Boxing away from home, in Canada, Britain?s Billy Joe Saunders produced a masterclass in Boxing to defeat David Lemieux and make a successful defence of his world title.
Saunders bossed the fight and took the decision on the score-cards of all three judges with the verdicts being announced as:
? 120 ? 108
? 118 ? 110
? 117 ? 111
In comprehensively beating Lemieux, Saunders is now hoping to get a unification match against Genady Golovkin.
Goading Golovkin, after the fight, Saunders remarked about a unification match:
‘Now fight me. We’ll see a different story. You be punching fresh air.?
Lemieux entered the ring on a four-fight unbeaten run after losing to Golovkin, but was no match for a Saunders who gave what was, most probably, his best performance of his career.
Making Lemieux miss, Saunders caught the challenger with a beautiful uppercut in the fourth and then had the Canadian crowd on his back for show-boating after Lemieux punched thin air with several blows Saunders avoided.
Lemieux just couldn?t cope with Saunders hand-speed and the manner in which the Britain slipped any punches the big-hitting Canadian sent his way.
A unification fight with Golovkin would be welcomed by all fight fans and he summed up his performance when he remarked post-fight;
‘I look easy to whip. I look easy to put down. I look like I could run out of gas.
‘But you can’t hit me. I like to come into someone’s backyard because I perform better.’
With Golovkin set for a re-match with Canelo, a unification fight may have t be put on hold until the summer, but it will be worth waiting for.
Saunders Retains WBO Middleweight Title
