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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
De La Hoya & Estephan Are Going To Work In Partnership To
Organize Canelo vs. Lemieux
By Daniel Cloutier
VERONA, New York - The owner of the Golden Boy Promotions
group in Los Angeles, the Californian former world champion
Oscar De La Hoya, and the promoter of The Eye Of The Tiger
Management Group in Montréal, the Montrealer Camille
Estephan, are going to work in partnership to organize a
fight between the Montrealer David Lemieux and the Mexican
Saul Canelo Alvarez, before the end of the year or the
beginning of next year. De La Hoya is the Lemieux’s
promoter, Estephan his manager.
Both talked seriously about this project since the beginning
of the month of March. “Oscar De La Hoya and I agree on the
fact that a fight between David and Saul Canelo Alvarez
would be a fantastic event on the international boxing
scene,” said Estephan after the Saturday evening boxing show
at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York. “Alvarez is
a super star on the international scene, and David is closer
and closer to the statute of international super star
himself. And I know howe much David is wishing to face a
huge name like Alvarez this year or next year.”
Lemieux-Alvarez is on the table, but Alvarez (48-1-1),
obviously, needs to beat his countryman Julio Cesar Chavez
Jr. (50-2-1) May 6th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But
actually, Alvarez is established favourite by the Las Vegas
bookies by nine to one for this match up with Chavez.
Saturday evening in the ring of the Turning Stone Casino in
Verona, New York, Lemieux (37-3-0) scored one of the most
impressive win of his pro boxing career.
He destroyed the New Yorker Curtis Stevens (29-6-0). He
knocked him out cold in the third round with a superb right
hand on the chin. Stevens has been unable to get back on his
legs. He collapsed. He has been escorted out of the ring on
the stretcher. However, a report from the Verona Hospital
indicated that Stevens is not in danger at all.
“David offered us a marvelous win Saturday evening,” said
Camille Estephan. “He is definitively more mature and more
confident than ever. No doubt in my mind, David will play a
major role on the international scene in the months to come.
And I know that Oscar De La Hoya believes in David like I
do. Obviously, Lemieux was a very smiling man after the
Saturday boxing show.”
“It’s was a crucial bout for my exposure on the
international scene, and the result is absolutely perfect,”
said Lemieux. “I was so motivated for this bout. Stevens
never stopped to insult me for two months, he never stopped
to show his lack of respect for me. I wanted so much to
destroy him, and I did it. I promised to my fans to knock
him out, and I did. I wanted to take care of Stevens before
talk about my big ambitions on the international scene, but
now, it’s time to talk about it. It’s more than clear in my
mind that I want now to fight the biggest names of the
middleweight division. If a rematch with Gennady Golovkin is
not an option on a short term, I am certainly interested to
face Saul Canelo Alvarez… and my promoter and my manager
love the idea. Perfect. No doubt that a match up between
Saul Canelo Alvarez and me would be a mega fight on the
international boxing scene. I am very impatient to see what
Canelo gonna do against Julio Cesar Chavez May 6th in Las
Vegas.”
And no doubt that a fight with Alvarez would generate a huge
pay day for Lemieux. “Money is a big factor in a mega fight,
but for me, the prestige of a match up with a star like Saul
Canelo Alvarez is the biggest factor,” said Lemieux. “And
with this impressive KO that I scored against Stevens, no
doubt that the boxing fans around the world would love to
see a fight between Alvarez and me become reality.”
Lemieux became IBF middleweight champion of the world in
June 2015 at Bell Centre in Montréal, in beating the French
African Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (35-2-0) by unanimous decision.
However, in October the same year, he lost by TKO in the
eight round against Golovkin (36-0-0) in an IBF and WBA
unification titles bout.
“David made great progress technically and strategically
since his defeat with Golovkin,” said Marc Ramsay,Lemieux’s
trainer. “And David is training like hell day after day to
reach his ambitions. I really believe that the next months
will become the greatest moments of his boxing career. He
has now the skills, the technique, the desire and the power
to become back world champion. He will certainly impress his
fans this year and next year, even if the opponents are more
and more dangerous. David has reached a new level of
effectiveness.”
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