It wasn’t long before Quebec’s Alexis Barrière defeated Adam Braidwood in less than a round at Louis Philippe Gaucher Stadium on Saturday.

The two fighters had claimed a few days before the fight, a K.-O. were the most likely end of the fight. They must have kept their promise as Barrière (8-0-0, 7 KOs) saw the referee end the fight after just 117 seconds.

The Canadian heavyweight champion had also indicated that he needed to establish his rhythm from the first round, avoiding at all costs Braidwood’s potentially devastating punches (14-3-0, 13 KOs) and exploiting his weaknesses, which were “his footwork and its defense”. It took Barrière only a few seconds to study his opponent before applying his game plan to the letter.

The crowd favorite rocked the BC-born fairly quickly with a couple of good punches to the jaw and then landed the killing blow, much to the delight of viewers.

A small title in sight

Slowly but surely, Barrière was making a name for himself in the boxing world, headlining a boxing gala for the first time after fighting in a few undercards at the Yvon Michel Group (GYM) galas.

After a perfect year with four wins in as many attempts in 2022, all achieved before the time limit, the 27-year-old will be looking for a minor title in 2024.

He had also confided in NABO’s heavyweights to strive for the belt. Such a win would allow him to “climb up the rankings and get bigger fights”. He repeated this wish in the ring immediately after his fight.