After dropping his IBF middleweight strap on Saturday night against Kazakhstan’s murderous punching WBA champion, Gennady Golovkin, David Lemieux has extended full respect to the man they call ‘triple-G,’ though still insisted the fight was stopped too soon.
Lemieux was on the wrong end of a pounding from Golovkin, who displayed the superior footwork that has fast become a trademark, expertly cutting off the ring and teeing off with big shots on the brave and gutsy Canadian, who was eventually halted in the 8th by referee Steve Willis.
“I was a bit disappointed tonight, I wanted to give the fans a better show,” Lemieux said. “Golovkin is a great champion and a very good fighter. For sure I’ll be seeing him in the near future again, somewhere down the line.
“I feel that the fight was stopped a bit too early but he’s a good champion and I’ve gotta lot of respect for him. He did a good job tonight and I hope the fans got what they want.”
Whether Lemieux was indeed stopped a tad prematurely is really something of a moot point, as shortly after the opening bell the pattern for the fight was established, with Golovkin simply too good and too strong for the Canadian puncher.
All is not lost for the former IBF champion however, whose stock has still risen, even in defeat, and – Golovkin aside – the depth of talent isn’t so strong at 160 that he can’t forseeably win another world title at some point in the future.
Golovkin ostensibly next moves on to the winner of November’s WBC title clash between Miguel Cotto/Canelo Alvarez, keeping one eye also on the winner of December’s WBO title fight between Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders.
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