The David Lemieux vs. David Benavidez match will happen on Saturday, May 21, in Phoenix, Arizona. The latter is presently among the top three super middleweight boxers in the entire sport. He only trails Canelo Alvarez, plying his trade in light heavyweight. In a recent interview, David Lemieux has claimed that he has all the tools required to defeat his rival in the match. He has already been in the ring with several of the toughest middleweights globally. This includes Gennadiy Golovkin and Curtis Stevens. He has won more than forty-five matches with only a few losses and thirty-five knockouts. Benavidez is one of the top boxers in the entire division. His name is being floated around as the next rival for Canelo Alvarez. The latter has the title of the undisputed super middleweight champ. Canelo lost out to Dmitry Bivol in the light heavyweight division a few weeks ago. He will come back to super middleweight if he does not go for a rematch against Bivol. This prospect will surely boost the sales of David Lemieux vs. David Benavidez tickets.
If Lemieux gets a victory this month, he may get another chance to go at the belt. But it looks like Benavidez is going to win the David Lemieux vs. David Benavidez match. The victor of this match is going to take a great step forward towards a possible match against Canelo Alvarez. This will be a big opportunity for both the boxers because Canelo is the undisputed super-middleweight champ and the star of the division. Benavidez is also training very hard for the match. The boxer spars three days a week. He fights against rising young boxers Valenzuela and Pacheco. He starts training early in the morning. But he does not miss out on the good living or the nightlife.
David Lemieux said, "It's a big, tough fight, but we're confident. Styles make fights, you know, and I believe that I have the abilities it takes to hurt him, to catch him, and to beat him. He's definitely a very tough opponent, but I never wanted easy fights – I wanted the best fights." Benavidez said, "I want to challenge myself. I'm tired of talking s--- and going back and forth with fighters that don't want to fight. It's a waste of time. It's a waste of energy. If a fighter does want to fight, that's what I'm here for. I'm not here to be on social media talking s--- to everybody. I came earlier because the first date they told me was the end of March, and then they said April 30th, and then they changed it to May 21."
Benavidez has won the WBC super-middleweight championship belt without losing it in any match. His initial run as the champ ended after he was stripped for testing positive for cocaine about four years ago. His following reign also ended in a similar manner when he was stripped for not being able to make the weight for a match against Roamer Alexi Angulo. Lemieux is a former middleweight champ who has won over four consecutive matches since he was defeated by Billy Joe Saunders five years ago. His promoters have been looking to have him go against Canelo for now. But the match has not seen the light of the day till now. The boxer was struggling to stay in that weight class. His previous matches have been at super middleweight. One of them was in Mexico, and a couple was in Canada. He had just managed to win in those matches. A few years ago, it included a split decision victory against Maksym Bursak in Canada.
Lemieux can be seen as a dangerous puncher. But he has not been able to get the victory in matches against rivals who were better ranked than him. This goes back to the consecutive losses he suffered at the start of his career against Joachim Alcine and Marco Antonio Rubio. But he has kept around for more than ten years now. There were many people that had not predicted that after those losses. Benavidez is going to be the main favorite in the match. But the power of his rival means that the match is going to be a close one. Even Gennadiy Golovkin gave his rival the respect he deserved, even though he dominated their match in the final rounds. But Benavidez is a great puncher and is naturally bigger too. He has a better toolset to use when required in his matches. It could be a tough match when it pans out. The match will be a great event for the fans of the sport in spring. The sport is going to see some great months ahead after a tough run since the start of this year. Many fans are going to buy the David Lemieux vs. David Benavidez tickets.
Benavidez said, "I thought I was already here in training camp. I may as well keep training. I feel it worked out for the best. It's a necessary fight to be working hard for, and it keeps me focused. Training more keeps me hungry and more motivated. No, there's no struggle to make 168. The only time there was trouble making 168 was that one time I missed weight. I feel every fighter goes through one time. They miss weight. There have been champions, Gervonta Davis, Canelo Alvarez, etc. (who have also missed weight). The training conditions we (had back then) were way different from anything I had ever experienced; it was the bubble. We had to quarantine the room, you had to train in the room, you weren't allowed downstairs in the gym, and we only had the treadmill for an hour a day. It was a completely different time. Now the nutrition is better, and the diet is better. I've been really dedicated to my diet since that has happened."
"I feel everything is cleared up with that. We have a great group of guys right here training. They keep me motivated. They both had two sensational knockouts [recently], so I'm even more motivated to go in there and get a knockout for myself, too. I'll wake up at 8 a.m. and run about 6 miles, then train from 1:30 to 3:30. Then strength and conditioning from 7-8 every night. I eat breakfast after I'm done running. I eat three eggs and a tomato. For lunch, I eat fish with tomato, and for dinner, I eat fish and tomato. I drink about two gallons of water a day. A really clean diet. I miss my son and wife, just being at home – hanging out with them," he said. "My wife and son came to San Diego like five times. My son is a year and six months old; I've been going to training camp for a while, so I've missed out on a lot of his life already."
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|---|---|---|
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Country |
USA |
Canada |
|
Age |
25 years |
33 years |
|
Pro |
8 years |
15 years |
|
Height |
6′ 1½″ (187 cm) |
5′ 9½″ (177 cm) |
|
Reach |
77″ (196 cm) |
70″ (178 cm) |
|
Division |
super middleweight |
super middleweight |
|
Stance |
|
|
|
Titles |
- |
- |
|
Record |
25 - 0 - 0 |
43 - 4 - 0 |
|
KOs |
88% |
83% |
|
Inactive |
189 days |
351 days |
|
Division |
Fighter ?1 |
Fighter ?2 |
Notes |
|
super middleweight (168 lbs) |
David Benavidez |
David Lemieux |
For WBC Interim World tit. |
|
super welterweight (154 lbs) |
Yoelvis Gomez |
Jorge Cota |