David Lemieux (37-3) vs. Marcos ‘Dorado’ Reyes (35-4)
Middleweight
Since the beating that David Lemieux received from Gennady Golovkin in 2015 the Canadian has gone on a nice three fight winning streak. Apart from the defeat to ‘GGG’, Lemieux has won twelve of his last thirteen fights. He is still a serious threat in the division and is definitely on the hunt for a world title.
Should be no secret that Lemieux is one of the better knockout artists in the weight class with 33 wins coming via stoppage. He can be an absolute menace from close distance with relentless pressure due to constant power shots. Lemiuex tends to go the body a lot and usually starts his combinations with strong body shots. He rocks opponents with his left uppercut mixed with both hooks and will always stand his ground in front of his foe. He has a ton of grit and determination. A hard worker with a nasty attitude in the ring.
For the past three years Marcos Reyes has been on a bit of roller coaster in terms of his record. In his last six bouts he’s won three times and lost the same amount. He’s been through two defeats via decision and one stoppage loss. Fortunately he’s coming of a win against Diego Rivera, but still one has to wonder if Reyes is feeling any confidence when stepping into ring with a monster like Lemieux who is on a hot streak right now.
Reyes has punching power and a 67 percent knockout ratio, but still some doubt if his knockout power is really that dangerous. Reyes mostly relies on his good defense and picks his spots carefully. When he does attack, it’s with aggressive swinging punches and combinations. It’s safe to say that he excels best when has the momentum of the fight on his side.
This shouldn’t be a difficult task for Lemieux. We all know what he needs to here in order to climb up the ranks. A decision win against Reyes will not suffice. Instead, Lemieux must knock him out and that he will do. Even though Reyes has faced good fighters such as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, he still doesn’t quite have the same resume as Lemieux. Look for the Canadian to soften Reyes with numerous body shots until he eventually goes for the kill in round six or seven.