David Lemieux: Is the Young Canadian Still a Top Prospect?

In order to rebuild his career and reclaim the lofty status he once held as a can’t-miss prospect, David Lemieux is going to have to be the opposite of what his fighting style and knockout power suggest: patient.

Lemieux (25-2, 24 KOs), 23, took his fair share of lumps in 2011. The first setback was a seventh-round TKO loss to Marco Antonio Rubio (53-6-1, 46 KOs) in WBC elimination bout where Lemieux’s corner, led by former trainer Russ Anber, threw in the towel when Rubio hurt Lemieux and the Canadian was unable to respond with effective punching.

The loss to Rubio was especially painful given that Lemieux had largely dominated the first six rounds of the fight, and the setback dissolved any possibility of a mandatory world title shot again Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., whom many thought Lemieux could beat at the time.

To further compound the agony of defeat, Lemieux split with long time trainer Russ Anber after it was revealed that their training philosophies and expectations were clashing in the gym.

The switch to another noted trainer in Marc Ramsay—who works with Jean Pascal—did not pay immediate dividends. Following his defeat to Rubio, Lemieux was served up what was supposed to a credible soft touch in former alphabet titlist Joachim Alcine (33-2-1, 19 KOs). The plan unraveled.

Going into the Lemieux fight, Alcine had looked anywhere from awful to pedestrian in getting blown out inside a round by Alfredo Angulo and laboring to a sluggish draw against unheralded Jose Medina. Despite his recent string underwhelming performances, Alcine was able to turn back the clock against Lemieux and finesse his way to a majority decision victory.

In suffering a second consecutive shock defeat, Lemieux’s shine had acquired unseemly rust, and the question that it now begs is this: Is David Lemieux still a legitimate prospect, and will he ever reach the status of world champion that seemed all but a formality before his forgettable 2011?

I would say “yes” to Lemieux still being a legitimate prospect and a strong “maybe” to his chances of becoming a world champion.

Here’s what the young Canadian needs to do to get back to the top:

Be Patient

Lemieux’s aggressive fighting style and knockout power are attributes he unwittingly became enamored with. In 27 career fights, Lemieux has only boxed 74 total rounds, and this inexperience was on display when Rubio and especially Alcine took him into deeper waters.

Fortunately, at 23, time is on Lemieux’s side, and when I talk about patience, I mean both inside and outside the ring. Rebuilding a fighter is an often more arduous process than building one, and Lemieux will have to be prepared to fight through a roster of carefully selected opponents without nearly the same level of fanfare that followed him through his undefeated run.

The other test of Lemieux’s patience will be his demeanor inside the ring. If you watch his fights, once Lemieux gets any inclination that his opponent is wilting, he pounces and doesn’t let up until he’s destroyed his foe.

While this aggression and killer instinct is admirable, it also expends needless energy. Though he has excellent fundamentals, Lemieux must understand that his opponents, at the world level, will not necessarily succumb to one sustained barrage. If Lemieux is patient and uses rounds to build towards a stoppage by using measured attacks and consistent body punching, he will be fresher and better prepared for grueling 12-round contests.

Manage Rounds

This category naturally follows the previous section and again addresses Lemieux’s relentless and sometimes reckless aggression.

When Lemieux goes into full-fledged attack mode, he sees red and gets tunnel vision. This can lead to Lemieux getting trigger-happy with his hooks, and he tends to rip the shots even when they aren’t doing extensive damage. This was especially evident against Alcine.

In order to become a complete fighter, Lemieux must use his natural boxing ability—which he has in abundance—to create openings by feinting, jabbing and moving in and out of harm's way to keep his opponent off balance.

Each individual round in boxing is like a self-contained narrative. If Lemieux uses all of his skills to lay the groundwork for his vicious assaults, his stamina and confidence will be bolstered. This will also enable him to dictate the pacing over a long fight, which he will need to do once he gets back to the world level.

Rely Less on Raw Power

Not every punch needs to be thrown with knockout intentions. While Lemieux developed a rabid following because of his exciting style, he needs to better conserve and distribute his energy as he moves forward.

Don’t get me wrong, a lazy punch in boxing is an invitation to be brutally countered, but there is a difference between throwing shots with purpose and gunning for a spectacular knockout.

Lemieux’s power is well documented, and knowing he has it should give him confidence to vary his attack with the understanding that he has the ability to stretch almost anyone. Because of this innate power, Lemieux should take the opportunity to box more and work on other fundamental aspects of his game like defense and counterpunching. 

As he slowly rebuilds his career, Lemieux has the chance to reinvent himself in the process. He has the killer instinct, and he has the power; it is now up to him to hone those less developed or needed skills to take the next step.

Maintain Composure

Lemieux’s losses to Alcine and Rubio could ultimately be beneficial. In the Rubio fight, Lemieux didn’t exhibit the best of survival instincts, and he failed to tie Rubio up and clinch at appropriate moments. Furthermore, he got pinned near the ropes and was never able to move forward to close the gap and take away Rubio’s punching angles in that fateful seventh round.

Before the Rubio fight, Lemieux had never been in serious trouble. While he did get hurt, his chin was able to withstand some brutal punches, and he definitely showed heart by doing his best to survive until his corner threw in the towel.

If Lemieux has used this experience to better know when to clinch and how to manage dangerous spots (which he will encounter again), he will have become a more complete fighter.

It was obvious that Lemieux was frustrated in the Alcine fight. Alcine landed flashy combinations and used enough movement to befuddle the young Canadian. To compound these frustrations, Alcine taunted Lemieux and even threw bolo-punches—the ultimate insult to someone who’s supposed to have power.

This experience will be invaluable in helping Lemieux learn how to handle the taxing mental aspect of a 12-round fight. Now that Lemieux understands what it’s like to be taunted, he won’t let those antics bother him or throw him off his game plan.

David Lemieux has all the physical tools you look for in a boxing prospect. While he has lost two fights in a row, at 23 he still has the chance to develop into a world champion, and his exciting style will certainly keep fans interested along the way.

With a few adjustments, look for Lemieux to again be a top contender by the middle of 2013. If you want to follow Lemieux’s comeback, he fights against Jaudiel Zepeda (12-5-1, 9 KOs) at the Bell Centre in Montreal on June 8.