David Lemieux knocks Hassan N'Dam down four times en route to middleweight title

David Lemieux stands over Hassan N'Dam after knocking him down during a boxing bout for the vacant IBF middleweight title. (AP)

Montreal's David Lemieux knocked Hassan N'Dam down in the opening round Saturday, then followed that up with three more knockdowns over the next 11 rounds, but was never able to put N'Dam away. Lemieux settled for defeating N'Dam by unanimous decision to win the vacant IBF middleweight title before a roaring partisan crowd at the Bell Centre.

Lemieux (34-2, 31 KOs), stalked N'Dam around the ring and pressured him from the start, using thunderous left hooks and vicious right hands. Lemeiux appeared to have N'Dam in big trouble in the first round. However, the Cameroon native now living in France consistently fought back whenever he was in trouble, shaking off Lemieux's punishing blows and constant pressure and turning the tables to land his own power shots.

Both Lemieux and N'Dam proved chin-worthy with their ability to shake off hard shots.

"I don't know how he kept getting up," Lemieux told Ring Magazine. "It was like, what's wrong with you?"

Lemieux, 26, won by scores of 115-109 from two of the judges and 114-110 from the third. His IBF title is the first championship belt of his eight-year professional career. He has won his last nine fights since a loss to Joachim Alcine in 2011.

N'Dam, 31, who went down twice in the fifth round and again in the 7th, fell to 31-2 with 18 KOs.