By CompuBox

All Billy Joe Saunders, who landed an average of 9 jabs per round- nearly double the middleweight average. David Lemieux landed an average of just 6 of 30 total punches per round after landing 18 of 55 in his previous five fights.

Billy Joe Saunders toyed with frustrated David Lemieux in his hometown for a one-sided victory in a successful World Boxing Organization middleweight title defense Saturday night.

Saunders (26-0) made a third defense of the title the British fighter won from Andy Lee in 2015 and showed he could be a force in the division that is currently ruled by stars Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.

Lemieux (38-3), a former International Boxing Federation champion, fell short in his bid to become the first Canadian since Arturo Gatti to win a second title.

Saunders had Lemieux off balance from the outset, making the Laval resident miss while darting in to land shots seemingly at will.

Canadian judge Benoit Roussel scored it a 120-108, Briton Phil Edwards had it 118-110 and Gerardo Martinez of Puerto Rico 117-111, all for Saunders. Only the third and sixth rounds were close until the final two rounds that Saunders mainly spent dancing out of Lemieux’s reach.

Saunders vs. Lemieux, a 12-round fight for the Saunders' WBO World Middleweight Championship, was presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management in association with Frank Warren. Douglas vs. O'Sullivan was a 10-round fight for the WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Title presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Eye of The Tiger Management in association with GH3 Promotions and Murphy's Boxing. Seldin vs. Ulysse, Jr. was a 10-round super lightweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions, Eye of The Tiger Management and Star Boxing. The event took place on Saturday, Dec. 16 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada and was televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing.