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BILLY JOE SAUNDERS VS. DAVID LEMIEUX SET FOR DECEMBER 16

By Paul Magno | October 18, 2017
BILLY JOE SAUNDERS VS. DAVID LEMIEUX SET FOR DECEMBER 16

The long-rumored and WBO-mandated title bout between middleweight titlist Billy Joe Saunders and no. 1 contender David Lemieux is signed and sealed, according to various media sources.

It’s being reported that the contest will take place in Lemieux’s home base of Montreal, Quebec on December 16 at a venue to be determined and will be broadcast in the United States by HBO. The deal was made ahead of a mandated WBO purse bid that would’ve limited both parties as to purse, promotion, and location.

The 28-year-old Saunders (25-0, 12 KOs), who will be fighting for the first time outside of his native UK, will be making the third defense of the WBO middleweight belt he captured against Andy Lee back in December of 2015. Saunders’ run as champion has largely been a disappointment with uninspired defenses against moderate threats Artur Akavov and Willie Monroe Jr. taking place against a backdrop of scandalous, distracting headlines and rumors of lackluster dedication to training. 

Challenger Lemieux (38-3, 33 KOs), also 28, will get a chance to become a two-time middleweight champ by beating Saunders. The heavy-handed Canadian captured the vacant IBF belt against Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam in June of 2016, but lost the title via eight-round TKO to Gennady Golovkin in his first defense four months later. Since the Golovkin loss, Lemieux is 4-0 with two victories within the distance.

A boxer vs. puncher match-up, Saunders-Lemieux will also come down to ring maturity as both have shown themselves to be stylistically incomplete fighters with wavering degrees of focus and ring presence. 

Lemieux’s saving grace has been his tremendous one-punch power and a degree of marketability that allows him to generate the kinds of paydays that make high-end opposition willing to face him and risk tasting that power. 

Saunders, on the other hand, fancies himself a slick boxer, but has only shown glimpses of the kind of skill and athleticism needed to pull off that kind of style. The Brit may have enough ability, however, to decision Lemieux, but the reality is that he’s being brought into Montreal to lose—and, quite likely, will fulfill his role as fall guy.

The really big money in this bout is in a Lemieux win as a victory for the popular KO artist will give promoter, Golden Boy, leverage in negotiations for a rematch with Gennady Golovkin. Having a belt around Lemieux’s waist will give Canelo Alvarez an interesting and bankable opponent if a deal with “Triple G” can’t be hammered out for this coming May. Meanwhile, Saunders is a bit of a rudderless bout in terms of options, calling out Gennady Golovkin for show, but not really nibbling at anyone truly dangerous. The willingness to send him abroad for a mandatory defense may speak volumes as to how low Saunders’ value may have fallen since winning the title. At this point, he may be worth more to promoter Frank Warren as an opponent for export than as a defending UK-based champ. 

No matter who wins, though, the victor of December 16’s Saunders-Lemieux clash will surely emerge as the next challenger for the winner of Canelo-Golovkin II.

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