David Lemieux, Curtis Stevens will meet in middleweight showdown March 11 on HBO

One week before Gennady Golovkin defends his three middleweight titles against Daniel Jacobs, two of GGG's many knockout victims will fight each other.

Golden Boy Promotions announced Monday that punchers David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens will meet March 11 in an 160-pound bout that is certain to deliver plenty of action. The fight will headline an HBO Boxing After Dark card from Turning Stone in Verona, N.Y.

"The time for talking is done, and after many long months of hearing Curtis yell about all the things he's going to do in the ring, I'm really looking forward to shutting his mouth on March 11 ," said Lemieux (36-3, 32 KOs). "I've told everyone my goal is to once again become middleweight champion of the world. Curtis is in the way, and I'm going to go right through him."

Lemieux, 28, topped Hassan N'Dam to win a middleweight title in 2015, but the Canadian was no match for Golovkin. The Kazakh smashed him in eight rounds, and Lemieux has been on the comeback trail ever since.

Stevens has met Lemieux with trash talk all along the way, too. They've bickered on social media since the matchup was first floated around in '15. And it's a natural bout: two heavy-handed middleweights who love to brawl. The winner should earn a title shot. The loser could slip out of the public's mind.

I really don't like u @lemieuxboxing I'm gonna be ready to go nose to nose like a pit bull. Just kno when I latch on to that ass it's over- Curtis stevens (@AssassinStevens) January 16, 2017//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"The wait is finally over!" said Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs). "No more talking. My hands will do the talking on March 11."The Brooklynite also was no match for GGG, and his surprising reaction to one of his knockdowns is a staple of the champ's highlights. Stevens, 31, also fought N'Dam, and wasn't competitive during a 12-round decision defeat. Lemieux can carry confidence into the bout off the disparity in the way they fared against the common opponent, but it won't matter.They're two of the biggest punchers in the division, and they're sure to come forward with little concern for safety. At least they should after the war of words."We often see fighters pretend not to like each other to help draw an audience - these two guys aren't faking it; they don't like each other at all," said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. "Given the thunder each holds in both hands and their desire to make a statement in the middleweight division, I think fans are going to be in for a knockout - and a spectacular one at that."(Photo of Lemieux by Seth Wenig, AP)