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Leonard Dorin:
“How dare they compare [Lucian
Bute] to me?”
By Costa Sapounas
Fightworld.us staff writer
Boxer Leonard
Dorin is always mentioned, along with gymnast Nadia Comaneci and tennis
player Ilie Nastase as the greatest Romanian athletes of all time.
Dorin had an illustrious amateur career. He earned Bronze at the Barcelona and
Atlanta Olympic games. He then moved to Montreal to campaign as a pro and won
the world flyweight title in 2002. His accomplishments and media attention
helped him achieve hero status in Romania.
Dorin has inspired many youngsters in his native land to take up boxing. A
select few have followed him to Canada in search of fame and fortune.
Jo Jo Dan,
Adrian Diaconu and Lucian Bute have won all their pro fights and
return to Romania Thursday to box there for the first time. All three are
household names. Bute (11-0, 11KOs) is believed to have the most potential, and
gaining tremendous popularity. The hype surrounding Bute is so loud that many
have begun comparing him to Dorin.
In a recent
interview, televised nationally in Romania, Dorin was asked about the
up-and-coming Bute.
“How dare [the
fans] compare him to me?” said an annoyed Dorin. “I became an Olympic
Champion and a professional world champion. Bute, on the other hand, has proved
nothing yet.”
The stunned
commentators laughed along uncomfortably with the new national Romanian Olympic
boxing team technical director.
Dorin was not done criticizing the 24-year-old.
“In Olympic
boxing, he was rarely winning his bouts by KO, and look at him now in the
professional ranks, he wins them all within the limit. How can a fighter known
to be a mediocre puncher for years magically become a destructive power puncher?
My explanation is that Interbox chooses Lucian’s opponents judiciously ever
since he’s taken residence in Montreal.”
Why did the
usually humble Dorin have such sharp words for Bute?
Jealousy?
Anger? Disappointment?
Indeed, Bute
was not the biggest puncher in the amateurs, but neither was Felix Trinidad,
who’s one of the strongest punchers, pound-for-pound in boxing. Bute’s learned
to pack a good punch, himself.
Is it fair for
Dorin to criticize Bute’s progression? Granted, the NABA super middleweight
titlist has not faced any of the world’s elite boxers, but Dorin hadn’t faced
anyone of note by his 11th bout, either.
Some might say
he made his remarks because the young star is shining brighter and brighter
every minute. Dorin may not like sharing the “Romanian-boxing-icon” spotlight
with the undefeated prospect. Or perhaps, he lashed out because of the
disappointing note his career ended on.
In his final
bout, which had the potential to be a sure-fire candidate for fight-of-the-year,
Dorin succumbed to Arturo Gatti’s power before even getting warmed up. A
single body shot in the second round knocked him down for the entire ten count.
Days later, Dorin emptied his gym locker, hung up his gloves and moved back to
Romania.
Nevertheless,
Dorin remains a legend in Romania.
When told
about the verbal attacks, Bute replied, “I don’t really feel like responding to
Dorin, whom I always perceived as one of my childhood heroes. This man has been
a true inspiration for me. Leonard is allowed to think and say what he wants.
It’s true, he has proven himself and the people revere him with reason. We will
see how I will be judged in the years to come. I know I will be judged according
to what I will accomplish in the ring. Until then, I promise that I will invest
the effort necessary to reach world champion status.”
It is rumored
that the former world champion will not be in attendance in Galati on Thursday.
One thing’s certain: the rest of Romania will either be glued to their TV sets
or flock to cheer Bute and the other prospects in action.
On the schedule:
Lucian Bute
vs. Donnie McCrary
Jo Jo Dan vs. Ivo Golakov
Adrian Diaconu
vs. James Crawford
Benoit Gaudet
vs. Wladimir Borov
****
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