Mathieu Germain overcame a cut over his right eye to force an eighth-round stoppage of Culiacan, Mexico’s Erick Angulo in their junior welterweight bout Friday evening at Casino de Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The visiting Angulo (8-3, 8KOs) came to fight but found himself outgunned against Germain, a regional favorite from Mascouche, Quebec who fought five straight times at this venue prior to the pandemic. Germain charged forward the entire fight, effectively cutting off the ring and pressing the action despite suffering his first career cut.

With the fight seemingly well secured on the scorecards, Germain fought to close the show. An uppercut sent Angulo to the canvas, with the Mexican slugger beating the count but clearly worn down. Germain (20-2-1, 9KOs) moved in to finish, launching a series of unanswered shots before referee Albert Padulo Jr. was forced to intervene at 1:49 of the eighth and final round. Germain’s last stoppage came in April 2018, having since gone 5-2-1 (0KOs)—with both losses ending in stoppage—prior to Friday’s knockout win.

Derek Pomerieau couldn’t wait to enjoy his pro debut. The middleweight rookie also couldn’t wait to end it, as shown in his explosive first-round knockout of Nova Scotia’s Daniel Beaupre (1-1, 1KO).

Montreal’s Pomerieau (1-0, 1KO) needed just 0:14 to get the job done, with a series of jabs out of the southpaw stance setting the stage for the finish. A one-two landed flush, causing Beaupre to pitch forward and his body folded over the lower half of the ring ropes as the fight was immediately halted.

Heavyweight southpaw Alexis Barriere returned to the knockout column as his fight with Mexico’s Israel Nava Lopez (2-1, 2KO) was stopped after two rounds.

Barriere (5-0, 4KOs) was credited with a knockdown in round two, as a left hand dislodged the mouthpiece of Lopez who took a knee seconds later. Confusion came at the start of round three, as Lopez left his stool against the wishes of his trainer who had the ringside physician signal to the referee that they were done for the night.

The stoppage comes five months after Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec’s Barriere was forced to go the distance for the first time as a pro last October.

Headlining the show, local hero Kim Clavel (14-0, 2KOs)—a 2020 ESPY winner for her work on the Covid frontline as a nurse in Montreal—defends her WBC Silver junior flyweight title versus Bolivia's Mariela Ribera Valverde (11-6, 8KOs). Also on the show, unbeaten welterweight Taras Shelestyuk (19-0, 11KOs) and Gabriel Maestre (4-0, 3KOs) collide in a 10-round WBA semifinal eliminator.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox