By Dan Ambrose: Undefeated middleweight contender David Lemieux (25-0, 24 KO’s) beat yet another C level opponent on Friday night with his 2nd round stoppage of little known 37-year-old Purnell Gates (18-2, 13 KO’s) at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The fight was painful to watch because Gates looked terrified of getting hit, running constantly and doing a good job of making Lemieux look more than a little uncoordinated. The end came in the 2nd round when Gates went to a knee without getting hit. The bout was stopped and the Montreal crowd booed like mad.

I see this as Lemieux’s management’s fault, because this is what you get when you take on lesser opponents like Gates. It’s time that they start putting Lemieux in with guys that can actually fight and aren’t just going to be bowled over by the first punch they get hit with. I don’t think Lemieux is being done any favors by being matched against guys like Gates. Lemieux can punch a little, but he’s not as big a puncher as his record would have you believe. I’ve harder punchers than him in the division, but then again those guys are facing quality opposition and not 2nd and 3rd tier fighters over and over again like Lemieux.

This guy is going to be in deep trouble when they finally put him in with someone that can actually fight. And his height could be a problem for him. He’s listed as 5’10”, but in watching him next to the 5’11” Jean Pascal, Lemieux looked to be at least three inches shorter and much smaller. I think the lack of height could be a problem for Lemieux in the future. He needs to take off some of the baby fat around his midsection, because he looks like he could lose a little flab there, and then move down to junior middleweight. At that weight class, I can see Lemieux being a factor with his power. I still don’t see him as being the biggest puncher in the division because guys like Miguel Cotto, James Kirkland, Kermit Cintron and Alfredo Angulo are bigger punchers than him from what I can see.