Fight fans around the world are urgently waiting for the return of Gennady Golovkin (33-0 30 KO’s) to make his return to the ring on October 17th in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. He will be putting his WBA and IBO titles on the line against the reigning IBF world middleweight champion David Lemieux (34-2 31 KO’s) in a middleweight unification showdown. The bout is being co-promoted by none other than Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions along with K2 promotions. This event will be televised live on HBO PPV and will cost $49.95 in the US.
Since making his US debut back in September 2012 against Grzegorz Proksa, Golovkin has been knocking out and stopping top ten rated middleweights in his last 10 fights. He is without a doubt the most terrorizing figure in the division and also seems to be the most dominant force as well. He is consistently making top 10 middleweights seem like they aren’t even formidable enough to be sparring partners in the fashion in which he is dispatching them.
Golovkin seems to have modeled his fighting style from the great Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez. He is a skillful pressure fighter with sound fundamentals and technique. He is as good at cutting off the ring a fighter can get and possesses heavy hands and punches with great accuracy. He also has a strong, authoritative jab that he works off of as he comes forward. Though Golovkin has yet to face an “A level” opponent yet in his career, there is little doubt in most peoples minds that he’s a true world beater.
On the other hand, David Lemieux is a young, explosive 26-year-old who just won the IBF middleweight title a few months ago by defeating top contender Hassan N’Dam. Back in 2011, Lemieux was touted as a hot young prospect with punching power. However, at age 22 Lemieux suffered his first professional loss against underdog journeyman Marco Antonio Rubio via seventh-round TKO.
In that fight, Lemieux was winning and up on all the judges scorecards but seemingly all of a sudden fell apart due to poor stamina. Immediately in his next fight Lemieux lost once again but this time to veteran Joachim Alcine. After suffering those two defeats, Lemieux has changed trainers and has rebuilt himself very nicely.
Since winning his last nine fights, he has also managed to become a world title holder in the process and is looking better in the ring than ever. Lemieux possesses above average punching power for the middleweight division and is the most dynamic offensive fighter Golovkin has faced yet in his professional career.
Stylistically, he’s an explosive brawler with decent athleticism and hand speed. His biggest downfall appears to be his stamina and durability which is horrible to have going into a fight with Golovkin but he seems to have possibly solved those problems since suffering his two losses back in 2011. However, one thing about this match-up is guaranteed, and that is the fact that it will be entertaining and explosive for however long it lasts, and I personally can not wait to see it!
