Eugène Criqui
Encyclopedia
Eugène Criqui was a French boxer who held the world featherweight
title in 1923.
Criqui was born in the Belleville
neighbourhood of Paris. He was a professional pipe-fitter before he turned professional in 1910. He won the French flyweight
title in 1912. His boxing career was interrupted when he served in the French military in World War I
. While doing guard duty at Verdun
, his jaw was shattered by a sniper's bullet. A surgeon reconstructed the jaw using wire, silver, and a goat leg.
After the war he resumed boxing. He won the French featherweight title in 1921 and the next year won the European Boxing Union
featherweight championship. On June 2, 1923, he beat Johnny Kilbane
by a sixth-round knockout in New York City
to win the world featherweight title. Part of the contract for this fight required that he give Johnny Dundee
a shot at the title within sixty days. When he fought Dundee fifty-four days later (on July 26, 1923), Dundee knocked him down four times and beat him by a fifteen-round decision. In his next fight, Criqui injured his hand and did not fight many more fights before he retired in 1928.
He died blind in a nursing home in 1977. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
in 2005, making him the second inductee from France after Marcel Cerdan
.
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
title in 1923.
Criqui was born in the Belleville
Belleville, Paris
Belleville is a neighbourhood of Paris, France, parts of which lie in four different arrondissements. The major portion of Belleville straddles the borderline between the 20th arrondissement and the 19th along its main street, the Rue de Belleville...
neighbourhood of Paris. He was a professional pipe-fitter before he turned professional in 1910. He won the French flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
title in 1912. His boxing career was interrupted when he served in the French military in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. While doing guard duty at Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
, his jaw was shattered by a sniper's bullet. A surgeon reconstructed the jaw using wire, silver, and a goat leg.
After the war he resumed boxing. He won the French featherweight title in 1921 and the next year won the European Boxing Union
European Boxing Union
The European Boxing Union is an organization that oversees competition in that sport over the continent of Europe.-History:The EBU started life as the International Boxing Union in Paris in 1910...
featherweight championship. On June 2, 1923, he beat Johnny Kilbane
Johnny Kilbane
John "Johnny" Patrick Kilbane was a featherweight boxer in the early part of the 20th century. He held the featherweight title from 1912 to 1923, the longest period in the division's history...
by a sixth-round knockout in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to win the world featherweight title. Part of the contract for this fight required that he give Johnny Dundee
Johnny Dundee
Johnny Dundee was a featherweight and junior lightweight boxer who fought from 1910 until 1932. Dundee was born Giuseppe Curreri in Sciacca, Sicily, but was raised in the United States....
a shot at the title within sixty days. When he fought Dundee fifty-four days later (on July 26, 1923), Dundee knocked him down four times and beat him by a fifteen-round decision. In his next fight, Criqui injured his hand and did not fight many more fights before he retired in 1928.
He died blind in a nursing home in 1977. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame 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 2005, making him the second inductee from France after Marcel Cerdan
Marcel Cerdan
Marcellin "Marcel" Cerdan was a French pied noir world boxing 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...
.