Bombs Away for David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens

Bombs Away for David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens

LEMIEUX VS. STEVENS MARCH 11 AT TURNING STONE — Knockout punchers are never ever out of vogue.

That ability to render an opponent motionless with a single strike captivates fans.

When former middleweight champion David Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs) and middleweight contender Curtis Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) meet on March 11, at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York fans will eagerly watch on HBO. It’s the epitome of bombs away.

If you look at the history of pro boxing you realize that big punchers have long shelf lives even if they lose a battle or two. That ability to pull out a win with a single blow dangles tantalizingly like the sword of Damocles. It’s like catnip for boxing fans.

Punchers like Ernie Shavers, Bob Foster, Julian Jackson, Yory Boy Campas, Jose Luis Lopez, Wilfredo Gomez, Alfonso Zamora and many others throughout the years could still draw big crowds years after their prime. Watching the destruction they could inflict on opponents was mesmerizing to fans.

Here we have Canada’s Lemieux who not only harbors serious firepower but a willingness to face anyone.

When the Canadian bomber won the IBF middleweight world title in June 2015, instead of protecting his jeweled belt he willingly accepted a clash with the most feared puncher in the world, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin.

Lemieux, 28, has that kill or be killed mentality of a true knockout puncher. He always believes in his power and doubts anyone can withstand the shock force in his fists. Though many felt he would be belted out of there by Golovkin, he truly believed he would be the one emerging the victor when they met in October 2015.

You got to love that.

Stevens, 31, has the same mentality.

When the New York native was building his resume in 2013 he eagerly accepted a contract to face the feared Golovkin too. While everyone was avoiding Triple G, the Brooklyn native was waving his hand like a schoolboy trying to be first in line.

Stevens, like Lemieux, fears no one.

During their conference call on Tuesday the two fired flaming verbal bombs at each other. It was just a small sample of what to expect.

“You ain’t never fight nobody like me. The difference is I fought a million yous. You never fought someone like me,” said Stevens to Lemieux during their conference call. “Just meet me in the middle of the ring.”

Lemieux was not amused.

“You ain’t never fought a guy like me,” said Lemieux. “I’m going to destroy you March 11th.”

Three of Stevens last five bouts have resulted in knockout wins.

“You’re going to get right what you want. Your whole front furniture will be missing out of your mouth,” said Stevens.

Lemieux answered succinctly.

“Don’t talk so much,” Lemieux said. “You’re going to get knocked out, that’s what’s going to happen.”

Both wield the firepower to back their claims. Who will land first and who will be able to withstand the other’s power? Even they have no answer.

“I really don’t give a damn what happened between you and Golovkin. We both lost to him at the end of the damn day,” said Stevens to Lemieux. “I can’t see what’s going to happen, you know, but we both are going to come in there to win at the end of the day.”

Lemieux feels he knows what is going to happen, if Stevens does not.

“Coming in to win, coming in strong. And Stevens is going to be in front of me, I’m going to take care of him. Put on a great show,” said Lemieux. “What I can promise is my fans are going to have a great show.”

And what will happen to the loser. Promoter Oscar De La Hoya seems to know the answer.

“They’re the biggest guys in the sport today in the middleweight division, and the loser then has to fight an uphill battle,” said De La Hoya regarding their punching prowess. “But that uphill is not that steep because of their styles, they’re such fan-friendly styles that people want to keep watching them fight.”

Everybody loves a big bomber.

Bombs Away for David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens / Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel.