David Lemieux is ready to take on David Benavidez in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday night.
The Canadian knockout (43-4, 36 KOs) hopes to turn back time and reverse the odds by beating the WBC Interim Super-Middleweight titleholder.
“If he wants war, he will have war,” Lemieux said during a media practice yesterday.
“David Benavídez will be fully available on Saturday night.”
It’s been seven years since the 33-year-old became IBF middleweight champion comprehensively defeating Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam in Montreal. Since then, Lemieux suffered only two defeats to Gennadiy Golovkin and Billy Joe Saunders in 11 skirmishes.
“If you know David Lemieux, he never turns down a fight and he always accepts whatever fight they put in front of him. When we had big fights in the past, we always took them. If you want to be the world champion, you have to fight the best.”
Benavidez undefeated in 25 games and is seen as a legitimate threat to undisputed 168lbs champion Canelo Alvarez. While Lemieux praised the 25-year-old, he wondered if the stay-at-home favorite would realize the scale of the challenge in front of him.
“If you know David Lemieux, he never turns down a fight and he always accepts whatever fight they put in front of him. When we had big fights in the past, we always took them. If you want to be the world champion, you have to fight the best.”
