Bute vs Froch: Lucian Bute Becomes A Canadian Citizen

After fighting in Canada his whole career, Lucian Bute has actually become a Canadian citizen according to Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette. Bute apparently became enamored with Canada after he won gold in the Francophone Games in 2001 and subsequently moved to Quebec at the age of 23. For those doing the math, this means that Bute has been living in Canada for about 9 years before becoming a citizen. Being in Quebec, Bute naturally tried to learn French.

"Speaking French was my choice. That's what I felt," he said. "Everyone speaks French here. We're in Quebec. It was my choice. The longer I was here, the easier it became. I made some friends and I started to learn some French. That made it easier. Before that, you're in another world. You don't know what's going on."

Of course, Bute will have to learn English if he is going to extend his fanbase to the United States and beyond. In terms of his ability to learn a new language, InterBox president Jean Bedard thinks he can pick it up quite quickly.

"He's very bright and understands all about the business," said Jean Bedard, InterBox president. "He's fluent in French and, I predict, he'll speak (flawless) English in a year. He's a great guy for Quebec. He's a pro. He's serious, respectful and generous. When you tell him to be available, he's there for everything. He understands the impact he has on people. And he's very loyal."

As opposed to the United States Citizenship, Lucian Bute is still a Romanian citizen as well. When a person becomes a US citizen, he or she has to denounce all other citizenship. Of course someone can be a US citizen and then become a citizen of another country without renouncing the US citizenship. Do you think Bute becoming a Canadian citizen is a big deal or merely an official exercise?