| |
|
|
Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Lemieux Stops Ntetu In The Fifth Round
By Daniel Cloutier
SHAWINIGAN —— David Lemieux, an important fighter from
Montréal who wants absolutely to have a super middleweight
world championship bout in 2021, made another step in that
direction Saturday evening at the Shawinigan Arena in
Canada.
Ranked third contender by the WBC in the super middleweight
(168 pounds) division, fourth by the WBA and fifth by the
WBO, Lemieux beat Francy Ntetu, a fighter from Congo living
in Chicoutimi, Québec, by TKO in the fifth round.
“Yes, I hope to have a super middleweight world championship
bout in the months to come, then, I got to stay undefeated
in my next bouts,” said Lemieux after the fight. “I knew
that Ntetu was tough, courageous and determined, but I knew
I got the weapons necessary to beat him. Like you saw it, I
fought intensively and aggressively in each round, and it’s
was my fight's plan. I really believed in my chances to win
this fight by KO or TKO, and I did it.”
The first round was close and intense, each fighter
connected solid punches.
In the second round, Lemieux attacked energetically, and he
forced NTetu to fight defensively.
Lemieux, who fought aggressively, dominated clearly the
third and fourth rounds, but his opponent connected few good
punches.
Lemieux provoked a knockdown in the fifth round with a solid
left hook, and the referee stopped the bout and declared
NTetu TKO’d. Lemieux’s record is now 42-4-0, with 35 wins by
KO or TKO, and NTetu has a record of 17-4-0.
The heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov, a Russian of 6’7’’, 262
pounds, living in Montréal since 2017, should be ranked in
the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO ratings in the months to come.
Just before the fight Lemieux-Ntetu, Makhmudov won the NABF
North American heavyweight championship, in beating the
former Canadian champion, Dillon Carman (14-6-0), from
Toronto, by TKO in the first round.
Makhmudov has a perfect record (11-0-0) with 11 wins by KO
or TKO.
With the first punch of the fight, a left hook, Makhmudov
provoked a knockdown, and the referee intervened to stop the
bout.
The fight finished after 27 seconds of action.
Lexon Mathieu, a southpaw from Québec City, improved his
chances to be ranked eventually in the Top 10 in the world,
in winning a super middleweight (168 pounds) NABF North
American championship.
Mathieu (9-0-0) beat Tim Cronin (12-5-2), from Etobicoke,
Ontario, by KO in the first round.
Mathieu provoked a knockdown with a solid body shot in the
second minute of the first round, and Cronin has been unable
to get back on his legs before the count of 10.
The KO has been registered after only 1.34 minute of action.
Mathieu won eight of his nine pro bouts by KO or TKO.
Mathieu is 21 years old, Cronin 36 years old.
|
|
|
