LAS VEGAS -- There won't be any titles on the line when slugger David Lemieux (39-4, 33 KOs) meets Gary O'Sullivan (28-2, 20 KOs) on HBO pay-per-view. What will be on the line is a chance to secure a much bigger fight, possibly with the winner of the main event between Gennady Golovkin and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. Despite no title being up for grabs, Lemieux and O'Sullivan are scheduled to go 12 rounds in the middleweight division.
Lemieux, a Canadian who fights out of the orthodox stance has top level power but not top level skills. His jab is solid and he uses it to measure the distance for his power punches. Lemieux's right hand can definitely do damage but he can get long with that punch at times, giving his opponents time to avoid it. His best weapon is without a doubt his left hook and he has serious one-punch knockout power with it. Defensively Lemieux isn't great and he doesn't usually react well to a fighter who stays in his face and applies pressure. Also, in recent bouts Lemieux hasn't looked in peak physical shape and he also hasn't scored a knockout or knockdown in his last three fights.
The Canadian slugger has already fought for a world title three times. In his first world title fight he beat Hassan N'Dam to capture the IBF middleweight strap. However, he lost that belt in his very next fight when he was dominated and stopped by Gennady Golovkin in the eighth round. Following that loss Lemieux went 4-0 to work his way back into title contention but dropped a wide unanimous decision to Billy Joe Saunders. That loss to Saunders came in late 2017 and Lemieux has only fought once since that bout, beating the unknown and not too dangerous Karim Achour. However, if Lemieux can take care of business against O'Sullivan on Saturday night he could get his fourth shot at a world title.
O'Sullivan is also an orthodox fighter with good power, although he doesn't have the same type of one-punch knockout power that Lemieux does. The Irish fighter likes to work behind his jab, and it's a good one. He also throws plenty of left hooks but he tends to get too wide with them, making them easy to counter if you can time them. Although he throws his left hook wide it can definitely still do damage, as can his best punch, his straight right hand. Much like Lemieux, O'Sullivan likes to play the role of aggressor and doesn't fight well backing up. Often O'Sullivan will wait until his opponent is finished his attack before mounting his own offense and that's something he can afford to do against a heavy hitter like Lemieux.
Despite being 34 years old, O'Sullivan has never fought for a world title before. He began his career 10 years ago at the late age of 24 and is still looking for a marquee win. His best win to date was his victory over Antoine Douglas but he lost the two biggest fights of his career, first to Saunders and then to Chris Eubank Jr. Not only would a victory over Lemieux be O'Sullivan's biggest win to date but it could also finally earn him his first shot at a world title.
This should be a good action fight with both fighters really pushing for the knockout. A loss for O'Sullivan could relegate him to fringe contender status and rob him of ever fighting for a world title. Meanwhile if Lemieux suffers the fifth loss of his professional career it would be a big setback and he would have to really string some impresses wins together to get back to where he is now. Expect O'Sullivan to be the busier fighter as he tries to make this a fast paced fight to test the stamina of Lemieux. Meanwhile Lemieux should be able to pick his spots to unleash powerful combinations since he punches do more damage than O'Sullivan's do. While O'Sullivan has good power of his own this bout could come down to the superior power of Lemieux against the higher work rate of O'Sullivan.
PREDICTION: Neither Gary O'Sullivan or David Lemieux likes to fight against a guy who comes forward and doesn't relent. They also both have good power but Lemieux is the heavier handed fighter and that power should help him come away with the close unanimous decision victory.
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| Lemieux having his hand raised in victory in his last bout |
The Canadian slugger has already fought for a world title three times. In his first world title fight he beat Hassan N'Dam to capture the IBF middleweight strap. However, he lost that belt in his very next fight when he was dominated and stopped by Gennady Golovkin in the eighth round. Following that loss Lemieux went 4-0 to work his way back into title contention but dropped a wide unanimous decision to Billy Joe Saunders. That loss to Saunders came in late 2017 and Lemieux has only fought once since that bout, beating the unknown and not too dangerous Karim Achour. However, if Lemieux can take care of business against O'Sullivan on Saturday night he could get his fourth shot at a world title.
O'Sullivan is also an orthodox fighter with good power, although he doesn't have the same type of one-punch knockout power that Lemieux does. The Irish fighter likes to work behind his jab, and it's a good one. He also throws plenty of left hooks but he tends to get too wide with them, making them easy to counter if you can time them. Although he throws his left hook wide it can definitely still do damage, as can his best punch, his straight right hand. Much like Lemieux, O'Sullivan likes to play the role of aggressor and doesn't fight well backing up. Often O'Sullivan will wait until his opponent is finished his attack before mounting his own offense and that's something he can afford to do against a heavy hitter like Lemieux.
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| O'Sullivan digging a left hook to the body of Berlin Abreu |
This should be a good action fight with both fighters really pushing for the knockout. A loss for O'Sullivan could relegate him to fringe contender status and rob him of ever fighting for a world title. Meanwhile if Lemieux suffers the fifth loss of his professional career it would be a big setback and he would have to really string some impresses wins together to get back to where he is now. Expect O'Sullivan to be the busier fighter as he tries to make this a fast paced fight to test the stamina of Lemieux. Meanwhile Lemieux should be able to pick his spots to unleash powerful combinations since he punches do more damage than O'Sullivan's do. While O'Sullivan has good power of his own this bout could come down to the superior power of Lemieux against the higher work rate of O'Sullivan.
PREDICTION: Neither Gary O'Sullivan or David Lemieux likes to fight against a guy who comes forward and doesn't relent. They also both have good power but Lemieux is the heavier handed fighter and that power should help him come away with the close unanimous decision victory.
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