Former IBF middleweight world champion David Lemieux (36-3) returns to action this Saturday night as he faces veteran Curtis Stevens (29-5) at upstate New York’s Turning Stone Casino for a 12-round bout televised on HBO. This is classified as a must-win fight for both men. Lemieux is best remembered as Gennady Golovkin’s opponent for what was the first Pay-Per-View appearance for “Triple G.” In that fight, he was bludgeoned and taken out in eight rounds. That was back in October of 2015, and though Lemieux has managed to go 2-0 since then, he has also had trouble making the 160-pound middleweight limit and even had a fight on Canada’s PPV service cancelled at the last minute because he could not make weight. Lemieux has fought most of his career in Canada, where he is still a draw, but he is looking to succeed outside of his home country where the bigger money is. Despite the loss, the Golovkin fight was his biggest payday to date, and he needs to both make the weight and perform well in this fight. As for Stevens, the hard hitter went 2-0 in 2016 after he took 2015 off. He also fought and lost to Golovkin back in November of 2013 and has gone 4-1 since then, also losing to France’s Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam in an IBF title eliminator bout. We last saw Stevens on the undercard of last November’s big Andre Ward versus Sergey Kovalev PPV where he retained his WBC Continental Americas title with a UD win over veteran James De la Rosa. Also on the card is former WBA and IBF world titlist at featherweight Yuriorkis Gamboa (25-1), as he attempts to get his career back on track against veteran Rene Alvarado (24-7). Gamboa is a Cuban fighter who comes to the professional ranks after a decorated amateur career, and his lone loss as a professional came at the hands of the all-world Terrence Crawford. Alvarado is a tough customer who has fought a lot of high level foes over the past few years, and he has gone 5-5 in his last 10 pro bouts. Turning Stone Resort & Casino – Verona, New York – HBO Middleweight – 12 rounds Curtis Stevens +325 David Lemieux -400 Lightweight – 10 rounds Rene Alvarado +1000 Yuriorkis Gamboa -2000
Lemieux vs. Stevens Headlines HBO Boxing Card on Saturday (March 11, 2017)
