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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Lemieux Like A Hungry Lion In A
Cage...
By Daniel Cloutier
LAS VEGAS — The Montrealer middleweight David Lemieux is
like a hungry lion in a cage now! He is just waiting the
moment of the cage’s doors will open to jump on his prey!
Saturday evening in the ring of the T-Mobile Arena in Las
Vegas, Lemieux (34–3-0), a former IBF middleweight champion
of the world, will face the Jeysey Boy, Glen Tapia (23-2-0),
in a NABO North American championship (10 rounds) presented
before the WBC middleweight championship of the world
opposing the champion, the Mexican Saul Canelo Alvarez
(46-1-1) and the challenger, the British Amir Khan (31-3-0).
“Yes, I really feel like a hungry lion in a cage, said
Lemieux in laughing before the beginning of this undercard
final press conference at the MGM press room. I am waiting
the moment that my cage’s doors will open. I will jump on my
prey. I feel extremely hungry and strong mentally and
physically at few hours of the moment of the truth. I got a
fantastic training camp and I gonna prove to my fans I am
natural winner, even if I lost (TKO in the eight round)
against Gennady Golovkin last October at Madison Square
Garden in New York. I learned so much from this bad
experience. You will see, I will be better than ever from
now.”
In losing against Golovkin (34-0-0), a fighter from
Kazakstan that several boxing writers are considering now as
the best fighter pound for pound in the world, Lemieux lost
his IBF world championship bout. It was an unification of
the IBF and WBA middleweight world titles.
Lemieux is still looking for a win by KO or TKO Saturday
evening. “I always try to win by KO or TKO, than, I really
want to stop Tapia the fastest possible, said Lemieux. For
sure, I will connect him solidly in every rounds. We will
see how many rounds he will be able to take my power shots.
I hope Tapia will be aggressive, because I don’t wish to
chase him in the ring. I know that sometime he is
aggressive, sometime he is careful. But no matter the style
I will use, I will be ready to achieve what I want
absolutely to achieve: a clear win before the limit of the
10 rounds.”
Tapia was smiling in listening the Lemieux’s comments.
“Lemieux can think what he wants, I know I will be strong
and productive in the middleweight division, said Tapia, who
will make his debut in the 160 pounds division Saturday
evening. I got a perfect preparation for this bout, and I
won’t disappoint my fans. I know what I have to do to win
this bout, and I will do it.”
Lemieux is associated to the Golden Boy Promotions since
January 2015. “I suggest to the boxing fans to show up early
Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena, said the former middleweight
and light heavyweight champion of the world, Bernard
Hopkins, the assistant of the promoter Oscar De La Hoya in
the Golden Boy Promotions organization. The main event, the
fight Alvarez-Khan, should be a terrific bout, but all the
preliminaries bouts are promising a lot of action. I am so
anxious to see the fights Alvarez-Khan, Lemieux-Tapia,
Herrera-Gomez and Teixeira-Stevens.”
Just before the bout Lemieux-Tapia, the welterweight
Californian Frankie Gomez (20-0-0), a member of the Golden
Boy Promotions organization, will face another Californian,
Mauricio Herrera (22-5-0), in a 10 rounds fight.
“It’s a huge opportunity for me, no doubt about it, said
Gomez. I want to figure very soon among the best
welterweights in the world, than, I cannot waist this
opportunity to prove my value. I am very impatient to be in
the ring and show again what I can do.”
Herrera replied: “I am very excited to be part of this great
boxing show. I fought six undefeated boxers, and I gave a
lot of troubles to each one. Gomez can expect the same
medicine Saturday evening…”
The first fight televised by HBO pay-per-view will be a
Latino’s middleweight championship between the Brazilian
Patrick Teixeira (26-0-0) and the New Yorker Curtis Stevens
(27-5-0). “I want to get a spot in international ratings,
and get eventually an opportunity to fight in a world
championship bout, said Herrera. Then, it’s crucial for me
to stay undefeated. I will certainly fight with intensity
and determination Saturday evening against Stevens.”
Stevens replied: “I trained extremely hard for this bout,
then, I am perfectly prepared for this challenge. Watch me!”
The super bantamweight Mexican Diego De La Hoya (14-0-0),
the Irish middleweight Jason Quigley (10-0-0), the super
featherweight Lamant Roach Jr. (10-0-0), from Washington,
D.C., the super welterweight Rashidi Ellis (14-0-0), from
Boston, and the Californian rookie David Mijares, a super
lightweight, will be involved in the first bouts of the
evening.
De La Hoya is facing the Californian Rocco Santomauro
(13-0-0), Quigley will fight the Texan James De La Rosa
(23-3-0), Roach will meet the Mexican Jose Arturo Esquivel
(9-4-0), Ellis will be opposed to the Mexican Marco Antonio
Lopez (24-8-0) and Mijares will make his pro debut in
fighting the Texan Omar Reyes (1-2-0).
When De La Rosa has been invited to the microphone, he
mocked Lemieux. “Lemieux, I hope you will respect the weight
of the middleweight division this time…”
Lemieux was supposed to fight De La Rosa March 12th in
Montréal, but the bout has been cancelled at the weight in,
because the Montrealer was two pounds and a half overweight.
Lemieux replied to De La Rosa: “Let me deal with my weight,
and stay concentrate on your own fight…”
Before this press conference, Lemieux said he will certainly
respect the limit of 160 pounds at the weight it, Friday
afternoon, at the T-Mobile Arena.
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