In a fight that fans have been calling for since the middle of last year, David Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs) will go toe-to-toe with Curtis “The Cerebral Assassin” Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) on Saturday, March 11.
Scheduled for 12 rounds, though few believe it will go that, Lemieux vs. Stevens will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York and will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.
The Montreal, Canada born-and-bred Lemieux is coming off back-to-back impressive victories including a knockout over perennial contender and Freddie Roach-trained Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia and a hard-fought unanimous decision win against the always-rugged Argentine fighter Cristian Fabian Rios.
“The time for talking is done, and after many long months of hearing Curtis yell about all the things he’s going to do in the ring, I’m really looking forward to shutting his mouth on March 11,” Lemieux said. “I’ve told everyone my goal is to once again become middleweight champion of the world. Curtis is in the way, and I’m going to go right through him.”
Stevens, who rose from Brownsville, Brooklyn to become former NABF and now Continental Americas middleweight champion has also won two straight fights, with a thunderous knockout over then-undefeated Patrick Teixeira in May of 2016 followed by a unanimous decision victory over James de la Rosa later in the year.
“The wait is finally over!” said Stevens. “No more talking. My hands will do the talking on March 11.”
With both Lemieux and Stevens appearing and convincingly winning on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan show at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, boxing fans quickly began calling for the two contenders to get together in the ring. Both fighters were happy to oblige, engaging first in a war of words, and now in a war of jabs, hooks and uppercuts.
“We often see fighters pretend not to like each other to help draw an audience – these two guys aren’t faking it; they don’t like each other at all,” said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. “Given the thunder each holds in both hands and their desire to make a statement in the middleweight division, I think fans are going to be in for a knockout – and a spectacular one at that.”
“This is a fight of the year candidate,” said Camille Estephan of Eye of the Tiger Management. “We feel that 2017 is David’s year to take over through all the experiences he got in the last little while. He improved by leaps and bounds, we want another world title and this is the next step. We are happy to give the fans what they want they have been asking for this fight-here it is! It is one of those that is best described by the phrase, don’t blink.”
“The fans have been asking for this fight for a while now, and it’s not hard to see why!” said Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, promoter for Curtis Stevens. “This fight is a perfect, throwback Boxing After Dark main event and I can’t wait to see it!”
Host of this epic event, the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino, an award-winning destination resort, continues to distinguish itself as a premier venue for blockbuster boxing. The March 11th fight will mark Turning Stone’s 20th nationally-televised boxing event, who also hosted one of the first MMA events in New York this past October, cementing the resort as a mecca for televised combat sports. Additionally, boxing legend Mike Tyson selected Turning Stone as the venue for his world debut as a promoter, Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila Ali made her boxing debut at Turning Stone and in April 2015, Turning Stone was selected to host “Fight of the Year” contender – Matthysse vs. Provodnivkov – over arenas in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami. Turning Stone features world-class amenities including four hotels, more than 20 signature restaurants and dining options, two luxurious spas, 125,000 square foot Las Vegas style gaming floor, a cabaret-style Showroom, a 5,000 seat arena, five golf courses, several bars, cocktail lounges and nightlife venues.
