This article or section is missing citations or needs footnotes. Using inline citations helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies.

Marcel Cerdan (July 22, 1916 – October 27, 1949) was born in the French colony of Algeria. He was a French world boxing champion who was considered by many boxing experts and fans to be France's and Europe's greatest boxer, and by many more fans to be one of the best to come from Africa. He had a life that was marked by his sporting achievements, social lifestyle and, ultimately, tragedy. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. ... Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. ... is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Sidi Bel Abbes (Arabic: سيدي بلعباس) is a capital (1998 pop. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... NASA satellite photo (North to the top) Eastern São Miguel landscape Sete Cidades twin lakes, with the town of Sete Cidades to the left Mosteiros, a village on the northwestern coast Furnas São Miguel Island (pron. ... Motto (Portuguese for Rather die free than in peace subjugated) Anthem  (national)  (local) Capital Ponta Delgada1 Angra do Heroísmo2 Horta3 Largest city Ponta Delgada Official languages Portuguese Government Autonomous region  -  President Carlos César Establishment  -  Settled 1439   -  Autonomy 1976  Area  -  Total 2,333 km² (n/a) 911 sq mi... is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other senses of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

Marcel Cerdan was born in Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria (then legally part of France). He began boxing professionally on November 4, 1934 in Meknes, Morocco, by beating Marcel Bucchianeri by a decision in six rounds. He ran a streak of 47 wins in a row between that first bout and January 4, 1939, when he lost for the first time, to Harry Cresner by a disqualification in five rounds at London. Among the fighters he beat during that streak were Al Baker, and Aisa Attaf, beaten twice by knockout. Cerdan campaigned heavily in Morocco and Algeria during that part of his career, and began to campaign also in his parents' home country of France. In 1938, in what could perhaps be considered a territorial oddity, he beat Omar Kouidri by a decision in 12 rounds at Casablanca to claim the French welterweight title. Sidi Bel Abbes (Arabic: سيدي بلعباس) is a capital (1998 pop. ... is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Al Bubba Baker (born December 9, 1956) was a defensive lineman in the NFL. He went to three Pro Bowls during his career. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Casablanca (disambiguation). ...

After his first loss, Cerdan put up a string of 5 wins that 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). Type Anti-tank Nationality Joint France/Germany Era Cold War, modern Launch platform Individual, Vehicle Target Vehicle, Fortification History Builder MBDA, Bharat Dynamics (under license) Date of design 70s Production period since 1972 Service duration since 1972 Operators 41 countries Variants MILAN 1, MILAN 2, MILAN 2T, MILAN 3, MILAN...

That winning streak eventually grew to reach 23 wins, but he suffered a defeat to Victor Buttin by a disqualification in 8 rounds in Algiers. This article is about the capital of Algeria. ...

For his next bout he put the title on the line against Jose Ferrer (namesake of the Hollywood star). He knocked out Ferrer in one round, 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 Leon Foquet by a knockout in one round. He retained that title a couple of times before losing it to 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. José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1909 – January 26, 1992), was an Academy Award-winning Puerto Rican actor and film director, born in the Santurce district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A boxer is knocked down and receives the 10-count. ... For other places with the same name, see Brussels (disambiguation). ...

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. Cerdan became a world champion by knocking Zale out in the 12th round at New Jersey on September 21, 1948. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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, a legend in her own right. This article is about the capital of France. ... Édith Piaf (December 19, 1915–October 11, 1963) was one of Frances most beloved singers,[1] and became a national icon. ...

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 surrender after the tenth round. It would sadly be the last fight of Cerdan's life. A contract was signed for a rematch and Cerdan went to training camp for it, but while flying to Paris to meet Édith, Cerdan's Air France flight, flown on a Super Constellation, went down in the Azores, killing everyone on board, including famous violinist Ginette Neveu. Days later, LaMotta expressed words of condolences, praising Cerdan as a great human being. Cerdan was interred in the Cimetière du Sud, Perpignan, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. This crash happened a year prior to the maiden flight of the Super Constellation Giacobbe La Motta (born July 10, 1921), better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed The Bronx Bull and The Raging Bull, is a former boxer who was world middleweight champion and whose life has been as controversial outside the ring as it was inside it. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Air France (formally Société Air France) is Europes largest airline company. ... The Lockheed Constellation, affectionately known as the “Connie”, was a four-engine propeller-driven airliner built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. ... Motto (Portuguese for Rather die free than in peace subjugated) Anthem  (national)  (local) Capital Ponta Delgada1 Angra do Heroísmo2 Horta3 Largest city Ponta Delgada Official languages Portuguese Government Autonomous region  -  President Carlos César Establishment  -  Settled 1439   -  Autonomy 1976  Area  -  Total 2,333 km² (n/a) 911 sq mi... Ginette Neveu, born August 11, 1919 – died October 27, 1949, was a French concert violinist. ... Perpignan (French: Perpignan, pronounced ; Catalan Perpinyà, pronounced ) is a commune and the préfecture (administrative capital city) of the Pyrénées-Orientales département in southern France. ... (Region flag) (Region logo) Location Administration Capital Regional President Departments Aude Gard Hérault Lozère Pyrénées-Orientales Arrondissements 14 Cantons 186 Communes 1,545 Statistics Land area1 27,376 km² Population (Ranked 10th)  - January 1, 2006 est. ... The Lockheed Constellation, affectionately known as the “Connie”, was a four-engine propeller-driven airliner built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. ...

LaMotta later shocked the sports world by declaring during a hearing with the FBI, that in order to get a chance at Cerdan's title, he agreed to throw his fight against Billy Fox, to enable the Mafia to make a big monetary hit on the betting lines. Their fight was one of a handful of fights depicted in LaMotta's biographical movie Raging Bull in 1980. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Billy Fox was an American light heavyweight boxer. ... This article is about the criminal society. ... This article is about the 1980 film. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

Cerdan's record was 113 wins and 4 losses, with 66 wins by knockout.^[1]

He is a member, along with LaMotta and Zale, of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. ...

In 1983, Cerdan and Piaf had their lives turned into a big screen biography. The movie, titled Édith and Marcel starred Marcel Cerdan Jr. in the role of his father and Évelyne Bouix in the role of Piaf. He is portrayed by actor Jean-Pierre Martins in the 2007 movie about Édith Piaf, La Vie en Rose. Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... La Vie En Rose is the title in English-speaking territories for La Môme (French for The Kid), a 2007 French language movie directed by Olivier Dahan about singer Édith Piaf, starring Marion Cotillard as Piaf. ...

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This is a chronological List of World Middleweight Boxing Champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations: The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963, The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983... Giacobbe La Motta (born July 10, 1921), better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed The Bronx Bull and The Raging Bull, is a former boxer who was world middleweight champion and whose life has been as controversial outside the ring as it was inside it. ...

References and notes

Marcel Cerdan Heritage reissues a line of sports clothing and accessories that the Middleweight boxing world champion had begun to develop himself in 1948 in the United States of America. It is a collection in tribute to an extraordinary career and to his relationship with legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf, which made him one of the most revered heroes of France. http://www.marcelcerdanheritage.com

External links

• Gravesite
• IBHOF Bio
• Official website