By James Slater – As good as he has looked and as exciting as he has looked, David Lemiuex, despite being just 21-years-of-age, has the fans urging him to fight top-notch opponents each and every time out. There is already word that the 24-0(23) Canadian middleweight bomber will perhaps fight the experienced Marco Antonio Rubio in a title eliminator next year, and that fight will no doubt please the fans if it happens. However, in the meantime, Lemiuex needs to keep busy and he will do so against a guy not too many fans will have heard of..
37-year-old Purnell Gates of Michigan is down as the next man to face the withering power of the most talked about prospect in boxing right now (give or take a couple of other standouts), and though he has never been stopped as a pro, Gates doesn’t figure to keep that statistic come Dec. 3rd. At 18-1(13), Gates, known as “Knock You Out,” has a fine looking record. The problem is, only four of Gates’ opponents entered the ring with him whilst sporting a winning record. Some of the guys the never-stopped fighter beat had well over 10 losses on their record. It’s clear, then, that Gates, who has done most of his fighting in Michigan, will be taking a monstrous step up in class next Friday night!
The loss Gates suffered came over four-rounds back in just his third paid outing, when Puerto Rico’s Christian De Hoyos won a UD over him. Gates has kept a clean sheet since, winning most of his fights by stoppage (he has never gone past four-rounds as a pro), but he does look to be in way over his head against the exciting fighter who has inspired comparisons to the up-and-coming Mike Tyson.
Sure, Lemiuex needs further experience before he is ready for the big names in his weight class, but can he possibly be expected to pick up any against a guy like Gates? This fight, like all of Lemieux’s bouts so far, to be held in Montreal, is optimistically scheduled for ten-rounds. In all likelihood, however, Lemiex will score another ultra-quick KO. This one could go in one, it could go in two, but no way at all does Gates see the halfway stage, let alone win!
Fresh off that stunning destruction of the talented Hector Camacho Junior (another 1st-round KO, Lemiex’s 9th so far), the 21-year-old is on the lips of fight fans everywhere. Look for him to ice Gates and then move on from that forgettable win to bigger and better things. Let’s just hope Gates doesn’t get badly hurt.