Confident David Lemieux Has Opportunity of a Lifetime vs. Gennady Golovkin

If there’s one middleweight in the world confident enough to upset undefeated monster Gennady Golovkin, it’s David Lemieux.

Lemieux, the IBF middleweight champion, told Bleacher Report that he’s much more than most people are giving him credit for right now. On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, he expects to defeat Golovkin and become the unified middleweight champion.

“I’m not going in the ring as a fighter who is going in to just be a test [for Golovkin]," he said. "I’m no test subject. I’m going in the ring to win. I’m not going in the ring to be a test subject or a challenge to Golovkin. Golovkin is going to be a challenge to me.”

Golovkin has won 20 straight bouts by knockout. He’s defended his WBA title 14 consecutive times. He’s ranked among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport by most credible pundits and hailed by some as an unstoppable 160-pound juggernaut.

In fact, many esteemed writers—including the Sweet Science’s Thomas Hauser and his select panel of fight observers—already consider Golovkin one of the greatest middleweights ever.

Lemieux remains unfazed.

“I’m going in there with a really good plan, and I’m going in there to win.”

But what kind of tactic could work against Golovkin? He’s a great boxer, light on his feet and well educated in creating space to land punches. He’s an explosive puncher with good footwork and a knack for landing clean.

He almost looks unbeatable.

If Golovkin has one flaw, it might be that his aggressive style leaves him open to counterattacks. While this hasn’t meant much in bouts with the limited fighters Golovkin has faced before, Lemieux is one of the premier punching middleweights on the planet.

The dude can flat-out crack.

“Yeah, I’m going to land on him. But that’s not my main interest in the fight," he said. "It’s not just that I want to land a lucky shot and see what happens. I’m going in there to show what I can do.”

There’s nothing lucky about the punches Lemieux lands. He’s adept at dodging in and out of range to land power shots in a way reminiscent of former heavyweight great Jack Dempsey. And like Dempsey, when Lemieux lands, there are concussive results.

When he captured the IBF title in June against the rugged Hassan N’Dam N'Jikam, he did so by slugging the roughneck down to the canvas four times. N’Dam N'Jikam was resilient, but it didn’t matter. Lemieux just kept on punching him and earned a unanimous-decision victory in the process.

Could he do the same against Golovkin?

“I want to see if he can stand up to what I got. And if he can, I’ll just keep hitting him. It’s not any more complicated than that," Lemieux said. "It’s going to be a rough fight. It’s not going to be easy for me, and it’s not going to be easy for him.”

While Odds Shark lists Golovkin as a huge betting favorite in the fight, it’d be silly to suggest the fight is not worth watching. Whereas seeing cute boxers dance around the ring pecking their way to a decision win can seem like watching paint dry at times, both Golovkin and Lemieux are exciting sluggers.

And the truth about punchers is this: They always have a chance. Lemieux feels he’s on the precipice of bigger things, and he believes his punching power can get him there.

“Everything is on track. We’re doing the right things. I have the right team in place. I’m doing things the right way.”

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Lemieux suffered consecutive losses in 2011, but he’s no longer the same man. He’s won nine straight bouts, including a Round 10 knockout over Gabriel Rosado in 2014 as well as the aforementioned career-defining title win over N’Dam N'Jikam.

“It’s something I’ve worked hard for my whole life. It’s been a bumpy road, but I finally went and got it," he said. "Now I’m fighting the biggest fight of my career and making history.”

And don’t think Lemieux is finished. While he considers his IBF title win as a dream come true, the Canadian slugger said there’s more to being a champion than just wearing a belt.

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“The champion wants to fight whoever is the top guy. It’s not about avoiding other fighters. It’s not about picking and choosing. It’s about fighting and beating the best middleweights in the world. There’s an easy way and there’s the right way. I don’t just want all the belts. I want to be the true middleweight champion of the world.”

A win over Golovkin would certainly set him on that course, and fighters usually don’t get that many chances at such things. Lemieux knows it.

“It’s a great opportunity, of course. It’s really important for me," he said. "I think for any fighter, logically, this is what the highest potential in boxing is: a unification fight against top opposition. It doesn’t get too much bigger than this.”

Lemieux is ready.

“I’m going to make sure I don’t miss my shot.”

Lemieux faces Golovkin on Saturday, October 17. The bout will be telecast via HBO PPV for $49 (standard definition) or $59 (high definition) beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.