David Lemieux is considered as a heavy underdog heading into his showdown with Gennady Golovkin, but the reigning International Boxing Federation middleweight champion is oozing with confidence.
In fact, Lemieux vowed to make history and expressed confidence that he will be able to floor Golovkin in their upcoming title unification bout on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Lemieux, who holds a 34-2 record with 31 of those victories coming by knockout, is elated after getting arguably the biggest fight of his career and he is determined to make the most of the opportunity.
The 26-year-old Canadian said that he is not fighting Golovkin just for money, but he will go all out to make history in his upcoming fight, where he could also get Golovkin's World Boxing Association and International Boxing Organization middleweight titles.
"I'm not here to play. I'm here to make history," Lemieux said after a press conference on Wednesday. "I've done everything it takes in the gym to make sure that I leave Madison Square Garden with the belts."
Lemieux said that he is excited for the biggest test of his career. The Montreal, Canada native is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win against Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam in June. It was his ninth consecutive victory since his twin defeats to Marco Antonio Rubio and Joachim Alcine in 2011 -- two defeats that became his motivation.
"I come from far. I've faced a lot of victories. I faced defeat," Lemieux said. "Nothing is more exciting and gratifying than a beautiful victory, which is what I'm planning on Saturday. I couldn't be happier to be where I am today. I've come a long way, made a lot of changes in my life."
Lemieux also has an additional motivation for Saturday's fight. The hard-hitting middleweight knows that Golovkin has never been floored in professional boxing fight. Lemieux is aware that Golovkin has a good chin, but he is determined to prove that the 33-year-old Kazakh is just a human like any other boxer.
"He has a good chin, but let's see," Lemieux told reporters. "Let's see. I'm ready to put that to the test. I think I will put him off of his feet. I'm pretty sure I will, so let's see how tough his chin is. Yes, he has good chin and he's a tough guy, but he's only human."
Golovkin holds a perfect 33-0 record with 30 knockout victories. The Karaganda, Kazakhstan native is coming off a sixth-round stoppage win against Willie Monroe Jr. in May, which was his 20th straight knockout win.
