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Cloutier’s Canada Report
Doors Open For Montreal Weigh
In
Lemieux Established Favorite By 20 To 1
By Daniel Cloutier
Photos: William Trillo
MONTRÉAL - If the Las Vegas bookies are right, the
Montrealer middleweight David Lemieux will give a boxing
lesson to the Argentinian southpaw Cristian Fabian Rios… and
kick his butt, Saturday evening in the ring of the Bell
Centre.
Ranked fourth contender by the WBC and the WBO in the 160
pounds division, Lemieux (35-0-0) is established favorite
by… 20 to one for this 10 rounds bout.
Former IBF middleweight champion of the world, Lemieux is
clearly determined to become world champion again. “I got to
stay undefeated in my next fights to increase to the maximum
my chances to get another shot for a world title, said
Lemieux Friday afternoon at the weight in held at St-James
Theatre in the Old Montréal. I want to maintain my
progression in the international ratings, then, I got to
fight serious opponents… and Rios, like Glen Tapia, is one
of them. He got solid performances on the international
scene and he never lost a fight by KO or TKO. I am
determined to become the first fighter to beat him by KO or
TKO, even the fact he is a southpaw. Rios is a very
aggressive fighter, and it’s perfect for me. When a fighter
is a natural attacker like him, my chances to place my power
shots are increasing substantially. I want to hurt him in
every rounds with my power shots, and more I will hurt him,
more I will have chances to stop him. I am sure my fans will
appreciate the show I will offer them. It’s my intention to
score a spectacular win, and trust me, I will do it. I am so
impatient to get out of my dressing room to walk to the
ring. You will see, i will be a real predator when the first
bell will ring. Like i said it in the last days, I am like a
lion in a cage, a starving lion ready to jump on his prey…”
At his previous bout, in May in Las Vegas, Lemieux won by
TKO in the fourth round against Glen Tapia (23-3-0), a very
respected fighter from New Jersey.
Marc Ramsay, the Lemieux’s trainer, is more than optimistic
at few hours of the bout. “Rios is a very solid fighter,
very respected on the international scene, said Ramsay. And
he is a good boxer technically. He proved it many times with
a lot of impressive performances on the international scene.
Then, David got to take him very seriously. I know David is
totally agreed with me on that. Rios is coming in Montréal
with the serious intention to cause a big surprise, then, he
will certainly fight like hell Saturday evening. But I know
how much David wants to get another chance to become world
champion. David also will fight like hell to win this bout,
and i am sure he will do it. David is the most destructive
puncher of the middleweight division, and he gonna prove it
again in few hours. If Rios protects his chin very well,
like he is use to do it, David will connect him with painful
punches to the body, and Rios will be obliged to take his
gloves down. Soon or later, David will connect Rios with
explosive punches to the head, and we will see how Rios will
react. David wants to become the first fighter to stop Rios,
and I like his chances to achieve it.”
Rios (21-7-3) started his boxing career with a bad record of
5-5-2, but he lost only two bouts at his last 19 presences
in the ring. “I started my career slowly, but I never
stopped to improve my style and technique in the last years,
said Rios. I want absolutely to see my name in the «Top 10»
of the international ratings, then, I got to beat Lemieux
Saturday evening, and I am determinate to do it. The
Lemieux’s fans will have a hell of surprise in few hours…”
At the weigh in, Lemieux posted an official weight of 163
pounds, versus 163.8 for Rios.
Just before the main event, the Montrealer Steven Butler
(17-0-1), the super welterweight IBF Junior-Youth champion
of the world (for fighters of 21 years or less), will face
the Canadian Janks Trotter ( ) in an IBF North American
championship.
“Trotter is a solid puncher, he is mean in the ring, but I
am mean myself, and I certainly hit harder than him, said
Butler. The fight will certainly be intense and violent, and
I like my chances to win by KO. It’s crucial for me to stay
undefeated to improve my situation in the IBF ratings. Like
Camille Estephan said it, I hope to increase my rating from
the nine spot to the Top five. For that, I got to stay
undefeated and beat clearly solid opponents like Trotter is.
In the years to come, I want to become world champion.”
At the weigh in, Butler posted an official weight of 153.6
pounds, versus 154 for Trotter.
The eight preliminaries bouts will involved the Montrealer
super lightweight Ghislain Maduma (18-2-0), the heavyweight
Simon Kean (5-0-0), from Trois-Rivières, Québec, the
Montrealer super lightweight Batyr Jukembayev (5-0-0), the
light heavyweight Dimitrius Ballard, from Chicago, the
Montrealer super welterweight Mian Hussain (16-0-0), the
super lightweight David Théroux (11-1-0), from Sorel,
Québec, the Montrealer super lightweight Mathieu Germain
(7-0-0) and the Montrealer lightweight Ablaikhan Khussainov
(1-0-0).
Maduma will fight Ricky Sismundo (30-9-3), from Philippines,
Ballard will face the Hungarian Gergo Horvath (9-1-1),
Khussainov will be opposed to the Hungarian Attila Csereklye
(6-2-0), and Kean, Jukembayev, Hussain, Théroux and Germain
will all face Mexican’s fighters.
Kean will fight David Torres Garcia (10-3-0), Jukembayev
will face Yvan Pereyra (20-7-0), Hussain will meet Silverio
Ortiz (34-18-0), Théroux will be opposed to Jose Emilio
Perea (21-8-0) and Germain will fight Manuel Mares (16-9-0).
At the weight in, Maduma posted a weight of 140.8 pounds,
Sismundo 139, Ballard 169.2, Horvath 165.8, Khussainov
134.2, Csereklye 134.2, Kean 248.4, Garcia 288, Jukembayev
141.4, Pereyra 141.4, Hussain 153.2, Ortiz 153.8, Théroux
142.6, Perea 142, Germain 147.6 and Mares 147.6.
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