LAVAL, Quebec – Billy Joe Saunders (26-0, 12 KOs) outpointed hometown hero David Lemieux (38-4, 33 KOs) to retain the WBO Middleweight World Championship in the 12-round main event of HBO World Championship Boxing at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada.
Saunders, a native of the United Kingdom, outboxed Lemieux for 12 rounds from his slick southpaw stance to win via unanimous decision with scores of 120-108, 117-111, and 118-110.
“I knew what sort of fighter David Lemieux is, and I knew what sort of coach he’s got,” said Saunders. “I knew what he was coming for. I look easy to hurt, but you can’t hit me. I like going to somebody’s backyard because I perform better. I’m a whole different animal now. When I hurt David, I wanted to put it on him. I really did, but that’s what I pay my trainer Dominic Ingle to do. I went to put it on him, but he told me to take my time, and that was the best advice.”
Irish middleweight Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (27-2, 19 KOs) dropped and stopped Antoine “Action” Douglas (22-2-1, 16 KOs) of Burke, Virginia in the seventh round of an exciting back-and-forth co-main event that was initially scheduled for 10 rounds.
Douglas scored an early lead with a hard jab and hooks to the body, but O’Sullivan eventually wore him down with an incessant amount of pressure, featuring left hooks and right hands from a high guard that guaranteed the technical knockout victory. Douglas was taken to the hospital immediately after the fight.
“I was sick for 2 weeks with a chest infection, so I was not at 100 percent,” said O’Sullivan. “I thought it was a good opportunity, so I decided to fight anyway. I’m happy with my performance, but I could have done better. Douglas is a tough guy with a good chin, and he had never been knocked out like that.”
