Gennady Golovkin is the overwhelming favorite heading into his next fight, but challenger David Lemieux believes he can prove his doubters wrong in their upcoming bout on Oct. 17 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Lemieux, who has a 34-2 record with 31 wins by knockout, knows that he will have a tough night against Golovkin, but he expressed confidence after going face-to-face with the unbeaten champion.
Lemieux, the reigning International Boxing Federation middleweight champion, said that he saw weaknesses in Golovkin's eye, which makes him believe he has the advantage heading into the fight.
"I saw some things that I love and I will use during the fight," Lemieux told Le Journal de Montreal via BoxingScene. "When you meet an opponent's eyes, the eyes do not lie. I saw what I wanted to know. I noted weaknesses in him and I think I now have a small advantage psychologically."
Golovkin is being considered by most analysts as the best pound-for-pound boxer today after Floyd Mayweather announced his retirement following his unanimous decision win against Andre Berto on Sept. 12 in Las Vegas.
The undefeated 33-year-old Kazakh has racked up 33 victories with 30 of those victories coming by knockout. He has knocked out his last 20 opponents, including his victims earlier this year - Martin Murray via 11th round knockout in February and Willie Monroe Jr. via sixth round stoppage in May.
But despite Golovkin's impressive record, Lemieux is confident that he has the tools to stand toe-to-toe with the reigning International Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association middleweight champion.
"It will be a lion against another lion," Lemieux said of his upcoming fight with Golovkin. "I have all the tools necessary to fight with Golovkin and defeat him in a fight that will make history. I know what I can bring and I will bring to the table for this fight. I think I will be even better than my last two performances."
Lemieux won the vacant IBF middleweight world title via a convincing unanimous decision victory against Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam in June in Montreal, Canada. Before winning the title, the 26-year-old Canadian knocked out Fernando Guerrero and Gabriel Rosado last year.
