VERONA, NY — We’re only in March, but it’s unlikely David Lemieux’s knockout of Curtis Stevens will be topped for the rest of the year.
The two powerful sluggers did what they do best — go for the kill. Lemieux came out throwing right-hand bombs through Stevens’s guard, while the Brooklynite tried to catch and counter with hard left hooks. Lemieux’s chopping right hand hurt Stevens twice over the final minute and allowed the Canadian to abuse him on the ropes with digging body shots.
Lemieux controlled the second round with the same aggression and higher punch output. As the pace slowed in the third, Lemieux came in with a right hand and beat Stevens to the punch with a short left for the fight-ending knockout.
The high-profile KO puts the Golden Boy promoted in contention to face Canelo Alvarez should the Mexican star emerge victorious against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in May and not be able to make a Gennady Golovkin super fight in September.
GAMBOA RETURNS WITH DECISION WIN: Yuriorkis Gamboa ended a year-plus sabbatical with a unanimous decision win over Rene Alvarado. Scores read 97-93 and 97-92 twice.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 