David Lemieux scores early KO of the Year candidate with vicious shot on Curtis Stevens

Not every fight that seems like a slugfest turns out that way, but David Lemieux vs. Curtis Stevens totally did.

Once again, boxing reminded fans of two things on Saturday night during the HBO card from Turning Stone Casino headlined by David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens: when two heavy-handed guys collide, the end can come at any time, and it can be scary when it does arrive.

The 28-year old Lemieux, perhaps best known to the wider sports world as one of the more recent victims of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, showed why he’s one of the most fearsome punchers in the sport with a devastating one-shot knockout of Stevens midway through Round 3. Stevens was knocked unconscious immediately by the punch, falling halfway under the ropes and needing some time and attention to be revived.

Medical personnel eventually took Stevens from the ring on a backboard, though it may have only been a precaution as the fighter was seen moving his head and waving as he left.

Neither man started the fight looking like they had any plan to go the distance, and Lemieux was especially active in the first 90 seconds. He was also busier in Round 2, though Stevens would return fire to the head and body and showed plenty of sting on his shots when doing so.

In Round 3, Stevens appeared to be finding his comfort zone a bit more. But when two fighters with 54 combined KOs are in the ring, a finish could be right around any corner.

For Lemieux, it came right after he had thrown a straight right. Both men tried for left hooks, but Lemieux’s landed harder and more accurately, and the effect was sudden and violent.

“I have seen a lot of boxing in my life, and that was one of the most devastating one-punch knockouts I have ever seen in any weight division,” HBO’s Max Kellerman said on the live broadcast before explaining that Stevens was likely in less danger of serious permanent injury despite the scary scene because he didn’t sustain continued punishment. “Oh my God, what a knockout shot from David Lemieux. He is a viable candidate for any big middleweight fight going forward.”

Lemieux, who had been vocal about his belief that he would stop Stevens in the build-up to the fight, has now won three in a row since Golovkin defeated him by eighth-round TKO in October 2015. He’s looking for a rematch with Triple G or a meeting with Canelo Alvarez, and he now has perhaps the KO of the Year for 2017 on his resume to aid his case.

“You guys tell me if I should be back in the mix,” Lemieux said to Kellerman. “The fans want to see great fights, and that’s what I give.”