Boxer Bute officially calls it a career

Montreal-based boxer Lucian Bute has announced his retirement, ending a professional career that saw him pile up 30 consecutive victories and defend the International Boxing Federation super-middleweight title nine times.

The 39-year-old hadn’t fought since a Feb. 24, 2017 knockout loss to Colombia’s Eleider Alvarez at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City.

The Romanian-born fighter made a name for himself in his adopted hometown of Montreal and became a feature attraction at the Bell Centre, fighting there in 21 of his 37 career fights.

He retires with a 35-5 record, including 27 knockouts.

Bute made his professional debut with a second-round TKO over American Robert Muhammad at the Bell Centre on Nov. 22, 2003. Almost four years later, the arena was the site of his 11th-round knockout of Colombia’s Alejandro Berrio that gave him the IBF super-middleweight belt.

After nine title defences, Bute suffered the first loss of his career, a fifth-round knockout at the hands of Britain’s Carl Froch on May 6, 2012 in Nottingham, England.

While he rebounded with a victory over Denis Grachev to win the NABF light-heavyweight title, Bute lost it in his first defence to fellow Montreal fighter Jean Pascal. The highly anticipated match at the Bell Centre turned into a one-sided affair as Pascal won by unanimous decision.