Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux
Boxing fans love seeing knockouts. Not only are they exciting but they keep the judges out of the mix and in boxing that is always a good thing. So while Saturday's HBO PPV fight between Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux may not be the super fight it will be a fight between super powerful punchers. The bout is scheduled to go 12 rounds in the middleweight division but no one who knows anything about boxing thinks it will last that long. On the line in this title unification fight will be Golovkin's WBA and interim WBC titles and Lemieux's IBF title and for both men it marks the biggest fight of their careers.
When it comes to the offensive side of boxing not many fighters have the tools that Golovkin does. It isn't just Golovkin's power that is dangerous, the orthodox fighter also has a telephone pole jab and he has shown tremendous patience in fights along with the ability to cutt off the ring extremely well. In a way Golovkin is like Mayweather in that he isn't a fast starter and typically uses the first few rounds to get a handle on his opponent before he goes about breaking them down. With his jab Golovkin has shown a very heavy right hand that he will throw straight or over the top. However, his money punch is his left hook which can end a fight any time it lands and he can land it upstairs or to the body equally well. In recent fights Golovkin's defense hasn't been good but he attributes that to the fact that fights have been so easy for him and he gets bored and wants to give fans a show so he lets his opponent hit him. How much of that is actually true only Golovkin knows but he can't allow himself to take clean punches against Lemieux who should be the first fighter to really test Golovkin's chin.
The only knock against Golovkin by fans is that his resume isn't stellar. You can't blame Golovkin though since most of the top fighters around the middleweight division want nothing to do with him. Despite that criticism Golovkin's resume is actually better than advertised and he has dominating wins over the likes of Gabriel Rosado, Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio, and Martin Murray. Certainly none of those fighters are A-level but they are the best Golovkin could get in the ring and he has easily beaten them all. His record going into his fight with Lemieux is a perfect 33-0 with an almost unbelievable 30 knockouts and a win over Lemieux could finally force another A-level fighter to mix it up with him.
If Golovkin is one of boxing's heaviest hitters Lemieux isn't far behind. Lemieux fights out of the orthodox stance and he has seemed to get better with each fight. While his power is what gets all the attention it may be his work rate that is more impressive. Lemieux has fast hands and he likes to flash his jab in order to set up his power punches. Those power punches include a deadly left hook and a powerful straight right hand that he will dig to the belly, although when he throws his right hand over the top it tends to get wild. His left hook is definitely his best weapon and it is a punch he looks to end fights with every time he throws it. The patience that Golovkin shows is nowhere to be found with Lemieux who goes in for the kill early and never lets up. Defensively Lemieux has had issues and while he still isn't great he has improved since losing back-to-back fights in 2011.
The two losses that Lemieux suffered in 2011 almost derailed his career but he has looked better than ever as of late. Since those losses he has gone 9-0 with 7 knockouts and his career record is an impressive 34-2 with a scary 31 knockouts. While Lemieux's resume isn't quite as good as Golovkin's is he still has quality wins over Rosado, Fernando Guerrero, and Hassan N'Dam who he dropped four times. The fighters do have two common opponents in Rosado and Rubio, Lemieux was stopped in the 7th round by Rubio and stopped Rosado in the 10th round while Golvokin beat both men, Rosado with a 7th round stoppage and he knocked Rubio out in the 2nd round.
Throw the chess pieces out the window because this fight will not be a calculated chess match that goes 12 rounds. Instead this should be a Hagler-Hearns type of fight that may not last long but will provide enough action to keep fans happy even if it only goes a few rounds. Both men are extremely strong punchers and both have questionable defense so both are vulnerable. Golovkin is the favorite entering this fight but if he sleeps on Lemieux he could be put to sleep. For Lemieux this fight is about proving he is an A-level fighter and shocking the world. Whoever wins this fight will go on to very big things but if the action is as good as expected the loser may end up winning too.
PREDICTION: If David Lemieux is going to win this fight it will have to be early while the slow starter Gennady Golovkin is still trying to figure him out. That could very well end up happening but it won't. What will happen is that Golovkin will survive some anxious early moments and use his ability to cut off the ring to keep Lemieux in trouble and he will ultimately stop the Canadian fighter in the 9th round.
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| GGG's power is the stuff of legend |
The only knock against Golovkin by fans is that his resume isn't stellar. You can't blame Golovkin though since most of the top fighters around the middleweight division want nothing to do with him. Despite that criticism Golovkin's resume is actually better than advertised and he has dominating wins over the likes of Gabriel Rosado, Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio, and Martin Murray. Certainly none of those fighters are A-level but they are the best Golovkin could get in the ring and he has easily beaten them all. His record going into his fight with Lemieux is a perfect 33-0 with an almost unbelievable 30 knockouts and a win over Lemieux could finally force another A-level fighter to mix it up with him.
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| Lemieux dropped N'Dam four times |
The two losses that Lemieux suffered in 2011 almost derailed his career but he has looked better than ever as of late. Since those losses he has gone 9-0 with 7 knockouts and his career record is an impressive 34-2 with a scary 31 knockouts. While Lemieux's resume isn't quite as good as Golovkin's is he still has quality wins over Rosado, Fernando Guerrero, and Hassan N'Dam who he dropped four times. The fighters do have two common opponents in Rosado and Rubio, Lemieux was stopped in the 7th round by Rubio and stopped Rosado in the 10th round while Golvokin beat both men, Rosado with a 7th round stoppage and he knocked Rubio out in the 2nd round.
Throw the chess pieces out the window because this fight will not be a calculated chess match that goes 12 rounds. Instead this should be a Hagler-Hearns type of fight that may not last long but will provide enough action to keep fans happy even if it only goes a few rounds. Both men are extremely strong punchers and both have questionable defense so both are vulnerable. Golovkin is the favorite entering this fight but if he sleeps on Lemieux he could be put to sleep. For Lemieux this fight is about proving he is an A-level fighter and shocking the world. Whoever wins this fight will go on to very big things but if the action is as good as expected the loser may end up winning too.
PREDICTION: If David Lemieux is going to win this fight it will have to be early while the slow starter Gennady Golovkin is still trying to figure him out. That could very well end up happening but it won't. What will happen is that Golovkin will survive some anxious early moments and use his ability to cut off the ring to keep Lemieux in trouble and he will ultimately stop the Canadian fighter in the 9th round.
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