Marcel Cerdan

Marcel Cerdan
Cerdan in 1948
Statistics
Real name	Marcellin Cerdan
Nickname(s)	Le bombardier marocain (The Moroccan Bomber) Casablanca Clouter
Weight(s)	Middleweight
Nationality	French
Born	22 July 1916 Sidi Bel Abbès, French Algeria (now Algeria)
Died	28 October 1949(1949-10-28) (aged 33) São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	114
Wins	110
Wins by KO	65
Losses	4
Draws	0
No contests	0

Marcellin "Marcel" Cerdan (French pronunciation: ​[maʁsɛl sɛʁdɑ̃]; 22 July 1916 – 28 October 1949)^[1] was a French professional boxer and world middleweight champion who was considered by many boxing experts and fans to be France's greatest boxer, and beyond to be one of the best to have learned his craft in Africa. His life was marked by his sporting achievements, social lifestyle and ultimately, tragedy, being killed in an airplane crash.

Early life[]

Marcellin Cerdan was born at 9:00pm on 22 July 1916 in the "Little Paris" neighbourhood of Sidi Bel Abbès in Algeria. He was the fourth son of Antonio Cerdán (1880–1946), a day labourer, and Asunción Cascales (1886–1942), pied-noirs of Spanish origin.^[2]

Boxing career[]

Marcel Cerdan on a 1969 UAE stamp

Cerdan began boxing professionally on 4 November 1934 in Meknes, Morocco, beating Marcel Bucchianeri by a decision in six rounds. He then ran a streak of 47 wins in a row between that first bout and 4 January 1939, when he lost for the first time, to Harry Craster by a disqualification in five rounds in London. Cerdan campaigned heavily in the French territories of Algeria and Morocco during that part of his career, as well as in metropolitan France. In 1938, he beat Omar Kouidri in a 12-round decision at Casablanca to claim the French welterweight title.

Marcel Cerdan (right) in front of (left)

After his first loss, Cerdan recorded five consecutive wins, which led him to challenge Saviello Turiello for Europe's welterweight title in Milan, Italy. He won the European title by a decision in 15 rounds to continue his ascent towards the championship (back then, it was considered essential to own at least a Continental title belt to earn a world title shot; nowadays, it is not considered as important).

Cerdan's winning streak eventually reached 23 bouts before he suffered a defeat to Victor Buttin by disqualification for a second time, in eight rounds in Algiers in 1942. They would later re-match in 1945, and Cerdan would avenge the defeat by knocking Buttin out in the third round.

For his next bout after the first fight with Buttin though, Cerdan put his title on the line against José Ferrer (namesake of the Hollywood star). He knocked out Ferrer in one round,^[3] and won four more bouts in a row before facing another boxer with a namesake: James Toney, who shared that name with another boxer who would become world Middleweight champion five decades later. Cerdan knocked out Toney in two rounds to keep this new winning streak alive. The new streak would reach 37 wins. In between, he joined the American allies in World War II during 1944, and he won the Inter-Allied Championship.

He also went up in weight to the Middleweight division, and won the French title by beating Assane Douf by a knockout in three rounds. He later claimed the vacant European title by beating Léon Foquet by a knockout in one round. He retained that title a couple of times before losing it to rugged Belgian Cyrille Delannoit by a decision in 15 at Brussels, Belgium. Soon, he went back to Belgium and re-took the title by beating Delannoit, also by decision.

Finally, after the rematch with Delannoit, Cerdan was given a world title opportunity and he travelled to the United States, where he beat World Middleweight champion Tony Zale.^[4] Cerdan became a world champion by knocking Zale out in the 12th round in Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey on 21 September 1948.

Death and fame[]

During his short period as a world champion, Cerdan became a popular figure of the Paris scene. Although married with three children, he had an affair with the famous singer Édith Piaf. The affair lasted from summer 1948 until his death in autumn 1949. They were very devoted to each other and Piaf dedicated one of her most famous songs, Hymne à l'amour, to Cerdan.

For his first defense Cerdan returned to the United States, where he fought Jake LaMotta in Detroit. Cerdan was knocked down in round one, his shoulder was dislocated, and he had to give up after the tenth round.^[5] It would be the last fight of Cerdan's life. A contract was signed for a rematch and Cerdan went to training camp for it, but before camp began he boarded an Air France flight to visit Piaf in New York, where she was singing. The Lockheed L-749 Constellation crashed into Monte Redondo (São Miguel Island, Azores), killing all 11 crew members and 37 passengers on board, including Cerdan and the famous French violinist Ginette Neveu, while approaching the intermediate stop airport at Santa Maria.^[6][7] Days later, LaMotta lauded Cerdan as a great sportsman.^[8] Cerdan was interred in the Cimetière du Sud, Perpignan, , France.

Legacy[]

Cerdan's record was 110 wins and 4 losses, with 65 wins by knockout.^[9]

He is a member, along with LaMotta and Zale, of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

In 1983, Cerdan and Piaf had their lives turned into a big screen biography by Claude Lelouch. The film, Édith et Marcel, starred Marcel Cerdan, Jr. in the role of his father and Évelyne Bouix as Piaf. He is portrayed by actor Jean-Pierre Martins in the 2007 Piaf biopic La Môme (entitled La Vie en Rose in English-speaking countries).

In 1991, a sports arena, the Palais des sports Marcel-Cerdan, was named in his honor.

Professional boxing record[]

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
114	Loss	110–4	Jake LaMotta	RTD	9 (15)	Jun 16, 1949	Briggs Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	Lost NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring middleweight titles
113	Win	110–3	Lucien Krawczyk	KO	4 (10)	May 8, 1949	Stade Philip, Casablanca, French Morocco
112	Win	109–3	Dick Turpin	KO	7 (10)	Mar 29, 1949	Earls Court Empress Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
111	Win	108–3	Tony Zale	RTD	11 (15)	Sep 21, 1948	Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.	Won NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring middleweight titles
110	Win	107–3	Cyrille Delannoit	PTS	15	Jul 10, 1948	Palais des Sports, Brussels, Belgium	Won European middleweight title
109	Loss	106–3	Cyrille Delannoit	PTS	15	May 23, 1948	Heizel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	Lost European middleweight title
108	Win	106–2	Lucien Krawczyk	PTS	10	Mar 25, 1948	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France
107	Win	105–2	Lavern Roach	TKO	8 (10)	Mar 12, 1948	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
106	Win	104–2	Jean Walzack	KO	4 (15)	Feb 9, 1948	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France	Retained European middleweight title
105	Win	103–2	Giovanni Manca	KO	2 (15)	Jan 26, 1948	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France	Retained European middleweight title
104	Win	102–2	Anton Raadik	UD	10	Oct 31, 1947	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
103	Win	101–2	Billy Walker	TKO	1 (10)	Oct 7, 1947	Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
102	Win	100–2	Harold Green	TKO	2 (10)	Mar 28, 1947	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
101	Win	99–2	Bert Gilroy	KO	4 (10)	Feb 11, 1947	Seymour Hall, Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom
100	Win	98–2	Leon Fouquet	KO	1 (15)	Feb 2, 1947	Parc des Expositions, Paris, Paris, France	Won vacant European middleweight title
99	Win	97–2	Georgie Abrams	UD	10	Dec 6, 1946	Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
98	Win	96–2	Jean Pankowiak	KO	5 (10)	Oct 20, 1946	Stade de la Croix de Berny, Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France
97	Win	95–2	Holman Williams	PTS	10	Jul 7, 1946	Stade Roland Garros, Paris, Paris, France
96	Win	94–2	Robert Charron	PTS	12	May 25, 1946	Parc des Princes, Paris, Paris, France
95	Win	93–2	Joe Brun	KO	2 (10)	Apr 14, 1946	Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France
94	Win	92–2	Jose Ferrer	KO	4 (10)	Feb 24, 1946	Plaza de Toros Monumental, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain
93	Win	91–2	Edouard Tenet	PTS	12	Jan 18, 1946	Velodrome d'Hiver, Paris, Paris, France
92	Win	90–2	Agostinho Guedes	KO	1 (10)	Jan 12, 1946	Coliseu dos Recreios, Lisbon, Portugal
91	Win	89–2	Victor Buttin	KO	3 (10)	Dec 8, 1945	Saint-Etienne, Loire, France
90	Win	88–2	Assane Diouf	KO	3 (12)	Nov 30, 1945	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France
89	Win	87–2	Tommy Davies	KO	1 (10)	Oct 19, 1945	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France
88	Win	86–2	Edouard Tenet	PTS	10	Jun 23, 1945	Stade de la Croix de Berny, Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France
87	Win	85–2	Oscar Menozzi	KO	3 (10)	Jun 3, 1945	Arènes du Rond-Point du Prado, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
86	Win	84–2	Jean Despeaux	KO	5 (10)	May 13, 1945	Stade de la Croix-de-Bernay, Paris, Paris, France
85	Win	83–2	Joe Brun	TKO	7 (10)	Mar 9, 1945	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France
84	Win	82–2	Ralph Burnley	TKO	2 (3)	Dec 16, 1944	Brancaccio Theatre, Roma, Lazio, Italy
83	Win	81–2	Floyd Gibson	PTS	3	Dec 14, 1944	Brancaccio Theatre, Roma, Lazio, Italy
82	Win	80–2	Clint Perry	KO	1 (3)	Dec 12, 1944	Brancaccio Theatre, Roma, Lazio, Italy
81	Win	79–2	Bouaya	KO	1 (10)	Oct 21, 1944	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers, French Algeria
80	Win	78–2	Joe DiMartino	TKO	1 (3)	Feb 19, 1944	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers, French Algeria
79	Win	77–2	Sammy Adragna	PTS	3	Feb 17, 1944	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers, French Algeria
78	Win	76–2	Harold Drouhin	KO	1 (3)	Feb 15, 1944	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers, French Algeria
77	Win	75–2	Willie Sampson	KO	2 (10)	Jan 30, 1944	Stade Philip, Casablanca, French Morocco
76	Win	74–2	Larry Cisneros	KO	2 (10)	Dec 29, 1943	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers
75	Win	73–2	James Toney	TKO	2 (?)	Dec 26, 1943	Stade Camp Saint-Philippe, Oran, French Algeria
74	Win	72–2	Bulldog Milano	KO	2 (10)	Oct 30, 1943	Stade Philip, Casablanca, French Morocco
73	Win	71–2	Larry Cisneros	KO	6 (10)	Oct 10, 1943	Stade Camp Saint-Philippe, Oran, French Algeria
72	Win	70–2	Omar Kouidri	PTS	10	Sep 12, 1943	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers
71	Win	69–2	John McCoy	KO	2 (10)	Aug 8, 1943	Stade Petain, Oran, French Algeria
70	Win	68–2	Jose Ferrer	TKO	1 (15)	Sep 30, 1942	Velodrome d'Hiver, Paris, Paris, France	Retained European welterweight title
69	Loss	67–2	Victor Buttin	DQ	8 (10)	Aug 15, 1942	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers	Cerdan disqualified for low blows
68	Win	67–1	Fernand Frely	TKO	3 (10)	Aug 2, 1942	Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
67	Win	66–1	Victor Jana	TKO	2 (10)	Jul 25, 1942	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers
66	Win	65–1	Gaspard Deridder	KO	1 (10)	Jun 28, 1942	Grand Palais, Paris, Paris, France
65	Win	64–1	Fernand Viez	PTS	10	May 17, 1942	Grand Palais, Paris, Paris, France
64	Win	63–1	Gustave Humery	KO	1 (10)	Apr 26, 1942	Velodrome d'Hiver, Paris, Paris, France
63	Win	62–1	Fred Flury	TKO	7 (10)	Feb 21, 1942	Palais des Fêtes et des Expositions, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France
62	Win	61–1	Roby Seidel	TKO	3 (10)	Dec 31, 1941	Grand Casino, Vichy, Allier, France
61	Win	60–1	Roland Coureau	TKO	9 (10)	Sep 13, 1941	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers
60	Win	59–1	Joe Brun	TKO	2 (10)	Jul 20, 1941	Oran, French Algeria
59	Win	58–1	Francois Blanchard	KO	6 (10)	Jun 22, 1941	Arènes du Rond-Point du Prado, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
58	Win	57–1	Omar Kouidri	RTD	6 (15)	May 5, 1941	Oran, French Algeria	Retained European welterweight title
57	Win	56–1	Victor Fortes	RTD	2 (10)	Apr 13, 1941	Oran, French Algeria
56	Win	55–1	Victor Janas	PTS	10	Mar 9, 1941	Stade Philip, Casablanca, French Morocco
55	Win	54–1	Victor Fortes	RTD	7 (10)	Feb 2, 1941	Foyer Civic, Algiers, French Algeria
54	Win	53–1	Young Raymond	RTD	6 (10)	Jan 26, 1941	Stade Philip, Casablanca, French Morocco
53	Win	52–1	Young Raymond	KO	1 (10)	Jan 19, 1941	Foyer Civic, Algiers, French Algeria
52	Win	51–1	Cleto Locatelli	PTS	10	Jun 16, 1939	Arènes du Rond-Point du Prado, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
51	Win	50–1	Saverio Turiello	PTS	15	Jun 3, 1939	Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Lombardia, Italy	Won European welterweight title
50	Win	49–1	Roger Cadot	TKO	6 (12)	May 21, 1939	Arènes du Rond-Point du Prado, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
49	Win	48–1	Felix Wouters	PTS	12	Mar 22, 1939	Palais des Sports, Brussels, Bruxelles-Capitale, Belgium
48	Win	47–1	Saverio Turiello	PTS	12	Feb 20, 1939	Velodrome d'Hiver, Paris, Paris, France
47	Win	46–1	Al Baker	TKO	7 (10)	Feb 4, 1939	Palais des Sports, Brussels, Bruxelles-Capitale, Belgium
46	Win	45–1	Ercole Buratti	PTS	10	Jan 21, 1939	Automobile Hall, Algiers, French Algeria
45	Loss	44–1	Harry Craster	DQ	5 (10)	Jan 9, 1939	Earls Court Empress Hall, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom	Low Blow
44	Win	44–0	Omar Kouidri	PTS	12	Nov 24, 1938	Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France
43	Win	43–0	Alfred Katter	KO	5 (10)	Nov 10, 1938	Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France
42	Win	42–0	Amedeo Deyana	PTS	10	Oct 27, 1938	Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France
41	Win	41–0	Al Baker	PTS	10	Sep 15, 1938	Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France
40	Win	40–0	Victor Deckmyn	PTS	10	Jul 3, 1938	Arenes d'Eckmühl, Oran, French Algeria
39	Win	39–0	Jean Morin	PTS	10	Jun 4, 1938	Automobile Hall, Algiers, French Algeria
38	Win	38–0	Gustave Humery	KO	6 (12)	May 20, 1938	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France
37	Win	37–0	Cleto Locatelli	PTS	12	May 5, 1938	Velodrome d'Hiver, Paris, Paris, France
36	Win	36–0	Eduard Hrabak	PTS	10	Aug 13, 1938	Palais des Sports, Paris, Paris, France
35	Win	35–0	Charles Pernot	PTS	10	Mar 4, 1938	Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers, French Algeria
34	Win	34–0	Omar Kouidri	PTS	12	Feb 21, 1938	Vox, Casablanca, French Morocco
33	Win	33–0	Jean Zides	TKO	9 (10)	Jan 20, 1938	Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France
32	Win	32–0	Eddie Ran	KO	2 (10)	Jan 13, 1938	Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France
31	Win	31–0	Charles Fedorowich	TKO	2 (10)	Jan 6, 1938	Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France
30	Win	30–0	Max Ifergane	PTS	10	Dec 18, 1937	Rabat, French Morocco
29	Win	29–0	Jean Morin	PTS	10	Oct 21, 1937	Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France
28	Win	28–0	Louis Jampton	PTS	10	Oct 7, 1937	Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France
27	Win	27–0	Eduard Hrabak	KO	6 (10)	Sep 13, 1937	Vox, Casablanca, French Morocco
26	Win	26–0	Kid Marcel	PTS	10	Aug 22, 1937	Oran, French Algeria
25	Win	25–0	Ali Omar	TKO	5 (10)	Jul 3, 1937	Hall de la Foire, Algiers, French Algeria
24	Win	24–0	Omar Kouidri	PTS	10	Apr 3, 1937	Salle de l'Agriculture, Algiers, French Algeria
23	Win	23–0	Omar Kouidri	PTS	10	Mar 2, 1937	Rabat, French Morocco
22	Win	22–0	Maurice Naudin	TKO	3 (10)	Jan 30, 1937	Hall de la Foire, Algiers, French Algeria
21	Win	21–0	Aissa Attaff	RTD	8 (10)	Jan 16, 1937	Central Ring, Algiers, French Algeria
20	Win	20–0	Jean Debeaumont	PTS	10	Nov 21, 1936	Pavillon Bleu, Casablanca, French Morocco
19	Win	19–0	Aissa Attaf	KO	1 (10)	Nov 8, 1936	Salle Mazella, Algiers, French Algeria
18	Win	18–0	Primo Rubio	PTS	10	Oct 17, 1936	La Manutention, Casablanca, French Morocco
17	Win	17–0	Al Francis	KO	6 (10)	Aug 2, 1936	Arenes d'Eckmühl, Oran, French Algeria
16	Win	16–0	Mariano Castillanos	PTS	10	Jun 6, 1936	Pavillon Bleu, Casablanca, French Morocco
15	Win	15–0	Kid Abadie	KO	3 (10)	May 27, 1936	Pavillon Bleu, Casablanca, French Morocco
14	Win	14–0	M Ricardo	TKO	5 (10)	May 23, 1936	Casablanca, French Morocco
13	Win	13–0	Joseph Martinez	TKO	9 (10)	Apr 11, 1936	Taza, French Morocco
12	Win	12–0	Max Ifergane	PTS	10	Apr 7, 1936	Pavillon Bleu, Casablanca, French Morocco
11	Win	11–0	Antoine Abad	PTS	10	Mar 4, 1936	Pavillon Bleu, Casablanca, French Morocco
10	Win	10–0	Mak Perez	PTS	10	Dec 14, 1935	Casablanca, French Morocco
9	Win	9–0	Mak Perez	PTS	10	Nov 23, 1935	Salle des Fetes du Maarif, Casablanca, French Morocco
8	Win	8–0	Francisco Mestres	PTS	10	Aug 3, 1935	Roland Garros- Marocain, Casablanca, French Morocco
7	Win	7–0	Joseph Sarfati	PTS	10	Jul 19, 1935	Roland Garros- Marocain, Casablanca, French Morocco
6	Win	6–0	Mak Perez	RTD	2 (10)	Jul 5, 1935	Roland Garros- Marocain, Casablanca, French Morocco
5	Win	5–0	Max Privat	RTD	5 (10)	Apr 13, 1935	Cirque Melburn, Casablanca, French Morocco
4	Win	4–0	Leon Benazra	PTS	10	Apr 13, 1935	Cirque Melburn, Casablanca, French Morocco
3	Win	3–0	Perez III	PTS	10	Feb 6, 1935	Cirque Melburn, Casablanca, French Morocco
2	Win	2–0	Leon Benazra	RTD	5 (6)	Nov 12, 1934	Meknes, French Morocco
1	Win	1–0	Marcel Bucchianeri	PTS	6	Nov 10, 1934	Meknes, French Morocco

See also[]

• List of middleweight boxing champions

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marcel Cerdan.

• Marcel Cerdan Official website, created by Nicolas Cerdan, his grandson (in French)
• Marcel Cerdan Heritage – Vintage Sportswear (Eng/Fr), created by Nicolas Cerdan, his grandson
• IBHOF.com International Boxing Hall of Fame Homepage
• Marcel Cerdan at Find a Grave
• Boxing record for Marcel Cerdan from BoxRec
• Here's Looking At You, Casablanca: Marcel Cerdan