Marcel Cerdan

MARCEL CERDAN:  A SHORT, AMAZING LIFE

    Marcel Cerdan survived a Nazi invasion, won the world middleweight crown, cavorted with movie stars, then died at age 33 in a plane crash on his way to a title rematch against "The Raging Bull," Jake LaMotta.

    Cerdan was born into a boxing family in Casablanca, Algeria (a French territory at the time), where his father, a butcher, was an amateur fight promoter. He followed two older brothers into professional boxing at age 18 and reeled off 34 straight victories to earn a shot at French welterweight champ Omar Kouidri, whom he already had defeated in two non-title bouts. Cerdan won the crown in with a 12-round decision, beat Kouidri for the fifth time the following year to retain his title, and was 52-0 in 1939 when he thrashed Saverio Turiello for the European belt.

    With the outbreak of World War II, he joined the French Navy before his artillery unit was disbanded by the Nazis, who by then had taken over France. Cerdan fought several times in occupied Paris, but fell into disfavor with the Nazis when he KO'd Spanish middleweight champ Jose Ferrer in one round.

     Using forged travel permits, he fled, joining the Free French Navy, and fought in several inter-Allied boxing tournaments in 1944 and 1945. He discovered that American fans liked him, even when he beat American boxers. After beating tough Georgie Abrams in a 10-rounder, he ascended to No. 4 in The Ring Magazine's world rankings as a middleweight in 1946.

    Two years later he got a shot at world middleweight champ Tony Zale, putting on a dazzling display of speed, quickness and punching accuracy to build up a points lead before putting Zale on the canvas in the 11th round with a left hook. When the champ failed to answer the bell for the 12th, the Frenchman was the new middleweight king.

     The next year, 1949, Cerdan defended his title against LaMotta, who threw him to the canvas, injuring the champion's shoulder, in the opening round. Cerdan fought one-handed until the 10th round, when he finally conceded defeat. Cerdan died when his plane from France crashed on Oct. 27, 1949, as he flew back to the U.S. for the rematch with LaMotta.

-- Dennis Taylor, The Boxing Amusement Park

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