Canadian power-puncher David Lemieux failed in his bid to derail Gennady Golovkin in a middleweight title fight unification last year, but the exciting contender is convinced he has the beating of Saul Canelo Alvarez, the man all of boxing wants to see get it on with GGG. But first, with Canelo looking to return to action in the early part of next year and of moving up to 160-pounds as he (hopefully) readies himself for a September showdown with Triple-G, there is talk of Canelo and Lemieux fighting one another.
Lemiuex improved to 36-3(32) this past Saturday with a lopsided points win over Christian Fabian Rios, and afterwards, his promoter Camile Estephan again stated that the Canelo fight is their number-one target, and that talks have begun for the possible fight. Could Lemieux give Canelo a good fight, even beat him? It would likely be a good action fight if it happened, especially if Canelo was willing to trade and was hit as much as he was by Liam Smith in his last outing.
Canelo was not hurt by Smith, but he gave the British fighter some chances. Against a far harder puncher in Lemieux, at a full 160-pounds, Canelo’s propensity to go to war coupled with his less than watertight defence, could result in a memorable slugfest of a battle. If it’s not Lemieux next for Canelo, then who might it be? Fans want to see the Mexican star fight the best – is Lemieux one of the best?
GGG aside, there is only one other belt-holder at 160; in WBO champ Billy Joe Saunders. Saunders, though, is committed to defending his title against Russia’s Artur Akavov in November, with the WBO ordering the southpaw to then make two mandatory defences back to back. Canelo, GGG and Lemiuex have shown interest in fighting Saunders, but will the Brit be available to them? If not, and with Golovkin having already beaten Lemieux and with Canelo not yet “ready” for GGG, maybe the most logical fight to make early next year is Canelo-Lemieux.
Both fighters are with Golden Boy, though, and maybe De La Hoya and co will be reluctant to match the two together for fear of one of the Golden Boy stable being eliminated at top level. If the risky match-up is made though, the fans will likely get a good one.