David Lemieux put on a courageous performance against Gennady Golovkin on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,568.
It was all for naught as the Canadian and former IBF middleweight champion was stopped inside the eighth round by the Kazakh.
Golden Boy Promotions President and Lemieux promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, told Marcos Villegas of FightHub TV that Lemieux could not figure out the stiff left jab of Golovkin, which landed with precision all night.
“He couldn’t figure out the jab,” De La Hoya said of Lemieux. “Golovkin did a great job with using that stiff left jab. I’m a huge advocate of the jab; I love the jab, so I was very impressed with it.”
Golovkin still has a ways to go if he wants to break Wilfredo Gomez’s legitimate knockout streak of 32, but 21 in and of itself is thoroughly impressive.
The late heavyweight Lamar Clark knocked out 40 in a row yes, but 65 percent of the fighters he took out during his streak were making their professional debut.
While some see Golovkin as an indestructible monster, De La Hoya took off his promoter hat and put on his fighter hat, going on to say that he sees vulnerabilities in Golovkin that a slick boxer could exploit.
“As a fighter, I see a lot of kinks,” the former six-weight world champion said. “I see a lot of vulnerability, but that’s just me as a fighter. He’s very strong; he’s powerful, but he leaves himself wide open.
“As a promoter, I respect him. I admire his style, I love what he is doing for the sport, I love that he’s being built as the most feared fighter on the planet; that’s great, and he deserves it.”
Another fighter in De La Hoya’s entourage, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will be in another mega-fight on Nov. 21 at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas when he takes on the dangerous Miguel Cotto on HBO PPV.
When asked if Canelo could handle GGG, De La Hoya gave his vintage strong-willed response.
“Absolutely without a doubt,” De La Hoya said adamantly. “Canelo is powerful; he’s strong, but let me tell you one thing. I saw him the other day, and he’s looking amazing, fast.
“He’s coming into his man strength. His speed, I don’t know where it came from, but he’s looking sharp, he’s looking very fast on his feet. Of course it has to happen [GGG vs. Canelo], why not?”
Speaking of the fighter’s hat, how would De La Hoya beat Golovkin if he were in the ring with him? He spilled out a game plan.
“On your toes and giving him angles and throwing what he throws,” he stated. “Obviously he had a good jab; you have to get through the jab. Jab with him, you jab with him. That’s the way you get through it.
“Jab with him and then you throw your combinations. You’re going to have to take his power.”
De La Hoya also predicted that Canelo, Manny Pacquiao, and Victor Ortiz would beat Floyd Mayweather, and were all beaten soundly.
– Ryan O’Hara @OHaraSports
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