

"Just like Pavlik, he has a good left hook. He has a right uppercut, which is quite a weapon typically from a Mexican," said coach Marc Ramsay, who will be around the corner of David Lemieux, along with head coach Russ Anber. "David also has a very good uppercut. In fact, both have essentially the same arsenal, but I would say that David hits harder. "

Should we emphasize the importance of the Montreal circuit boxing markets around the world?

"This fight, if we had done it five years ago, it would have taken place in an arena much larger than where we are staging it on Friday," criticized coach Russ Anber. "It seems that boxing fans in Quebec are a bit spoiled. It's a fight that is quite extraordinary, where two real hitters will compete against each other. I know the quality of the opponent we have before us and the dangers that exist. I can assure you that David is the driving point and it will be a very exciting fight, in the fashion that David likes to deliver. "
 
It must be said that on March 19, Lucian Bute had his 7th defense of the IBF 168-pound title in Montreal, and that on May 21, Jean Pascal will again face Bernard Hopkins, while in co-feature Chad Dawson will face Adrian Diaconu.

The event promoter, Yvon Michel, also adds - "In 2006, boxing attracted nearly 10,000 people at Uniprix Stadium for Joachim Alcine for the WBA championship eliminator against Javier Mamani. The following year, it attracted many people for Hermann Ngoudjo against Randall Bailey. Today, we are privileged with boxing in Quebec. However, it is true that this fight is a bit more in the shade. After Friday, people will come running to watch the performances of David Lemieux. "

This playoff duel for WBC middleweight crown is taking place on Friday at the Bell Centre, and it will be broadcast on ESPN. Both boxers predict a knockout before the limit of twelve rounds.