This content is protected Lemieux just fought in October to break whatever rust ten months on the shelf had accrued following his tough SD over Max Bursak, versus Francy Ntetu. He has had his stay busy tuneup already. So...why pick on a 37 year old dead-average career middleweight known for going life and death with domestic rivals on the Polish scene (losing a trilogy against Norbert Dabrowski, most notably), lasting six rounds with John Ryder without getting knocked down, and one stoppage loss at the hands of Beefy Smith? Sure, there's a 3" height and 5½″ reach advantage for the Pole, but it won't do him any good - and neither will his serviceable chin. He is cooked to exact dietary specifications for the Canadian, and will be gobbled up well inside the scheduled ten round distance.
Ryan Ford has an uglier record but is a much better foe, and would at least draw some inter-province rivalry attention unlike Talarek. I really don't get the point of this matchmaking. Time's a wastin' for Lemieux, at 32. When he kayoed Spike, he put himself on a roll and recaptured some of his momentum from before the BJS loss. Then a fresh start in a new division, okay - but he now has fought once in each calendar year since then. Not good. Talarek four months after Ntetu is simply This content is protected
Seems like his best days are behind him, so I can understand why he doesn't take risks towards another payday. Issue is, if a beltholder can avoid him they probably will with that punch of his, so he will have to become someone's mando.
Quite frankly, I'd much rather see a Bursak rematch. David will carve though Talarek like a hot ginsu blade through soft poop.
Right? Like wtf are they doing with him? Alvarez-Lemieux was like a wet dream for Oscar. The man would not shut up about it. Lemieux even fought on a few Alvarez undercards. But then he moved up in weight and barely even fights anymore. At least he is still young. Who knows, maybe he needed all that time off.
Lemieux has juuuuust enough name power to squeeze one last big money day out. He'll beat Taralek, and try to position himself to get a fight against someone like Benavidez or Charlo coming up. I don't think Canelo would have any interest in that fight, and besides, his dance card is full up for the next year.
Yeah, at this point Lemieux would representeven less reward than risk for Canelo. There's always the off chance of an upset KO, making him a horrible choice when you consider that he'd get marginal credit (a bit more perhaps than for Yıldırım but less than for Smith).
