HBO Fight Preview

David Lemieux vs. Curtis Stevens

In what could very well end up being a contender for the 2017 Fight of the Year, David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens will face off on Saturday night.  The fight will air on HBO and it is scheduled to go 12 rounds although no title will be on the line.  What will be on the line is bragging rights between two fighters who genuinely don't like one another.  The winner would also keep his name in the mix to take on other top middleweights which is always important in order to maintain a thriving career.

Lemieux catches Tapia with a strong left hook

When it comes to skills Lemieux's aren't the sharpest.  He has made up for any deficiencies thought with his crushing power that can end a fight in an instant.  Lemieux has a stiff jab out of the orthodox stance that helps set up his power punches but he would be better served if he used that jab more often and didn't rely solely on his power.  The power from Lemieux comes in both hands.  His best punch is his massive left hook but he also puts in plenty of good work with the right hand.  Often Lemieux will stick a straight right hand to the body but he also has a wild overhand right that can do damage if it lands clean and recently he has shown a nice uppercut with that hand.  The issues for Lemieux are more obvious on the defensive side of things.  He usually eats a lot of leather and that is partially because he often squares up to opponents when he is in attack mode.  His chin is also a big question mark as he has been knocked out twice in his three career losses which won't help him against a solid puncher like Stevens.  

Earlier in his career Lemieux was a top contender and had never lost a fight.  That was until he met Marco Antonio Rubio who knocked him out and really derailed his career for a time.  Making matters worse was the fact that he followed that loss up to another one against underdog Joachim Alcine.  However, after those disasters Lemieux got back on track and went 7-0 with nine knockouts before being dismantled by Gennady Golovkin in 2015.  Since that loss Lemieux has gone 2-0 with one knockout and he looks to run his streak to three against Stevens.  His career resume is 36-3 with a very impressive 32 knockouts and you can be sure he will be looking for knockout 33 against an opponent in Stevens who he flat out doesn't like.     

Stevens catches De La Rosa with a right hand

Stevens is also an orthodox fighter with heavy hands.  He likes to work behind a high guard and while he does possess a stiff jab he doesn't use it nearly enough.  Often times Stevens will work his way inside but putting on the earmuffs and walking forward behind power punches.  Using his jab in those situations would save him from some return fire and would make his job easier.  Stevens' power comes in both hands and while his best punch is probably his strong left hook he can also end a fight with one of his big overhand rights.  Stevens' major flaw is the same one as Lemieux's, his defense.  In five career losses Stevens has been knocked out twice and he can get in trouble but trying to wait out attacks behind the earmuffs.  

While Stevens was never the prospect or top contender that Lemieux was at his peak, he has still put together a solid career.  His career record is 29-5 with a strong 21 knockouts and his five losses have been spread out throughout his career.  His worst loss came against Golovkin in 2013 when he was beat up over the course of eight rounds before retiring in the corner.  After two consecutive knockout wins, one of which saved him from another loss in the last round, Stevens again lost, this time to Hassan N'Dam.  That loss came in late 2014 and since then Stevens has fought twice, going 2-0 with one knockout after sitting out all of 2015.  Those two wins were both impressive and a win over Lemieux could spring Stevens back into title contention.  

This is a fight fans won't want to miss.  Lemieux and Stevens have both made their reputations as heavy hitting, TV friendly fighters who always give fans a good show.  The fact that they don't like each other only adds to the drama and could mean that both start the fight looking for the early knockout.  Defensively Stevens is slightly better than Lemieux because he doesn't square up as much but on offense Lemieux has faster hands and hits harder.  This fight could come down to who can sustain more punishment or who is busier.  Lemieux is definitely the busier puncher but Stevens does counter nicely at times so he needs to be careful not to open up too much.

PREDICTION: If Curtis Stevens can catch David Lemieux early and wobble him he could take control and win this fight.  However, Lemieux is the heavier hitter with the faster hands and while most of the action will be back and forth eventually that power will take its toll.  The cards will show how even the fight is but they won't be read after the final round because Lemieux will stop Stevens in the 10th.

Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Rene Alvarado

The co-feature for Saturday's HBO card will mark the return of Yuriorkis Gamboa who took all of 2016 off.  He will face off against Rene Alvarado in a fight scheduled to go 10 rounds.  That fight will take place in the junior lightweight division which has become one of the toughest in boxing over the last couple of years.

Gamboa lands a wild overhand right on Crawford

Gamboa is an orthodox fighter who likes to keep his lead hand very low.  Along with his solid power Gamboa also has very fast hands that allow him to find success as a combination puncher.  Gamboa uses his lightning quick jab as a measuring stick for a strong right hand but his best punch is his left hook.  However, at times Gamboa can throw too many punches in a combination and pay the price by eating heavy return fire.  He also tends to rely too much on his quick reflexes because he will often leave both hands low as he tries to slip punches with head movement alone.  Still, despite his flaws the speed and pop of Gamboa make him an intriguing talent and a dangerous opponent.

Throughout his career Gamboa has shown flashes of brilliance along with some frustrating flaws.  Those flaws have shown themselves in some fights and he has been knocked out once and dropped eight times.  He did have a perfect record until he met Terence Crawford in 2014 and was handed his first loss.  His career record is now 25-1 with 17 knockouts but after a win against lesser opponents in 2014 and 2015, Gamboa sat out all of 2016 so he may show some early ring rust against Alvarado.  

Alvarado admiring his work against Avila

Alvarado is also an orthodox fighter and he will have a big 7-inch reach advantage against Gamboa.  He only uses his jab occasionally and really only to help set up his right hand.  However, Alvarado is a wild puncher and often will fall forward behind a barrage of left hooks and right hands.  Once he gets on the inside though he puts in much better work and has a nice left hook downstairs.  He has been dropped multiple times in his career though and his wild punching should provide Gamboa plenty of opportunities to catch him clean.

In recent years Alvarado has been used as a tough test for young prospects like Joseph Diaz and Manuel Avila but hasn't fared very well.  In his last 10 fights he has gone 5-5 while scoring two knockouts and his career record is 24-7 with 16 knockouts.  The problem for Alvarado against Gamboa though is that he won't be able to use his reach advantage because he isn't a skilled fighter from the outside but a win would probably be the most impressive of his career.

While the main event of Saturday's HBO card should be an even contest throughout, that probably won't be the case in this fight.  Gamboa is vastly more talented than Alvarado and despite his reach disadvantage he does have the advantage when it comes to speed and power.  Alvarado may try to get inside and make this a rough fight but he will have to pay the price to get there and he may need to be close to perfect to pull off the upset.  

PREDICTION: There is a reason Rene Alvarado has been used as a tough test for young prospects.  He is tough but flawed and those flaws will be very obvious against Yuriorkis Gamboa.  Gamboa will start quickly in this fight and he will never really slow up on his way to a sixth round stoppage of Alvarado.