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| Lucian Bute: The Champions Remains Champion |
| (2011-11-07) |
| Last updated: 2011-11-08 13:32 EET |
Romanian boxer Lucian Bute remains a sparkling reference, as Romanian sports are confronted with a scarcity of results of late. His evolution in professional boxing galas has earned him admiration both at home and abroad.
There have been many voices in Romania to argue that Romanian athletes are the best ambassadors of our country. Among those who earned this statute across the years is the men’s national handball team who was four-time world champion between 1960 and 1970, Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase, the first Romanian to rank first in the ATP standings, rower Ivan Patzaichin, four-time Olympic champion, or Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, whose record includes five gold Olympic medals and the first perfect 10 routine in the history of this sport.
However, most historic performances were obtained during the communist regime, which viewed sports as the perfect opportunity to take on Western superpowers. Unfortunately, Romanian sports stopped enjoying the same attention in the post-communist era. As a result, Romanian sports entered a period of decline, while its top performers chose to leave the country.
The best example is of Romanian boxer Lucian Bute. In the late 90s, Bute was a contender for the national champion title, but lost due to backstage politics, as the Romanian press described the episode. Bute’s morale was untouched, and motivated by the excellent training facilities and the high paychecks compared to amateur competitions, Bute chose to turn pro and move to Canada.
20 fights later, Bute is nicknamed “Mister KO”, after managing to defend his title nine times in a row. His latest match took place at the end of last week, when Bute managed to pull a points victory over Glen Johnson of Jamaica, a 42-year veteran boxer. Displaying his usual great form, Bute’s performance raised the 15,000-strong audience attending the gala in Quebec to their feet.
Moreover, owing to his good run and his good nature, the Canadian audience found it easy to warm in to Bute, whose professional fights have earned him recognition. One of the few exceptions was Bute’s fight venued in Bucharest earlier this summer. Romania, according to Bute, is where he feels at ease. Although his challenger, Jean Paul Mendy of France, was not regarded as a genuine threat, proof of that is that Bute sent his to the floor in round four, the match organized in Bucharest with the help of authorities aroused a huge interest nationwide.
No less than 4.5 million viewers watched the boxing gala, the highest rating ever recorded for a televised boxing match. 30 pro fights, 30 wins, of which 24 by KO, is Lucian Bute’s record so far. Aged 32, Bute is seen as the best product of Romanian sports over the past years.
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