ESPN’s Friday Night Fights will originate from Montreal, Quebec with a 12-round main event featuring Ring Magazine’s #10 ranked middleweight David Lemieux (25-0, 24 KO’s, WBC#2) pitted against former middleweight world title challenger Marco Antonio “El Veneno” Rubio (49-5-1, 43 KO’s, WBC#3) April 8, at 9 p.m. ET live on ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes. Friday’s show will be aired on ESPN2 at 11 p.m. ET with Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas ringside at the Belle Center, describing the action.
Lemieux, who’s most recent win is a second-round TKO over Purnell Gates, is taking a step up in opposition against Rubio, his most accomplished and dangerous opponent yet. For more information on Lemieux visit http://es.pn/hLvFEE.
After his last fight, ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael wrote, “Lemieux, the super prospect from Montreal, closed out a busy 2010 with yet another early stoppage. The kid fought five times this year and other than being taken the 10-round distance by tough guy Jason Naugler in February, nobody could take Lemieux into the third round. He stopped Hector Camacho Jr. and Elvin Ayala in the first round and Walid Smichet and now Gates in the second round. Gates seemed to clearly hurt his right hand in the first round, grabbing it with about a minute left in the round. A guy with one paw is dead meat. And in the second round, that’s what Gates was. It was typical quick work for Lemieux, who has scored early knockouts against some opponents who were expected to give him rounds. Next up for Lemieux is a title elimination fight against Marco Antonio Rubio, a former title challenger who might at last give Lemieux some competition. But the way Lemieux has looked recently that is probably not a good bet.”
Mexico’s Rubio, has won his last six fights, five by knockout, including an eighth-round TKO against Wilson Santana in his last fight on January 1. Rubio said of Friday’s fight, “It’s a turning point in my boxing career, I know this for sure. I am working very hard to beat Lemieux, and this is my only desire at this time. The fight will be extremely complicated, but I have to exercise my experience and power of my fists.”
Studio host Brian Kenny will present all the latest boxing news and highlights.
