From November 2003 to May 2012, former world champion Lucian Bute was regarded as one of the best fighters in the sport.

That all changed he traveled overseas and stepped in the ring with Carl Froch on May 26, 2012.

It took five rounds before Bute was stopped. He took a beating before the contest was waved off, losing his impressive 30-0 record and his IBF super middleweight world championship.

After suffering that loss, Bute was 2-4 in his next six fights before retiring from the ring. His last bout took place in February of 2017, when he was knocked out in five rounds by Eleider Alvarez.

"I have never been the same boxer after my fight with Froch," said Bute to The Montreal Journal. 

"It was a very difficult fight. I took so many punches. My confidence was no longer at the same level. The truth is, I haven't been the same as I was before [that fight].” 

Just over four years before his confrontation with Glen Johnson in 2011, Bute realized the dream of a lifetime, when he became world champion by knocking out Alejandro Berrio at the Bell Center. 

"It was my lifelong dream," said the 40-year-old. "When I got here, it was to become a world champion. ” 

It was in 2003 that Bute decided to leave Romania to join coach Stéphan Larouche. 

"I didn't know anyone here, I didn't speak French or English," Bute recalled. "It was a great adventure. I am very happy to have achieved all this. 

The athlete started a family, became a Canadian citizen and made his place in the hearts of fans. 

It is also partly to please them that he decided to put the gloves on Pascal in 2014. 

“We have grown at the same time among professionals. When we got to a certain level, there was a little competition. Who was the most popular? Who is the best? There were questions like these. Between him and me, there was never any animosity. However, the Quebec supporters wanted a fight between me and Jean Pascal,” Bute said. 

"When I lost my belt against Froch, I thought it was time for this fight. I actually climbed up a weight class to face him. He couldn't get down to 168, he didn't even want to drop a pound. We tried to offer a fight at 172 or 173 pounds, but he didn't want to know anything. I finally accepted. I did it for everyone. I thought I could beat him, but I did not succeed. I give the credit to Pascal. I was no longer the same boxer as I was before.”