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Billy Joe Saunders beats David Lemieux to retain WBO middleweight belt

Last updated on .From the section Boxingcomments97

Billy Joe Saunders
Billy Joe Saunders won the title against Andy Lee in 2015

Britain's Billy Joe Saunders has demanded a unification fight with Gennady Golovkin after outclassing David Lemieux to defend his WBO middleweight title in Canada.

Saunders, 28, is unbeaten in 26 fights after winning by unanimous decision.

And after triumphing on all the judges' scorecards - 120-108, 117-111, 118-110 - he now wants to face Golovkin.

"Now fight me. We'll see a different story. You be punching fresh air," said Saunders of the four-belt champion.

Canadian Lemieux, 28, had won all four bouts since Golovkin stopped him in eight rounds in 2015, but had no answer as Saunders inflicted the fourth defeat of his career.

In his first fight in North America, Saunders dismantled the home favourite, his hand speed and footwork disarming the powerful Lemieux, who had 33 knockouts in 38 wins before Saturday.

A combination uppercut in the fourth was one highlight, with the Briton then drawing boos from the home crowd after taunting the Canadian for missing shots in the fifth.

He further pressed home his superiority in the seventh, leaving Lemieux bloodied after a series of jabs as he won every round on one judge's scorecard and defended his title for a third time.

"I look easy to whip. I look easy to put down. I look like I could run out of gas," Saunders said. "But you can't hit me. I like to come into someone's backyard because I perform better."

In the build up, the Briton told BBC Radio 5 live he had "fallen out of love with boxing a bit" as his frustration at not facing the top names in the division grew.

But with his middleweight world title being the only one that WBA, WBC, IBF and IBO belt holder Golovkin is missing, Saunders is hopeful of a unification fight in late 2018.

"You kept saying you wanted my belt when I was 14 stone, out of shape and wasn't in love with boxing. But fight me now," he said on BT Sport.

Kazakh Golovkin, 35, is in talks about a rematch with Mexican Canelo Alvarez on 5 May.

Billy Joe Saunders' son punches opponent Willie Monroe Jr at weigh-in

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97 comments

  • Comment posted by rah140, at 07:47 17 Dec 2017

    My goodness, the absolute state of some of these comments! Bunch of absolute casuals!
    To negate the power of Lemieux and completely silence his home crowd, probably winning 11 of the 12 rounds, it was an absolute masterclass from Saunders.
    His footwork, command of the ring, and nous in the clinch was an absolute joy to behold. Please school yourselves before writing anymore trash! Ta

  • Comment posted by MoeensBeard, at 07:35 17 Dec 2017

    @4 LMAO. He's already beaten Eubank Jr, and Degale and Groves are the weight class above. Better brush up your boxing knowledge before commenting again.

  • Comment posted by YorkshireTea, at 08:00 17 Dec 2017

    How can anyone not rate Saunders as a worthy champion? Is everyone so obsessed with punch power that they've forgotten that no small part of a boxer's skill is to avoid being hit? To make his apponent miss?

  • Comment posted by saddletramp, at 07:38 17 Dec 2017

    I dont follow boxing like i used to,so i haven't seen much of Saunders,but surely all this critisism is unwarranted until he gets beat ?
    If he is that bad,how bad are the 26 fighters he has beat ?

  • Comment posted by simma3, at 08:32 17 Dec 2017

    In this era of 'event' seeking fans the basis rules of boxing (hit and NOT get hit) have been lost in all the razzmatazz. It may not sell tickets but Saunders is a very skilled boxer so watch him slip and counter, duck and dive and appreciate.

  • Comment posted by zombierider, at 07:47 17 Dec 2017

    this was a boxing masterclass from saunders. from the first bell it was clear he was in a different class from his opponent. moving, jabbing and slipping punches all 12 rounds. it was a pleasure to see such a performance and other fighters will now avoid him because they could be shown up.
    technically brilliant.

  • Comment posted by Mr_Flaccid, at 10:37 17 Dec 2017

    Boxing masterclass from Billy-Joe. Boxing is about hitting and not getting hit, anyone saying he ran all night don't know shit about boxing.

  • Comment posted by seandundeesleftfoot, at 07:24 17 Dec 2017

    Classy performance from Saunders, Lemieux being dangerous with his punching power even though he's one dimensional, the Golovkin fight might just come at the right time for Billy Joe too , he's definitely showing signs of old Father time catching up with his last few fights especially with another battle coming up beforehand with Canelo.

  • Comment posted by This is Gospel, at 10:52 17 Dec 2017

    Show him the respect he deserves as an unbeaten champion of the World .

  • Comment posted by Deebs, at 09:33 17 Dec 2017

    In my opinion, BJS doesn't get the credit he deserves. As earlier posts mention, casual viewers want to see a war every time they watch a fight. Don't get me wrong, who doesn't love fights like Frotch Vs. Kessler II but sometimes you have to take a step back and appreciate boxing in its purest form. BJS is a classy, classy operator and he's a pleasure to watch.

  • Comment posted by Gleneagles, at 12:36 17 Dec 2017

    Finally Billy Joe fights a credible opponent and skooled Lemieux who spent the whole night looking for one ko punch. It was an outstanding performance from BJS who has improved since joining Wincobank Gym. I think he causes Golovkin problems who will struggle to land a blow because BJS's movement is a lot better than Canelo's.

  • Comment posted by celtic_craig123, at 11:07 17 Dec 2017

    Why do people on here keep mentioning Groves and Eubank Jnr?! They are at SUPER middleweight and BJS has already beaten Eubank.
    Having now properly committed to boxing, Saunders is a different man. How Lemieux did better than 108 from two judges I do not know.
    BJS would still be underdog to Golovkin or Alvarez, BUT now looks a credible challenger. Interesting times.

  • Comment posted by Robert Griffiths, at 18:57 17 Dec 2017

    The tone of this article and the throwing in of the video of his son from a PREVIOUS fight smacks of bias and opinion from the journalist. Why not the ecstatic praise imbued upon other Britons who have completed world level belt winning achievements? Take the man for what he does in the ring not what others do or say. BJS defended his world title against a top 5 fighter. Give him worthy credit!

  • Comment posted by jamois, at 18:27 17 Dec 2017

    @77 I like your enthusiasm and he was good but best ever abroad?! Lemieux was as disappointing as he was in his 8 rds with GGG, but credit to BJS for making him look so bad. For me, best performance abroad was Lloyd Honeyghan v Don Curry. There's others too. Good debate though that one.

  • Comment posted by jsh1pp, at 17:03 17 Dec 2017

    Love my boxing and tuned in last night expecting a 50/50 fight. Honestly I thought Lemieux would win by KO. Couldn't have been more wrong Saunders was outstanding. Away from home with a hostile crowd to deliver a performance like that is something very few brits have ever done. Fury v Klitchko and possibly Degale v Dirrell the only examples in recent memory. On that showing Canelo and GGG beware.

  • Comment posted by theguy, at 07:37 17 Dec 2017

    Congratulations! We are so proud of you. .bring on the unification fight!

  • Comment posted by CryanotherTournyaway, at 11:11 18 Dec 2017

    BJS has proved a lot of doubters wrong, he educated Lemieux and boxed a masterclass whilst installing himself as a top 3 fighter in that class.
    i honestly think he gives GGG and Canelo problems, i think he beats Canelo (although will not get decision in USA) i think GGG breaks him down over 11 rounds for late stoppage but will definitely pay to watch either fight.
    Ingle is the right fit for BJS

  • Comment posted by AI, at 08:58 18 Dec 2017

    Masterful performance...

  • Comment posted by jsh1pp, at 21:57 17 Dec 2017

    BBC you should be ashamed - Billy Joe Saunders retained his world title last night yet not once was he even mentioned on SPOTY. Is it any wonder that AJ didn't win the award when all you cAN do is bang on about athletics all show?

    BBC Sports Weve Shown This Year Awards

    Even changed Coach of the Year to Coaches just to give it to the 4x100m team.

    Roger overseas again is Wimbledon on BBC?

  • Comment posted by Arollerson85, at 12:30 17 Dec 2017

    I honestly believe that was the best performance from a British fighter in the past 10 years. Huge credit to Billy Joe Saunders and the Ingle gym. He may go on to face GGG or Canelo and lose, but he certainly wont be "found out" and I wouldn't put it beyond him to give those two a similar masterclass to the one he put on this morning.

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