Phil Boudreault, a native of Greater Sudbury, Ont., who boxed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, has died, CTV News has confirmed.
According to a post on the Canadian Olympic website, Boudreault was born Jan. 23, 1976, in Copper Cliff, but other reports have said he was born in 1975.
He boxed in Atlanta as a light welterweight. He died Jan. 20, according to obituaries posted online.
His post-sports life garnered the most attention, however. He was widely linked to the Hells Angels MC and started using a wheelchair after he was shot and seriously wounded in 2016.
He was convicted of assaulting a father and son in Greater Sudbury in 2004, among his other run-ins with the law.
Despite the controversies, Sudbury’s Gord Apolloni, who trained Boudreault ahead of the Olympics, said in a statement to CTV News that he is in mourning at the news.
“Today, we mourn the loss of Phil Boudreault, a proud Sudbury son and boxing icon who shone at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as our first Sudbury-born boxer to reach that stage,” Apolloni said.
“From the halls of Top Glove Boxing Academy, Phil was more than a fighter; he was a force of nature, a tireless mentor whose fierce work ethic and relentless sessions became the standard for perseverance," he said.
“He taught us to push past limits, to embrace challenges, and to never give up on ourselves. His legacy as a role model, a warrior, and a true inspiration to countless athletes at our gym will never be forgotten.”
Funeral information is not yet known.
