Fox Sports 2/Fox Deportes Quick Picks

David Lemieux vs. Hassan N'Dam: If you need an example of a fight not getting enough attention look no further than Saturday's bout between knockout artist David Lemieux (33-2, 31 KO) and Hassan N'Dam (31-1, 18 KO).  The two fighters were without a television network until only recently and on a crowded Saturday night they were forced to settle for the fight being aired on Fox Sports 2 and Fox Deportes.  The fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds for a vacant IBF middleweight title, and with these two going head to head it could end up being a Fight of the Year candidate.  Lemieux was a nice looking prospect until his career nearly derailed in 2011.  That years saw Lemieux loss two fights in a row including one by knockout.  However, since that last loss Lemieux has gone 8-0 with 7 knockouts.  As for N'Dam his lone career loss came in 2012 against Peter Quillin in a fight that saw him get dropped six times but still make it to the final bell.  Lemieux who fights out of the orthodox stance has some of the heaviest hands in boxing.  He has fast hands and typically throws a high number of punches.  Lemieux likes to use his jab to set up his power punches and his left hook can end a fight.  He also has a heavy right hand although it gets wild at times.  On defense Lemieux isn't great but he has improved since his knockout in 2011.  N'Dam is also an orthodox fighter and while he doesn't have the power of Lemieux he can frustrate opponents with his boxer-puncher abilities.  N'Dam has a very strong jab he can win rounds with and his left hook is dangerous although it does come on very wide.  Another dangerous weapon for N'Dam is his right hand to the body and it is also dangerous upstairs when he throws it straight upstairs.  Like Lemieux, the defense of N'Dam isn't great but it looked vastly improved his last time in the ring against Curtis Stevens.  Look for N'Dam to fight Lemieux like he did Stevens but that won't be easy to do considering Lemieux is much more talented and heavy handed.  N'Dam has been down many times but he has never been knocked out as a pro, that will change on Saturday as Lemieux will win the fight with a 10th round stoppage.


Dierry Jean vs. Jerry Belmontes: The co-feature of Saturday's card will be a 10-round lightweight bout between Dierry Jean (28-1, 20 KO) and Jerry Belmontes (19-6, 5 KO).  While the record of Belmontes looks horrible he has been a hard luck loser against the likes of Omar Figueroa and Abner Cotto.  Belmontes is usually brought in as an opponent against quality fighters like Eric Hunter, Francisco Vargas, and Miguel Vazquez so he may be better than his record indicates.  Still his 4-6 record in his last 10 fights is seriously hurting his career.  Jean is a one-loss fighter and that loss came in 2014 against Lamont Peterson, and since that fight he has gone 3-0 with three knockouts.  Jean may not be the most technically sound fighter but he is fun to watch because of his aggressive style and punching power.  On the outside the orthodox  Jean puts in solid work with his stiff jab and quick straight right hand but he gets better when things get close.  Jean loves to fight on the inside where he can land his heavy left hooks and right hands.  Something else Jean does very well is land uppercuts on the inside but his best punch is surely his left hook to the body.  The reason Jean has so much success on the inside is because he has fast hands and puts his combinations together very well.  Belmontes is a much different fighter, most noticeably because his lack of power.  Belmontes who is also an orthodox fighter likes to keep things on the outside where he can land his quick and busy jab and accurate straight right hand.  On the inside Belmontes does do a nice job of banging to the body, the problem is that he doesn't have enough power to do any damage.  This fight will come down to distance.  If Jean can get inside he should be able to put a hurting on Belmontes.  However, if Belmontes can stick and move from the outside he may be able to pull off the upset.  One thing for Belmontes to hang his hat on is the fact that he has never been knocked out and that won't change come Saturday night.  Yet Belmontes will add another loss to his resume as Jean really roughs him up on his way to a unanimous decision win.