by Alexandre Pelletier - 08/22/2005
Name : Lucian Bute
Nickname: Le Tombeur
Age: 25
Pro record: 13-0 (13 KOs)
Birthplace: Galati, Romania
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
Height: 6ft 2in
Division: Super middleweight
Thirteen fights into his pro career, many observers believe that Lucian Bute is the finest young fighter to grace the Montreal boxing scene in many years. He has already become a favorite of Canadian fans, and he has gained celebrity status in his native Romania. Already a Top 15 contender of two of the major sanctioning bodies, Lucian Bute will face the biggest challenge of his pro career as he gets ready to face the rugged Kabary Salem on September 16th.
A tall, quick and aggressive southpaw, Lucian Bute does not own real one-punch KO power. However, his heavy handed combinations and his excellent body attack have stopped every opponent he has faced since making his pro debut in November 2003, and going only twice past four rounds.
A member of the Romanian national team, Bute won a bronze medal at the 1999 World Amateur Championships. However, the turning point is his amateur career definitely was his dominating performance at the 2001 Francophone Games in Ottawa on his way to a gold medal. Interbox, the same Montreal promoter who masterminded the rise of fellow Romanian Leonard Dorin, brought in Lucian Bute to spar with the former super middleweight titleholder Eric Lucas in 2003. Bute gave the champ quite a work-out, and Interbox was quick to sign him.
After building up a 8-0 record against ordinary opposition by December 2004, he was given his first serious test in faded former titleholder Dingaan Thobela. Normally a sturdy opponent who can take a lot of blows, Thobela gave up after four rounds during which he could not mount any offense under Bute's combinations. Last February, Lucian Bute got his first regional title, winning the NABF light heavyweight title in a 4th round KO of Carl Handy in Quebec City.
In March, he faced Christian Cruz for the vacant NABA super middleweight title. Cruz, a good young fighter who was the first to upset Enrique Ornelas, showed tremendous heart, rising from the canvas four times. However, Bute had the best fight of his young career, showing excellent stamina as he managed to stop Cruz late into the 12th round.
In order to keep him busy and also giving him home exposure, Interbox gave Lucian Bute a homecoming fight in his hometown of Galati, Romania. Despite poor on-site attendance due to prohibitive ticket prices, his bout with Donnie McCrary had most of Romania tuning in. The result was predictable, as McCrary was knocked down three times and stopped by a bodyshot in Round 4.
In June, he fought Jose Spearman in Montreal in the most difficult fight of his career so far. Though he was never wobbled, Bute needed time to figure out his opponent, dropping a round on the scorecards for the first time in his career. And he narrowly avoided disqualification when he knocked down Spearman after the bell ending Round 4. Penalized two points, Lucian Bute nonetheless had taken the advantage and beat down Spearman on his way to an 8th round KO.
Groomed by his promoters to earn a shot at a world title inside a year, it certainly seems like he is on a fast track. Showing impressive work rate in his training and having already proven he can handle lesser fighters with ease, he will try to make a statement next month as he attempts to succeed where Eric Harding, Antwun Echols, Mario Veit and Joe Calzaghe failed in becoming the first to stop the concrete-chinned Kabary Salem.