The Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada hosts an IBF World title fight this Saturday between hard-hitting David Lemieux (33-2) and the slick Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (31-1). The match is considered to be very competitive, and the line shows a near pick ‘em as both men are paying back at (-115). There is no over/under posted yet for this twelve round bout, But N’Jikam as knocked out more than half his opponents and Lemieux has put down all but two of his previous foes. Lemieux is a slugger who by the end of 2010 had an undefeated record and was beginning to make waves as a Middleweight. He fought twice in 2011, and dropped both fights. The losses, two Mexican veteran Marco Antonio Rubio and Joachim Alcine were seen as major setbacks for Lemieux’s career. Since then, Lemieux has taken a back to the basics approach and he has gone (8-0). In 2914, he went (2-0) and captured the vacant NABF middleweight title with a win over Fernando Guerrero in May and he defended the belt in December against veteran Gabriel Rosado. The Rosado fight was showcase bout that aired on HBO in the United States and saw Lemieux fight outside of Canada for the first time. Lemieux is still just 26 years old, and he is looking to work his way up to bigger fights in the Middleweight division. N’Jikam is a former WBO interim World Champion at Middleweight, a title he defended on several occasions in his native France. In October of 2012 he fought Peter Quillin in an attempt to win the full world title and drop the interim label, but Quillin dropped him six times. To N’Jidam’s credit he managed to get up and he has come back since with four straight wins. His last outing, in October of 2014, aired on ESPN2 and saw him win the title eliminator against Curtis Stevens (27-4). N’Jikam, originally from Cameroon, also brings an extensive amateur background that includes a 2004 Olympic appearance. At 31 years old, N’Jikam is looking to get back into the world title scene with this fight. There are several regional titles on the line on this show, which has ten fights scheduled over all. The only other fight getting a line at the books as of now is the Lightweight 10 round bout between Canadian Dierry Jean (28-1) and Jerry Belmontes (19-6). Belmontes comes in a huge (+1000) underdog, while Jean is paying at (-1750). There is no over/under for the bout, which has the NABF Lightweight title on the line. Jean has won three fights in a row since taking his lone career loss at the hands of Lamont Peterson in January of 2014.
