By Jake Donovan

Short of rolling over and feigning injury in hopes of landing a cheap disqualification win, there wasn’t much David Lemieux could do in his middleweight title unification bout with Gennady Golovkin in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden last October. The charismatic boxer from Montreal took a big risk in his first title defense and came up massively short against the best middleweight in the world.

The only chance he had that evening was to flop the moment he got clipped while on a knee shortly after a 5th round knockdown. The follow-up blow wasn’t deliberate on Golovkin’s part, with the unbeaten boxer from Kazakhstan immediately apologizing for the sequence and was correctly permitted to continue the fight, which he’d win by 8th round knockout.

“What I learned the most that night is that you have to protect yourself at all times,” Lemieux (34-3, 31KOs) joked with BoxingScene.com in a phone interview. “But seriously, I give him all of the credit for the performance he delivered that night.

“I don’t want the boxing world to judge me just for that performance. I have a lot left that I can show the world.”

The loss snapped a nine-fight win streak. What it didn’t do, however, was discourage Lemieux’s intentions of returning to the title stage – whether in a rematch with Golovkin, or anyone else in the division with a belt and the courage to meet him in the ring. His first step back comes this weekend, when he welcomes James de la Rosa to his hometown in a bout that will air live on Pay-Per-View in Canada and on Fox Deportes in the United States.

“Ever since October, I’ve been excited to get back in the ring,” Lemieux (34-3, 31KOs) insists. “It’s been a while. I want to get back in there and come back stronger than ever.”

Lemieux emerged as a top middleweight following the best win of his career, a 12-round nod over Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam to win a vacant title last June. Four knockdowns came of the night, but with N’Dam able to rise to his feet every time out and eventually make it to the final bell in an otherwise highly entertaining affair.

Setting up the feat were stoppage wins over Gabriel Rosado and Fernando Guerrero. The win over Rosado marked Lemieux’ first career fight in the United States, where he has now spent two of his last three starts.

There were brief talks of making it three within his last four in this side of the U.S./Canada border, as well as the possibility of appearing in an HBO slot owed to him as part of a package that came with the Golovkin fight.

Instead, his team decided to bring him back home and go the rebuilding route, saving the HBO date for later in the year.

“We discussed a few different scenarios,” Camille Estephan, Lemieux’s manager told BoxingScene.com of initial plans leading to the hometown showcase. “In the end, we felt it was best to return to Montreal, where he will fight in front of a sold-out crowd and continue his experience as one of the biggest (box-office) attractions in Canada.”

In de la Rosa (23-3, KOs), Lemieux gets an 11-year fight veteran who is also on the comeback trail. The 28-year old from Texas has been out of the ring since a Dec. ’14 stoppage loss to Hugo Centeno – which took place on the Lemieux vs. Rosado undercard in Brooklyn, New York.

Saturday marks his first fight back, but he was in training prior to having his shoulder tapped for this assignment and his resume is enough to prompt Lemieux to treat the night as a statement-making opportunity.

“As an ex-champion, I still want to fight Golovkin. I want my title back and plan to become champion again in 2016,” Lemieux states. “So I’m taking this fight – and every fight – very serious. In my view, de la Rosa is a complete fighter, someone who I definitely cannot underestimate. He’s not on Golovkin’s level, but any fighter can pose a threat on any night.”

The dethroned titlist has conducted his training camp accordingly, eager to not just make a statement on Saturday but also satisfy the hometown crowd who’s waited nearly nine months for a homecoming show.

“We fought two of the last three in the United States. This fight taking place in Montreal was significant,” Lemieux acknowledges. “We had talks with my promoter and manager. We felt Montreal was the ideal place to get back in action.

“I wanted to fight on HBO. In the end, we chose to fight independently and at home.”

Rumors have already swirled of his next placement with a win on Saturday. Some have suggested he could land on the May 7 Pay-Per-View undercard of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in the first defense of his World middleweight championship versus welterweight contender Amir Khan. Their headlining bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will take place at a maximum catchweight of 155 lbs.

The catchweight marks Alvarez’ fifth straight ring appearance just above the super welterweight division. The move is baffling to his peers – and a deal-breaker for those who prefer to stick to traditional weight limits. It could prove to be a major sticking point should Alvarez – with a win in May – opt to vacate his title and face anyone other than Golovkin in September.

“I congratulate Canelo Alvarez on beating Miguel Cotto for the title last (November),” Lemieux notes. “However, their fight came at 155 lbs. Canelo’s next fight will take place at this weight as well and probably the one after that if whoever he faces will give in.

“That makes them not middleweights. We fight at 160. It’s been that way for ages. You can’t just make up weights. Fight as a middleweight. Even if I could make 155, why would I want to give away that advantage when the fight would be for the middleweight title?”

With that in mind, Lemieux’s future options are sparse. There’s the possibility of Golden Boy Promotions negotiating a deal with WBA “regular” champ Daniel Jacobs, but the Brooklynite is advised by Al Haymon, against whom Golden Boy has filed a $300 million antitrust lawsuit.

Newly crowned WBO titlist Billy Joe Saunders avoided a Golovkin unification clash in the most bizarre way. Saunders – who outpointed Andy Lee to win the title last December - rejected a career-high payday before calling out the unbeaten middleweight knockout artist just as Golovkin signed on to face mandatory challenger Dominic Wade on April 23.

One week later, Saunders makes his first title defense versus fringe contender Max Bursak. He’s threatening a unification clash with Golovkin will take place later this summer, but such a fight first has to be negotiated and then accepted by all involved parties.

Lemieux would be fine with a fight versus either Jacobs or Saunders, but seems keen on doing his part to erase his less-than-memorable past.

“I want my title back and plan to make that happen in 2016,” vows Lemieux. “I want to get back on top as soon as I can. I have to walk the walk, do what I have to get back. I would love to get it back from Golovkin. I thought at the time (of our fight) that I could beat him and I still believe that I can beat him if we ever fight again.

“Keep your eyes open; there’s a lot more of David Lemieux still to come. I’m reaching my peak. I’m only 27. I’ve been in the game a while. I know things differently. Now I have to prove it. I want to fight Golovkin again because he beat me and he’s the (best middleweight in the world), but I know I can’t get there until the fight matters again. He’s a good guy, but he has what I want back and I’m coming for him again.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox