Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM) and Golden Boy Promotions, in association with Evenko, King Sports Worldwide, and Videotron, held the final press conference on Thursday, June 18 for the IBF World Middleweight Championship between hard-hitting Quebecer David Lemieux and number one contender Hassan N’Dam to take place on Saturday, June 20 at the Montreal’s Bell Center.
Camille Estephan, Founder and President of Eye of the Tiger Management, Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions Partner and Future International Boxing Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez, and Vice President of Operations of King Sports Paul Cain, were all in attendance. Below is what they had to say:
DAVID LEMIEUX, IBF Middleweight Title Contender:
“I wouldn’t say I’m overconfident, I’m well aware of who I’m facing. There’s no such thing as overconfidence, at least not in my way.
“There were certain things I wasn’t able to do that I can now. I had a certain way of fighting, there were certain things missing, and now I can say that I am a complete fighter.
“My style’s different and my determination’s different. I believe I have more abilities than N’Dam does and I’ll show that. Just keep watching and you’ll see.
“My defense is my offence. Sometimes I take risks … for the fans.”
HASSAN N’DAM, IBF Middleweight Number One Contender:
“This is what I say to David Lemieux, you can study me, but you don’t know what I am bringing to the ring. You might get Muhammud Ali in the first round, Sugar Ray Leonard in the second, Floyd Mayweather in the third, but when you get N’Dam, he will be the hardest boxer you have ever faced.
“We are very excited about the fight, because we are coming in prepared and ready to take home the belt.”
Camille Estephan, President of Eye of The Tiger Management:
“I would like to welcome our partners Oscar De La Hoya , Bernard Hopkins, Eric Gomez from Golden Boy Promotions, they are part of our family.
“Golden Boy and Eye of the Tiger are cut from the same cloth; we care about the fighters and our fans. We want to give the fans the best fights possible, give them the best of ourselves.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions:
“It’s a great honor to be here today and be part of what we call history in the making. A world title is up for grabs and you have the best possible contenders fighting for it
“David Lemieux is a tremendous power puncher. He is an all-around skillful fighter who will come with everything and put everything on the line to make his hometown proud.
“Hassan N’Dam is a Hungry and a lion, who is ready and prepared and knows what is a stake when he faces David on June 20.”
BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner:
“This event is historic; this title has been owned by the legends of yesterday and now these fighters are picking up a piece of history and build their own legacy
“The middleweight division is one of the most exciting divisions in the sport. Fighters can punch like heavyweights and have the speed of the lightweights. You have the best of world worlds.”
ERIC GOMEZ, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions:
“We are very excited leading up to this event, thank you to all the media for attending, having you here today proves how important boxing is in Montreal.
“We have two tough contenders; a former world champion is Hassan N’Dam, who is a dangerous fighter. He can box he can, he can punch, he and do it all.
“Hometown hero David Lemieux is a hungry fighter who has wanted the title since he was a young boxer.”
Paul Cain, Vice President of Operations at King Sports:
“N’Dam is completely ready. Lemieux will definitely get a boxing lesson. He’s prepared. I don’t think Lemieux will beat him.
“We came here for no money, but I think they like drama. Every fight I’ve been with them, there’s always been some kind of drama.”
Tickets are available now for as low as $70 (CAD) (taxes and service charges included), and can be purchased at www.evenko.ca and at the Bell Centre box or at Underdog Gym and Sherbatov MMA gym.
David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam is a 12-round fight for the vacant IBF Middleweight World Championship presented by Eye of the Tiger Management and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Evenko. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET and the first bell rings at 6:45 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the first three matches of the evening live on TVA Sports, free of charge. The entire event will be available on PPV via Indigo and Bell TV for only $54.99 or $59.99 in high definition. Fox Sports 2 and Fox Deportes will air the IBF Middleweight Championship fight in the U.S. live starting at 10:00 p.m. ET. / 7:00 p.m. PT. The live action on FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes is available to customers of participating pay TV providers via FOX Sports GO app and on the web through FOXSportsGO.com. FOX Sports GO is currently available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Windows devices.
For further information, visit www.evenko.ca, www.eottm.com or www.goldenboypromotions.com . You can also get all the updates about the event on Twitter via @evenko, @EOTMVD, @GoldenBoyBoxing or by using the keyword #LemieuxNDam.
