Middleweight David Lemieux (37-3, 33 KOs) produced one of the most devastating one-punch knockouts of the year on March 11 when he dropped Curtis Stevens (29-6, 21 KO) during the third round of their fight in Verona, NY.
This matchup was billed as two sluggers going for it, and the men did not disappoint. Every punch thrown was a potential fight ender, and though Lemieux was dominant in the first stanza, Stevens was more conservative with his punch output and got more into the fight in the second round.
However, in the third round, both men decided to trade hooks, and this is what ensued:
Stevens did not move for several minutes, but reports emanating from his camp were that he recovered in the dressing room and was taken to a local hospital for a precautionary CT scan. With the win, Lemieux, who once held the IBF middleweight title, puts himself right back into contention for a run at a belt. The Canadian lost his title in October 2015 when he was TKO’d in the fifth round by Gennady Golovkin, who is in action this weekend at MSG where he will fight WBA super world middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs.
The contracted weight for the Lemieux/Stevens fight was 160. The rules of the IBF mandate a fight day weigh in, and fighters are not meant be anymore that 10 pounds over the previous day’s weight. Lemieux missed this second day weigh in, so it is not known how much he weighed going into the fight. Here are full highlights from the fight.
