David Lemieux (boxer)

David Lemieux

Lemieux in 2015
Statistics
Rated at
Height 5 ft 9 12 in (177 cm)
Reach 70 in (178 cm)
Nationality Canadian
Born (1988-12-22) December 22, 1988
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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 Argentina Cristian Rios UD 10 Oct 22, 2016 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
38 Win 35–3 United States Glen Tapia TKO 4 (10), 0:56 May 7, 2016 United States T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Won vacant WBONABO middleweight title
37 Loss 34–3 Kazakhstan Gennady Golovkin TKO 8 (12), 1:32 Oct 17, 2015 United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Lost IBF middleweight title;
For WBA (Super), IBO, and WBC interim middleweight titles
36 Win 34–2 Cameroon Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam UD 12 Jun 20, 2015 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Won vacant IBF middleweight title
35 Win 33–2 United States Gabriel Rosado TKO 10 (12), 1:45 Dec 6, 2014 United States Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained NABF middleweight title
34 Win 32–2 Dominican Republic Fernando Guerrero KO 3 (12), 1:56 May 24, 2014 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Won NABF middleweight title
33 Win 31–2 Colombia Jose Miguel Torres TKO 7 (10), 1:48 Nov 30, 2013 Canada Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
32 Win 30–2 United States Marcus Upshaw UD 8 Sep 28, 2013 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
31 Win 29–2 Poland Robert Swierzbinski KO 1 (8), 2:21 Jun 8, 2013 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
30 Win 28–2 Armenia Albert Ayrapetyan TKO 2 (10), 1:26 Dec 14, 2012 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
29 Win 27–2 Mexico Álvaro Gaona KO 1 (10), 2:48 Oct 12, 2012 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
28 Win 26–2 Mexico Jaudiel Zepeda KO 2 (8), 1:47 Jun 8, 2012 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
27 Loss 25–2 Canada Joachim Alcine MD 12 Dec 10, 2011 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Lost WBC International middleweight title
26 Loss 25–1 Mexico Marco Antonio Rubio TKO 7 (12), 2:36 Apr 8, 2011 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
25 Win 25–0 United States Purnell Gates TKO 2 (10), 2:50 Dec 3, 2010 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
24 Win 24–0 Puerto Rico Héctor Camacho Jr. KO 1 (12), 3:00 Oct 29, 2010 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Retained WBC International middleweight title
23 Win 23–0 United States Elvin Ayala KO 1 (12), 2:44 Jun 11, 2010 Canada Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Won vacant WBC International middleweight title
22 Win 22–0 Canada Walid Smichet KO 2 (10), 0:57 Apr 3, 2010 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Retained Canada super-middleweight title
21 Win 21–0 Canada Jason Naugler UD 10 Feb 6, 2010 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Won vacant Canada super-middleweight title
20 Win 20–0 United States Delray Raines KO 2 (10), 2:51 Dec 11, 2009 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Won vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental middleweight title
19 Win 19–0 Mexico Alfredo Contreras KO 2 (8), 2:57 Nov 7, 2009 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
18 Win 18–0 United States Donny McCrary KO 1 (8), 2:07 Oct 3, 2009 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
17 Win 17–0 Mexico Bladimir Hernandez KO 5 (8), 3:00 Aug 28, 2009 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
16 Win 16–0 Mexico Martin Avila TKO 2 (6), 1:17 Jun 19, 2009 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
15 Win 15–0 United States Thomas Davis KO 1 (6), 0:47 Apr 18, 2009 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
14 Win 14–0 Mexico Luis Roberto Reyes TKO 1 (8), 2:34 Mar 7, 2009 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
13 Win 13–0 Mexico Rogelio Sanchez TKO 3 (6), 3:00 Jan 30, 2009 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
12 Win 12–0 Canada Patrick Tessier TKO 2 (6), 2:50 Nov 1, 2008 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Won vacant Quebec Boxing Council light-middleweight title
11 Win 11–0 United States Lance Moody KO 1 (6), 2:15 Oct 4, 2008 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
10 Win 10–0 Mexico Ulises Duarte TKO 1 (4), 1:45 Aug 1, 2008 Canada Windsor Station, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
9 Win 9–0 Mexico Oswaldo Gonzalez TKO 2 (6), 1:53 Jul 11, 2008 Canada Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8 Win 8–0 Mexico Julio Gonzalez TKO 2 (6), 2:28 Jun 6, 2008 Canada Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
7 Win 7–0 United States Rodney Green TKO 4 (4), 1:00 May 3, 2008 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
6 Win 6–0 Mexico Guillermo Cortez KO 1 (4), 2:44 Feb 9, 2008 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
5 Win 5–0 Mexico Jesus Ortega KO 1 (4), 1:30 Dec 7, 2007 Canada Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
4 Win 4–0 Mexico Rene Fernandez KO 2 (4), 2:12 Sep 15, 2007 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
3 Win 3–0 Mexico Andres Lovera KO 2 (4), 2:59 Jun 8, 2007 Canada Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2 Win 2–0 Mexico Jose Luis Alvarez TKO 2 (4), 1:06 May 12, 2007 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1 Win 1–0 Mexico Jose Candelario Torres TKO 2 (4), 3:00 Apr 14, 2007 Canada Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 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
WBONABO middleweight champion
May 7, 2016 – present
Incumbent
World titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Jermain Taylor
stripped
IBF middleweight champion
June 20, 2015 – October 17, 2015
Succeeded by
Gennady Golovkin

References

  1. Boxrec. "David Lemieux". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  2. 1 2 Doiron, Paul (October 16, 2009). "18 fights and 18 wins for young, upcoming boxer". Miramichi Leader. Brunswick News. p. C1.
  3. Eastsideboxing.com, 11 December 2011 Retrieved on 11 December 2011. The attendance was roughly 3,000 people.
  4. Jake Donovan (2015-06-21). "Lemieux Floors N'Dam Four Times, Wins Decision And Title". Retrieved 2015-09-28.
  5. "Golovkin dominates Lemieux". Sky Sports.
  6. "David Lemieux vs. Glen Tapia added to Canelo-Khan card". Boxing News 24. 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  7. "David Lemieux Beats Down Glen Tapia For TKO in Four – Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  8. "David Lemieux to box Cristian Fabian Rios on October 22nd - Boxing News". 2016-09-05. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  9. "Notes: David Lemieux's ring return set for Oct. 22". Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  10. "David Lemieux victorious in Montreal - Boxing News". Boxing News. 2016-10-23. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  11. Réjean Tremblay (7 June 2015). "David Lemieux, un boxeur qui vient de loin". Journal de montréal (in French). Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  12. 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.
  13. Mathieu Boulay (30 March 2015). "Camille Estephan réplique à Yvon Michel" (in French). TVA Sports. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  14. Jean-Luc Autret (22 January 2014). "Camille Estephan, un promoteur ambitieux" (in French). 12rounds.ca. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
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