Romania’s former professional boxer Lucian Bute inducted into Quebec’s sports hall of fame

Romania's former IBF super-middleweight champion Lucian Bute will be inducted into the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame (Le Pantheon des sports du Quebec), Digisport.ro reported, quoting Journal de Montreal. The event will take place in the fall of 2021.

"When I arrived (e.n. in Canada) in 2003, a young boxer from Romania, I spoke neither French nor English, and I never thought that I would one day be inducted into the Pantheon des sports du Quebec. The world of Quebec has adopted me. I feel privileged, very happy, very touched," Bute said.

Six other sports personalities will be inducted into the Pantheon des sports du Quebec during the same gala, namely hockey player Guy Carbonneau, cross-country skier Alex Harvey, hockey player Caroline Ouellette, cross-country mountain biker Marie-Helene Premont, referee Sonia Denoncourt, and Tom Quinn.

Lucian Bute is not the first athlete born outside Quebec to be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame, Digisport.ro commented. He joins other big names such as Gary Carter, Jackie Robinson, Peter Stastny, and Herman Smith-Johannsen.

Lucian Bute obtained Canadian citizenship in 2012. He officially announced his retirement from professional boxing in March 2019, two years after his last fight.

In early 2020, he was listed among the best 1,000 boxers of all time, in a global ranking compiled by World Boxing News.

(Photo source: Facebook/Lucian Bute)