David Lemieux (boxer)

David Lemieux
Lemieux in 2015
Statistics
Rated at	Light-middleweight Middleweight Super-middleweight
Height	5 ft 9 1⁄2 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

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
39	Win	36–3	Cristian Rios	UD	10	Oct 22, 2016	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
38	Win	35–3	Glen Tapia	TKO	4 (10), 0:56	May 7, 2016	T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	Won vacant WBO–NABO middleweight title
37	Loss	34–3	Gennady Golovkin	TKO	8 (12), 1:32	Oct 17, 2015	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	Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam	UD	12	Jun 20, 2015	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Won vacant IBF middleweight title
35	Win	33–2	Gabriel Rosado	TKO	10 (12), 1:45	Dec 6, 2014	Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S.	Retained NABF middleweight title
34	Win	32–2	Fernando Guerrero	KO	3 (12), 1:56	May 24, 2014	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Won NABF middleweight title
33	Win	31–2	Jose Miguel Torres	TKO	7 (10), 1:48	Nov 30, 2013	Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
32	Win	30–2	Marcus Upshaw	UD	8	Sep 28, 2013	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
31	Win	29–2	Robert Swierzbinski	KO	1 (8), 2:21	Jun 8, 2013	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
30	Win	28–2	Albert Ayrapetyan	TKO	2 (10), 1:26	Dec 14, 2012	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
29	Win	27–2	Álvaro Gaona	KO	1 (10), 2:48	Oct 12, 2012	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
28	Win	26–2	Jaudiel Zepeda	KO	2 (8), 1:47	Jun 8, 2012	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
27	Loss	25–2	Joachim Alcine	MD	12	Dec 10, 2011	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Lost WBC International middleweight title
26	Loss	25–1	Marco Antonio Rubio	TKO	7 (12), 2:36	Apr 8, 2011	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
25	Win	25–0	Purnell Gates	TKO	2 (10), 2:50	Dec 3, 2010	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
24	Win	24–0	Héctor Camacho Jr.	KO	1 (12), 3:00	Oct 29, 2010	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Retained WBC International middleweight title
23	Win	23–0	Elvin Ayala	KO	1 (12), 2:44	Jun 11, 2010	Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Won vacant WBC International middleweight title
22	Win	22–0	Walid Smichet	KO	2 (10), 0:57	Apr 3, 2010	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Retained Canada super-middleweight title
21	Win	21–0	Jason Naugler	UD	10	Feb 6, 2010	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Won vacant Canada super-middleweight title
20	Win	20–0	Delray Raines	KO	2 (10), 2:51	Dec 11, 2009	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Won vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental middleweight title
19	Win	19–0	Alfredo Contreras	KO	2 (8), 2:57	Nov 7, 2009	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
18	Win	18–0	Donny McCrary	KO	1 (8), 2:07	Oct 3, 2009	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
17	Win	17–0	Bladimir Hernandez	KO	5 (8), 3:00	Aug 28, 2009	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
16	Win	16–0	Martin Avila	TKO	2 (6), 1:17	Jun 19, 2009	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
15	Win	15–0	Thomas Davis	KO	1 (6), 0:47	Apr 18, 2009	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
14	Win	14–0	Luis Roberto Reyes	TKO	1 (8), 2:34	Mar 7, 2009	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
13	Win	13–0	Rogelio Sanchez	TKO	3 (6), 3:00	Jan 30, 2009	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
12	Win	12–0	Patrick Tessier	TKO	2 (6), 2:50	Nov 1, 2008	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Won vacant Quebec Boxing Council light-middleweight title
11	Win	11–0	Lance Moody	KO	1 (6), 2:15	Oct 4, 2008	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
10	Win	10–0	Ulises Duarte	TKO	1 (4), 1:45	Aug 1, 2008	Windsor Station, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
9	Win	9–0	Oswaldo Gonzalez	TKO	2 (6), 1:53	Jul 11, 2008	Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8	Win	8–0	Julio Gonzalez	TKO	2 (6), 2:28	Jun 6, 2008	Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
7	Win	7–0	Rodney Green	TKO	4 (4), 1:00	May 3, 2008	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
6	Win	6–0	Guillermo Cortez	KO	1 (4), 2:44	Feb 9, 2008	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
5	Win	5–0	Jesus Ortega	KO	1 (4), 1:30	Dec 7, 2007	Centre Bell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
4	Win	4–0	Rene Fernandez	KO	2 (4), 2:12	Sep 15, 2007	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
3	Win	3–0	Andres Lovera	KO	2 (4), 2:59	Jun 8, 2007	Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2	Win	2–0	Jose Luis Alvarez	TKO	2 (4), 1:06	May 12, 2007	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1	Win	1–0	Jose Candelario Torres	TKO	2 (4), 3:00	Apr 14, 2007	Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Professional debut

Titles in boxing

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.