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By Sean Crose
Paging Gennady Golovkin.
Two men who might very well be interested in facing the feared GGG in the near future will be facing each other this Saturday night in Montreal. David Lemieux (33-2) is the hometown hero with a habit of knocking out the vast majority of his opponents. Hassan N’Dam (31-1) is a skilled Frenchman (by way of Cameroon), who was last seen dominating the feared Curtis Stevens late last year.
What makes this IBF middleweight title fight particularly interesting – besides the fact that it will be aired on Fox Sports 2 and Fox Deportes, (possibly against PBC on NBC, which will begin its respective broadcast an hour and a half earlier) is that it’s so hard to call who the winner will be. Lemieux, though is clearly the more well known of the two men, and perhaps with good reason. He’s a crowd pleasing search and destroy artist, after all.
“The broadcast on FOX Sports will allow American audiences the chance to see a great fight featuring two of the most exciting stars in boxing,” said Oscar De La Hoya, President and Found of Golden Boy Promotions. “This match-up will deliver action-packed intensity as both Lemieux and N’Dam are hungry to move their careers forward and claim the title.”
N’Dam, however, is most certainly not a man to be taken lightly. He may not have the knockout percentage of Lemiuex, but N’Dam’s hooks (from both his left and right hands) can do – and have done – some serious damage. If Lemieux can reach his target, can he slug his way to a victory, or will he take some serious shots of his own?
Lemieux is not beyond getting hit, after all. Gabriel Roasado, Lemieux’s last opponent, was capable of putting on a good show against the Canadian for a solid nine-plus rounds. And N’Dam hasn’t taken the kind of damage Rosado has throughout his rugged career. In fact, the only loss of the Frenchman’s career was to Peter Quillin, not exactly a tuneup opponent.
Yet it’s worth noting just how hard Lemieux can punch. You can actually hear his shots land from your couch when he has an opponent where he wants him. He can also cut off the ring exceedingly well for a man known more for his power than his skill set.
Then again, D’Dam can control the ring quite well indeed. Curtis Stevens could attest to that. His punch output is effective at keeping opponents at bay, as well. Remember, N’Dam’s only loss came to the polished Quillin.
The undercard in Montreal on Saturday will feature another Canadian, Dierry Jean (28-1) as he battles Texan Jerry Belmonets (19-6) in a battle for the minor NABF Lightweight title. Jean, a skilled pro who (literally) knows how to work the angles in the ring will have the home crowd advantage as he faces off against Belmontes, whose lost five of his last six fights – including the last three in a row. Unlike the main event on the Montreal card, this bout is not difficult to predict.
Ironically enough, this (overall) interesting lineup had a difficult time finding a televised home for itself. HBO apparently couldn’t fit it into its schedule, which meant Golden Boy Promotions had to look elsewhere for air time. Fox Sports 2 and Fox Deportes rose to the occasion, however, and now the Montreal slugfests will be available to American audiences.
Indeed, there are respected analysts who claim that Lemieux-N’Dam is a far more interesting bout that the more lauded Adrien Broner-Shawn Porter fight which will air on NBC this weekend, as well.
The FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes broadcast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT.
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Press Conf Quotes:
DAVID LEMIEUX, IBF Middleweight Title Contender:
“I wouldn’t say I’m overconfident, I’m well aware of who I’m facing. There’s no such thing as overconfidence, at least not in my way.
“There were certain things I wasn’t able to do that I can now. I had a certain way of fighting, there were certain things missing, and now I can say that I am a complete fighter.
“My style’s different and my determination’s different. I believe I have more abilities than N’Dam does and I’ll show that. Just keep watching and you’ll see.
“My defense is my offence. Sometimes I take risks … for the fans.”
HASSAN N’DAM, IBF Middleweight Number One Contender:
“This is what I say to David Lemieux, you can study me, but you don’t know what I am bringing to the ring. You might get Muhammud Ali in the first round, Sugar Ray Leonard in the second, Floyd Mayweather in the third, but when you get N’Dam, he will be the hardest boxer you have ever faced.
“We are very excited about the fight, because we are coming in prepared and ready to take home the belt.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions:
“It’s a great honor to be here today and be part of what we call history in the making. A world title is up for grabs and you have the best possible contenders fighting for it
“David Lemieux is a tremendous power puncher. He is an all-around skillful fighter who will come with everything and put everything on the line to make his hometown proud.
“Hassan N’Dam is a Hungry and a lion, who is ready and prepared and knows what is a stake when he faces David on June 20.”
