KO King David Lemieux? Well, in light of the chilling display of accuracy, timing and power we witnessed from the hands (or, the left hand in particular) of the Canadian contender and former IBF champ, yes, Lemieux deserves the unofficial nickname.
Lemieux’ nasty knockout of Curtis Stevens, in what was pretty much a 50/50 shootout going in, both thrilled and disturbed fight fans. A genuine KO of The Year contender, the 3rd-round icing of Stevens will likely keep fans talking for some time. Right now though, fans are wondering who Lemieux, 37-3(33) may fight next.
At age 28, Lemieux has plenty of time in which to win further big fights and maybe win another world title. The 2015 stoppage loss suffered at the hands of Gennady Golovkin appears to have done Lemieux no real harm, at least judging by his brilliant performance on Saturday night, and with his power, experience and skill, Lemieux is a threat to anyone he meets in the ring.
While a return fight with GGG looks unlikely, Lemieux against the likes of Canelo Alvarez (who Lemieux has expressed a big interest in fighting), Billy Joe Saunders, or even Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, in a rematch, could prove exciting possibilities for the fans – but would these fighters agree to face Lemieux?
N’Jikam, who lost a wild slugfest with Lemieux back in June of 2015 (the win giving Lemieux the vacant IBF belt) would almost certainly take a shot at revenge if it was offered to him. The first fight was crammed full of action and, despite the number of knockdowns scored and Lemieux bombs landed, the rumble somehow went all 12 rounds. N’Jikam has raw power of his own and he has won four in a row since losing to Lemieux (save an embarrassing loss at amateur level in a misguided Olympic quest undertaken by the Cameroonian) – would a rematch sell? Probably.
As for Saunders, rumour has it he will fight GGG in June if Golovkin comes through against Danny Jacobs on Saturday. But if this proves to be nothing but talk, a Lemieux-Saunders fight, with the WBO belt on the line, would certainly prove interesting. Canelo also has other plans and upcoming commitments: his May fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and then, hopefully, a massive September collision with Triple-G.
But if Canelo wants another big test at middleweight before agreeing to get in there with GGG, and if he fancies taking the risk, who knows, maybe a Canelo-Lemieux clash could happen this year.
Whoever he fights next, fans will be expecting Lemieux to once again turn out the lights of his foe in dramatic fashion.
