By Jim Dower: Former IBF middleweight champion David Lemieux (40-4, 34 KOs) will be looking to strengthen his position for a title shot against WBC 160 lb champion Saul Canelo Alvarez when he faces Tureano Johnson (20-2, 14 KOs) in a 10 round fight on December 15 on DAZN on the undercard of Canelo vs. Rocky Fielding at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Lemieux is coming off of a big 1st round destruction of Golden Boy fighter Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan last September. If Lemieux can do the same thing to Johnson, it could lead to him getting a big payday fight against Canelo.
Lemieux vs. Johnson is expected to be the co-feature on the Canelo-Fielding card, which means that it’s likely that Lemieux, 29, will be the opponent for Canelo )50-1-2, 34 KOs) to face in May 2019 for his fight on the Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend next year. It’s not going to be Gennady Golovkin or Jermall Charlo that Canelo will be fighting. Golden Boy Promotions have made no mention of Charlo or GGG being possible options for Canelo’s fight next May on DAZN.
Johnson’s once promising career has been slowed since his 12th round knockout loss to Sergiy Derevyanchenko last year in August. Johnson, 34, has been dealing with a right shoulder problem since his 12 round unanimous decision win over Eamonn O’Kane in October 2015. After surgery on the shoulder to repaired the problem, Johnson re-injured the shoulder in his loss last year to Derevyanchenko in August 2017, according to Dan Rafael. If the shoulder continues to be a problem for Johnson, it’s going to give Lemieux a big edge in the fight, if there is one. Golden Boy Promotions might need to have someone on standby that they can plug in for Lemieux to fight in case Tureano re-injures his surgically repaired right shoulder while training for the fight.
Lemieux would be vulnerable against a healthy Tureano Johnson, but he’ll likely do well if he’s fighting with just one good arm on the night. Lemieux has won two out of his last three fights since last year. He lost to former World Boxing Organization middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders last year in December. Lemieux looked like he wasn’t physically in the best shape for that fight, and it enabled Saunders to easily outbox him. Lemieux cannot afford that kind of performance against Johnson on December 15 if he wants to win the fight. Johnson is more than capable of beating an out of shape Lemieux. Golden Boy probably aren’t about to let Johnson get a fight against Canelo Alvarez if he beats Lemieux.
The Canelo-Fielding undercard is still incomplete for December 15. The only completed fight scheduled for the card is the Lemieux vs. Johnson fight. The other fighters that are scheduled for the card still don’t have opponents. This is the card as of now:
– Tevin Farmer vs. TBA
– Ryan Garcia vs. TBA
– Katie Taylor vs. TBA
– Yves Ulysse Jr. vs. TBA
Katie Taylor and Rocky Fielding are both signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport stable.