David Lemieux (boxer)
David Lemieux | |
---|---|
![]() Lemieux in 2015 | |
Statistics | |
Rated at | |
Height | 5 ft 9 1⁄2 in (177 cm) |
Reach | 70 in (178 cm) |
Nationality | Canadian |
Born |
Montreal, Quebec, Canada | December 22, 1988
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 39 |
Wins | 36 |
Wins by KO | 32 |
Losses | 3 |
David Lemieux (born December 22, 1988) is a Canadian professional boxer who held the IBF middleweight title in 2015.[1]
Early life
Lemieux was born in Montreal on December 22, 1988 to a French father and a Lebanese Armenian mother, Aznive Khavloudjian. The couple divorced after having one son, the 2-year senior to David. David on the other hand was born after the departure of his father and he claims he has never seen his biological father.
His mother remarried to an Armenian, Garo Melekian who adopted the two children and became a mentor to David. Lemieux studied at the local Saint-François-de-Laval school, but did not excel in classes, spending most of time on the streets. He was eventually expelled from the school for street fights. Encouraged by his adoptive father to focus, he started training in Ring 83 located in Ahuntsic with the encouragement and guidance of Baha Laham, a successful Canadian boxer of Lebanese descent.
Amateur boxing career
Lemieux began boxing at the age of nine. He won the Canadian Amateur Championship three times.[2]
Lemieux is currently trained by Marc Ramsay. Previously, he was trained by Russ Anber and was featured with Anber in DVD tutorial series Title Boxing as a teenager. He also featured with Anber in the Rival Box tips series.
Lemieux was never interested in making a bid to join the Canadian Olympic boxing team which was woefully under-supported in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics. Instead, he and Russ Anber viewed the Olympic program as a dead-end which would have him competing against boxers with vastly more experience while limiting his training prospects in ways detrimental to a fighter with professional aspirations.
Professional boxing career
Early career
Although Lemieux planned to turn pro at 17, he was required to wait until he turned 18 because of Canadian Boxing Federation rules.[2] Quebec-based promotion company Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) was quick to sign him to a multi-fight contract, pitting him against opponents in four-round bouts that quickly became crowd favorites in Montreal. Lemieux became a proven commodity, fighting televised six-rounders on ESPN's Friday Night Fights and filling out the undercard during several championship events.
World Middleweight title Contender
Lemieux vs. Rubio
On April 8, 2011 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Lemieux was featured in the main event of ESPN's Friday Night Fights. His opponent was Marco Antonio Rubio, who came to the fight with a record of 49-5-1 (43 KOs). Lemieux was favored to win in his hometown against the Mexican veteran. During the first five rounds, Lemieux dominated Rubio by landing hard power punches to his guard. Rubio came to life in round six and began to land hard punches as Lemieux tired. In the seventh round, Rubio knocked down Lemieux with a right hook to the head. Lemieux got up, but Rubio continued where he left off and threw more punches at him. With only seconds left in round seven, Lemieux's corner had seen enough and threw in the towel to stop the fight. After the fight Anber said that Lemieux still has a lot to work and improve on if he wants to reach the top level.
Lemieux vs. Alcine
In a huge upset, former world champion Joachim Alcine defeated Lemieux at the Bell Centre in Montreal, on December 10, 2011. Lemieux was quoted as a 5 to 1 favorite by the wagertrackers. The fight was declared a majority decision over 12 rounds, with scores of 116-112 by two judges and an even scoring of 114-114 by the third one. Alcine was awarded the WBC International Middleweight title. Most ringside observers thought Alcine won the fight.[3]
Comeback Trail
Since the Alcine fight, Lemieux fought six straight bouts against opponents of mostly middling relevance, before facing Fernando Guerrero, a former light middleweight and middleweight contender who had only a year prior fought WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin to a sixth round loss. Lemieux dominated Guerrero, repeatedly dropping him before finishing him off in the third round with a brutal right uppercut. His next bout would be against middleweight fringe contender Gabriel Rosado. Lemieux similarly dominated Rosado, dropping him in the third and pounding away at his mostly outmatched foe until the referee stopped the bout in the tenth due to swelling and cuts surrounding Rosado's eyes.
IBF Middleweight Champion
Lemieux vs. N'Dam N'Jikam
On June 20, 2015, Lemieux fought Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam (31-1, 18 KOs) for the vacant IBF Middleweight Championship, again in Montreal. Lemieux scored four knockdowns en route to a victory by unanimous decision. Two judges scored the bout 115-109 while the third saw it 114-110 for Lemieux, who improved to 34-2 with 31 knockouts, setting up a showdown in October with unbeaten Gennady Golovkin, considered to be the best middleweight fighter in the world in 2015.[4]
Lemieux vs. Golovkin
Lemieux lost the IBF Middleweight title to Gennady Golovkin on October 17, 2015 before a sold-out crowd of 20,548 at Madison Square Garden. Lemieux was down once in round 5. Golovkin was dominant from the first bell, landing punch after punch before the referee mercifully stepped in and stopped the fight in the eighth round. Golovkin was also ahead on all three judges scorecards (70-62 3 times).[5]
Second Comeback Trail
Lemieux vs. Tapia
It was announced on March 17, 2016 that Lemieux would fight on the undercard of Canelo-Khan at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 7, 2016. His opponent was announced to be Glen Tapia (23-2, 15 KOs), who was newly signed to Golden Boy and moving up in weight. Lemieux was due to fight against James De Lara Rosa a week earlier at a 163lb catchweight, but he failed to make weight, many believe this was done intentionally so he could fight at the new arena.[6] Lemieux showed an improved jab, footwork and head movement. He dominated the fight, shaking Tapia numerous times leading into the fourth round where he knocked Tapia down. Tapia's trainer Freddie Roach waved the fight off right after.[7]
Lemieux vs. Fabian Rios
After a few months of trying to negotiate a deal to fight Curtis Stevens, it was confirmed by Eye of the Tiger promotions that Lemieux would be fighting unknown Argentine Cristian Fabian Rios (21-7-3, 6 KOs) at the Centre Bell in Montreal on October 22.[8][9] Lemieux was taken the distance only the fourth time in his career as he won a one-sided 10 round unanimous decision. Lemieux attempted to score a knockout, but wasn’t able to get the job done against a durable Rios. The three judges scored the fight 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91. The win ensured Lemieux a possible future fight against the likes of Saul Alvarez or WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders in early 2017.[10]
Personal life
Lemieux is a resident of Cartierville, a Montreal suburb. He has a son, Léon from a previous relationship, the mother later left to Moscow. A second child; a daughter who speaks Armenian as her first language, was born through another relationship. Lemieux speaks five languages: French, English, Armenian, Arabic and Spanish.[11][12]
Lemieux was managed for many years by Group Yvon Michel (GYM). Starting January 2015 he was managed by Camille Estephan, a Lebanese Canadian entrepreneur and promoter and owner of Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM).[13][14]
Professional boxing record
Professional record summary | ||
39 fights | 36 wins | 3 losses |
By knockout | 32 | 2 |
By decision | 4 | 1 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
39 | Win | 36–3 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Oct 22, 2016 | ![]() |
|
38 | Win | 35–3 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (10), 0:56 | May 7, 2016 | ![]() |
Won vacant WBO–NABO middleweight title |
37 | Loss | 34–3 | ![]() |
TKO | 8 (12), 1:32 | Oct 17, 2015 | ![]() |
Lost IBF middleweight title; For WBA (Super), IBO, and WBC interim middleweight titles |
36 | Win | 34–2 | ![]() |
UD | 12 | Jun 20, 2015 | ![]() |
Won vacant IBF middleweight title |
35 | Win | 33–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 10 (12), 1:45 | Dec 6, 2014 | ![]() |
Retained NABF middleweight title |
34 | Win | 32–2 | ![]() |
KO | 3 (12), 1:56 | May 24, 2014 | ![]() |
Won NABF middleweight title |
33 | Win | 31–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (10), 1:48 | Nov 30, 2013 | ![]() |
|
32 | Win | 30–2 | ![]() |
UD | 8 | Sep 28, 2013 | ![]() |
|
31 | Win | 29–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (8), 2:21 | Jun 8, 2013 | ![]() |
|
30 | Win | 28–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10), 1:26 | Dec 14, 2012 | ![]() |
|
29 | Win | 27–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (10), 2:48 | Oct 12, 2012 | ![]() |
|
28 | Win | 26–2 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (8), 1:47 | Jun 8, 2012 | ![]() |
|
27 | Loss | 25–2 | ![]() |
MD | 12 | Dec 10, 2011 | ![]() |
Lost WBC International middleweight title |
26 | Loss | 25–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (12), 2:36 | Apr 8, 2011 | ![]() |
|
25 | Win | 25–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10), 2:50 | Dec 3, 2010 | ![]() |
|
24 | Win | 24–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12), 3:00 | Oct 29, 2010 | ![]() |
Retained WBC International middleweight title |
23 | Win | 23–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12), 2:44 | Jun 11, 2010 | ![]() |
Won vacant WBC International middleweight title |
22 | Win | 22–0 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10), 0:57 | Apr 3, 2010 | ![]() |
Retained Canada super-middleweight title |
21 | Win | 21–0 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Feb 6, 2010 | ![]() |
Won vacant Canada super-middleweight title |
20 | Win | 20–0 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (10), 2:51 | Dec 11, 2009 | ![]() |
Won vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental middleweight title |
19 | Win | 19–0 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (8), 2:57 | Nov 7, 2009 | ![]() |
|
18 | Win | 18–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (8), 2:07 | Oct 3, 2009 | ![]() |
|
17 | Win | 17–0 | ![]() |
KO | 5 (8), 3:00 | Aug 28, 2009 | ![]() |
|
16 | Win | 16–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (6), 1:17 | Jun 19, 2009 | ![]() |
|
15 | Win | 15–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (6), 0:47 | Apr 18, 2009 | ![]() |
|
14 | Win | 14–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (8), 2:34 | Mar 7, 2009 | ![]() |
|
13 | Win | 13–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (6), 3:00 | Jan 30, 2009 | ![]() |
|
12 | Win | 12–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (6), 2:50 | Nov 1, 2008 | ![]() |
Won vacant Quebec Boxing Council light-middleweight title |
11 | Win | 11–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (6), 2:15 | Oct 4, 2008 | ![]() |
|
10 | Win | 10–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (4), 1:45 | Aug 1, 2008 | ![]() |
|
9 | Win | 9–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (6), 1:53 | Jul 11, 2008 | ![]() |
|
8 | Win | 8–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (6), 2:28 | Jun 6, 2008 | ![]() |
|
7 | Win | 7–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (4), 1:00 | May 3, 2008 | ![]() |
|
6 | Win | 6–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (4), 2:44 | Feb 9, 2008 | ![]() |
|
5 | Win | 5–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (4), 1:30 | Dec 7, 2007 | ![]() |
|
4 | Win | 4–0 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (4), 2:12 | Sep 15, 2007 | ![]() |
|
3 | Win | 3–0 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (4), 2:59 | Jun 8, 2007 | ![]() |
|
2 | Win | 2–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (4), 1:06 | May 12, 2007 | ![]() |
|
1 | Win | 1–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (4), 3:00 | Apr 14, 2007 | ![]() |
Professional debut |
Titles in boxing
Regional titles | ||
---|---|---|
Vacant Title last held by Sébastien Demers |
Quebec Boxing Council light-middleweight champion November 1, 2008 – December 2009 Vacated |
Vacant |
New title | WBC Youth Intercontinental middleweight champion December 11, 2009 – 11 June 2010 Won International title |
Vacant Title next held by Marlon Alta |
Vacant Title last held by Adonis Stevenson |
Canada super-middleweight champion February 6, 2010 – June 2010 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Adam Trupish |
Vacant Title last held by Dmitry Pirog |
WBC International middleweight champion June 11, 2010 – December 10, 2011 |
Succeeded by Joachim Alcine |
Vacant Title last held by Curtis Stevens |
NABF middleweight champion May 24, 2014 – June 2015 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Evhen Khytrov |
Vacant Title last held by Arif Magomedov |
WBO–NABO middleweight champion May 7, 2016 – present |
Incumbent |
World titles | ||
Vacant Title last held by Jermain Taylorstripped |
IBF middleweight champion June 20, 2015 – October 17, 2015 |
Succeeded by Gennady Golovkin |
References
- ↑ Boxrec. "David Lemieux". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- 1 2 Doiron, Paul (October 16, 2009). "18 fights and 18 wins for young, upcoming boxer". Miramichi Leader. Brunswick News. p. C1.
- ↑ Eastsideboxing.com, 11 December 2011 Retrieved on 11 December 2011. The attendance was roughly 3,000 people.
- ↑ Jake Donovan (2015-06-21). "Lemieux Floors N'Dam Four Times, Wins Decision And Title". Retrieved 2015-09-28.
- ↑ "Golovkin dominates Lemieux". Sky Sports.
- ↑ "David Lemieux vs. Glen Tapia added to Canelo-Khan card". Boxing News 24. 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
- ↑ "David Lemieux Beats Down Glen Tapia For TKO in Four – Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
- ↑ "David Lemieux to box Cristian Fabian Rios on October 22nd - Boxing News". 2016-09-05. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
- ↑ "Notes: David Lemieux's ring return set for Oct. 22". Retrieved 2016-10-03.
- ↑ "David Lemieux victorious in Montreal - Boxing News". Boxing News. 2016-10-23. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
- ↑ Réjean Tremblay (7 June 2015). "David Lemieux, un boxeur qui vient de loin". Journal de montréal (in French). Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ Amine Esseghir (19 June 2015). "David Lemieux, le petit gars de Cartierville veut sa ceinture" (in French). TC Media / Courrier Ahuntsic / Bordeaux-Cartierville. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ Mathieu Boulay (30 March 2015). "Camille Estephan réplique à Yvon Michel" (in French). TVA Sports. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ Jean-Luc Autret (22 January 2014). "Camille Estephan, un promoteur ambitieux" (in French). 12rounds.ca. Retrieved 2 July 2015.