David Lemieux on GGG: ‘I Have a Very Good Plan to Make Sure His Power Isn’t Used’

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David Lemieux has been a busy man the past few months. He gets whisked from one camera shoot to the next, goes from conference call to conference call and, in the middle of it all, finds time to train for the most important fight of his life.

The IBF middleweight champion has the interesting task of trying to topple the man whom many believe is an unbeatable fighting machine in Gennady Golovkin. The two men meet in a middleweight unification bout on HBO pay-per-view this Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

One thing is certain: Lemieux (34-2, 31 KOs) carries heavy hands. Whether they’re lethal enough to hurt someone like Golovkin (33-0, 30 KOs), the WBA “super” middleweight champion, is dubious.

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Lemieux suffered consecutive losses in 2011, stopped in seven by veteran Marco Antonio Rubio in May, and losing a 12-round majority decision to Joachim Alcine in December. Both defeats came at Bell Centre in Montreal, Lemieux’s backyard.

Since then, the 26-year-old single father of one has re-invented himself. He’s won nine-straight fights, seven within the distance. But can he keep that streak up against Golovkin?

“Yea, you can say that’s a pretty big test coming up,” Lemieux said, laughing. “Let’s see Golovkin has. I’ve been hearing about all of his abilities, but I have a lot of abilities to bring to the table you know, too. That’s what I think is happening here. I’m being underestimated, and it’s not like that hasn’t happened before.

“The way I look at this fight is as a tremendous opportunity to open the eyes of many that it’s not just Gennady Golovkin at middleweight, there’s also David Lemieux. I’m well ready for this kind of fight, and I’ll continue to say it when this fight was announced that I’m going to shock the world. I don’t say that for nothing and I don’t say that before thinking.”

Lemieux said he’s aware of what Golovkin will bring, but believes Golovkin is “very aware of what I can bring.”

“I know he fought a lot of fighters and he has a lot of confidence. I don’t care if they underestimate or not. In the ring, he will have a rude awakening if he is. But Golovkin is a bright guy. I’ll give him credit for that, so I don’t think he’ll underestimate me.”

If Lemieux possesses one thing over Golovkin, it could be hand speed. He has an almost cartoon-like movement when he throws his left hook, launching his body into the punch. So distance will play a part, too. Can Lemieux keep GGG, who has the better footwork, off of him?

“Boxing is like a game of chess, and I do see a weakness in Golovkin, like you see a weakness in any fighter,” Lemieux said. “I won’t reveal it, but I believe a lot of little things added up can make a big difference, and something that I can exploit. I’ll say this, I’m a lot better boxer than people give me credit for.”

Lemieux has power; he can slug. Golovkin’s power is well noted; the world knows what he can do. Golovkin, who claims to have never been knocked down in over 400 amateur and pro fights, is calculating. Lemieux is more of a reckless head hunter. Is he ready to go fire-to-fire with Golovkin?

“I have a very good plan to make sure his power isn’t used,” said Lemieux, who tasted the canvas in the Rubio upset. “People think that I’m just a power puncher. I’m a world champion now and I’ll show everyone I’m more than just a puncher. I’ll wake a few people up.”

Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.