There seems to be a consistent struggle for big-hitting WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin to find a suitable opponent, with him being linked to a number of names from Andre Ward and (previously) Carl Froch at 168, through now to newly crowned IBF middleweight champion David Lemieux, in what would be a true battle of the bangers should it take place.
After his exciting victory over Hassan N’Dam in Canada last month, Lemieux’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya had said his fighter would be looking to face his (unnamed) mandatory challenger next, although the Golden Boy has this week said to ESPN that provisional talks between the respective camps for a unification bout are now underway.
“We’re exploring options for David Lemieux and discussing things with Tom Loeffler (Golovkin’s promoter from K2 Promotions)”
“We’ll see if we can make it. I’ll sit down with (Golden Boy vice president) Eric Gomez and see if it’s even possible. But my mind is always open to giving fans the best fights and this is one of the best fights.”
Camille Estephan, (Lemieux’s manager) is also keen on the fight, though was quick to sound a warning that the money needs be right, and in any event, as a new champion, why should Lemieux rush?
“Everyone is asking when are we going to see David versus Golovkin? Well when the financials are right we will do it,” he said.
“No doubt in my mind it would be one crazy fight. Obviously, fans want to see it. We would not go in there if we didn’t believe that David could hurt Golovkin. David is that throwback fighter that people love and in his last performances he showed that he could box, showed an excellent jab, showed that he has the endurance to be firing bombs from round 1 through 12, and those bombs hurt people.”
“We can literally say that David is in the hurt business. Believe me, we think David will hurt Golovkin. Golovkin is certainly a great fighter, but without wanting to divulge our strategy we feel very good about our chances.”
“People want to see Golovkin tested and we are willing if it makes business sense. We are talking and the door is open. Having said that, we are well aware that David is only 26 and is getting better day by day where Golovkin is now 33. So time is on our side. We’re not in a rush.”
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