The last-ditch fight for Lemieux

There was no shortage of action at the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) annual convention held last week in Mexico.

Promoter Yvon Michel was on site with super-heavy-light champion Oscar Rivas and his manager Stéphane Lépine. We learned that he had to face Russian Evgeny Romanov for the first defense of his title. It will be quite a challenge, but we will come back to it.

What caught my attention was the announcement of the interim super middleweight title fight between David Lemieux and David Benavidez. A news that was launched lip service by the authorities of the WBC.

It was the logical duel to set up as they are the two highest ranked pugilists at 168 lbs. Benavidez is in the first row while Lemieux is right behind him.

A wacky project? Not at all. Promoter Camille Estephan had preliminary talks Friday afternoon with his counterpart Sampson Lewkowicz.

They laid the foundations for their negotiations. According to what we could learn, the fight would be presented on the airwaves of Showtime which has an agreement with Benavidez. It could be presented in February or March in the United States.

“We want the fight,” said Camille Estephan during a brief discussion. We are going there to tear off our opponent’s head. “

Crossroads

For Lemieux, this is the last chance to become world champion. A golden opportunity that the 32-year-old boxer has been waiting for since his loss to Billy Joe Saunders in 2017. A tough night at the office.

Then, in 2019, the slugger decided to make the jump to super middleweight (168 lbs). A new chapter in his career that was not convincing. His strike force, one of the important tools in his arsenal, has less impact on his opponents who are bigger and heavier than him.

In the past three years, Lemieux has not been so active due to the pandemic. He only fought once a year. In his defense, the best boxers on the planet found themselves in the same situation as him. All the promoters had difficulty restarting their activities after two lean years.

An exciting duel

We could have some action at the weigh-in and during the fight between Lemieux and Benavidez. Both boxers have had issues with their weight cuts during their careers.

It happened to Lemieux three times while playing in the middleweight. Its promoters had to call off a bout twice, including a major clash against Tureano Johnson at Madison Square Garden.

For his part, Benavidez is not an altar boy. He had drug abuse problems that plagued his career. Moreover, he was stripped of his world title after missing his weigh-in in 2020.

In the ring, we would witness an explosive duel. Two boxers with power and a defense that is far from waterproof. Barring a surprise, we would be entitled to a knockout on one side or the other.

There would be interest in Quebec, but also on the international scene. A fight that could kick off an interesting year for Quebec boxing. It was time.

2. Veilleux shines brightly

Franco-Ontarian Christian Veilleux had a dream game in his debut with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Coming in relief to the holder, he threw three touchdown passes, including one to Quebecer Malick Meiga. He amassed 235 passing yards. At the same time, Veilleux closed the valve to Americans who believe that Canadians cannot be successful in the NCAA. Often it is a question of opportunity. Will he have his chance as a professional starting quarterback? Everything in its time.

3. Thibault should have led the committee

The government committee announced by François Legault comes at a strange time. Barely two weeks after the arrival of Jocelyn Thibault as boss at Hockey Quebec. Thibault didn’t even have time to put his pencils on his desk. He is the one who should be at the head of this committee which aims to revive minor hockey. It wouldn’t have taken anything away from Marc Denis’ expertise. Now, let this committee, which is made up of competent people, work. We just have to hope that their recommendations will be listened to and implemented.

4. Canelo bypassed Beterbiev

Canelo Alvarez will face Ilunga Makabu for the light heavyweight title. It’s a joke. Another risk calculated by the advisers of the Mexican champion. They place the pawns well to allow the boxer to write the story. How about a shock against Artur Beterbiev at 175 lbs? It’s simple. Beterbiev is a real danger and he knows it. It is for this reason that he bypassed him while waiting to face him at the end of his career. Not the first time this has happened. His meetings with Gennady Golovkin took three years to materialize.

5. Saputo is on the wrong track

Owner Joey Saputo had a heated encounter with supporters. He refuses to back down on his team’s name and logo which was put together by Kevin Gilmore. Normal. He was the one who appointed Gilmore. On the other hand, it is a bad calculation. He seems to forget that it is the amateurs who buy tickets and merchandise in the colors of his team. And it’s even less skillful to talk about a move with them. An unnecessary comment that will cast doubt on the future of his concession in Montreal.