Marcellin "Marcel" Cerdan (; 22 July 1916 – 28 October 1949) was a French professional boxer and world middleweight champion in 1948–1949. He is considered by many to be France's greatest boxer ever, and one of the best to have learned his craft in Africa. Nicknamed "The Moroccan Bomber," "Marcel the Merciless," "The Man with Clay Hands" and "The Casablanca Clouter," his talent led him to France in 1938, where he became French champion three times, and then European champion in the welterweight category in 1939. 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, a day labourer, and Asunción Cascales, pied-noirs of Spanish origin, with roots in Alicante.
Death On October 28, 1949, at age 33, Marcel Cerdan was one of 48 victims that died when their scheduled Air France Flight 009 crashed into a mountain on approach to the Santa Maria Airport, Azores, Portugal to refuel. Cerdan was travelling from Paris to New York City prior to his boxing rematch with Jake LaMotta. Other victims of the crash included French violinist Ginette Neveu, artist Bernard Boutet de Monvel, and American Walt Disney Company merchandising executive Kay Kamen. The bodies of the victims were recovered and taken to a church in Algarvia before they were repatriated. Cerdan was initially interred in Casablanca, where he and his wife, Marinette Lopez, were married. At Marinette's request, for the matter of equidistance between herself and their eldest son living in Paris, Cerdan was reinterred in the Perpignan Sud cemetery in France on October 29, 1995.
Boxing career
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.
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, and won four more bouts in a row before facing another boxer with a namesake: James Toney, who shared that name with another James Toney 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. Cerdan became a world champion by knocking Zale out in the 12th round in Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey on 21 September 1948.
Later years For his first defense, Cerdan returned to the United States to face Jake LaMotta for the belt on June 16, 1949 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Cerdan was knocked down in round one, his shoulder was dislocated, and he had to give up after the tenth round. It would be the boxer's last fight. Although a rematch was scheduled for December 2, Cerdan died in a plane crash that October.
The day following Cerdan's death, LaMotta lauded Cerdan's sportsmanship, saying: "You had to fight him as I did to know what a fine sportsman he was." ... "If I had lost to Marcel in Detroit, I might have been flying to France to fight him there."LaMotta lauds Cerdan for great sportsmanship. News.google.com (28 October 1949). Retrieved on 29 May 2026.
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 famed French singer Édith Piaf which 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.
Legacy Cerdan's record was 110 wins and 4 losses two of which were disqualifications for low blows, with 65 wins by knockout.Marcel Cerdan official website: Biography – scorecard (French: biographie – son palmarès)
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 located in Levallois-Perret, the Palais des sports Marcel-Cerdan, was named in his honor.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes114Loss110–4 Jake LaMottaRTD9 (15) 16 Jun 1949 113Win110–3 Lucien KrawczykKO4 (10) 8 May 1949 112Win109–3 Dick TurpinKO7 (10) 29 Mar 1949 111Win108–3 Tony ZaleRTD11 (15) 21 Sep 1948 110Win107–3 Cyrille DelannoitPTS1510 Jul 1948 109Loss106–3 Cyrille DelannoitPTS1523 May 1948 108Win106–2 Lucien KrawczykPTS1025 Mar 1948 107Win105–2 Lavern RoachTKO8 (10)12 Mar 1948 106Win104–2 Jean WalzackKO4 (15)9 Feb 1948 105Win103–2 Giovanni MancaKO2 (15)26 Jan 1948 104Win102–2 Anton RaadikUD1031 Oct 1947 103Win101–2 Billy WalkerTKO1 (10)7 Oct 1947 102Win100–2 Harold GreenTKO2 (10)28 Mar 1947 101Win99–2 Bert GilroyKO4 (10)11 Feb 1947 100Win98–2 Leon FouquetKO1 (15)2 Feb 1947 99Win97–2 Georgie AbramsUD106 Dec 1946 98Win96–2 Jean PankowiakKO5 (10)20 Oct 1946 97Win95–2 Holman WilliamsPTS107 Jul 1946 96Win94–2 Robert CharronPTS1225 May 1946 95Win93–2 Joe BrunKO2 (10)14 Apr 1946 94Win92–2 José FerrerKO4 (10)24 Feb 1946 93Win91–2 Edouard TenetPTS1218 Jan 1946 92Win90–2 Agostinho GuedesKO1 (10)12 Jan 1946 91Win89–2 Victor ButtinKO3 (10)8 Dec 1945 90Win88–2 Assane DioufKO3 (12)30 Nov 1945 89Win87–2 Tommy DaviesKO1 (10)19 Oct 1945 88Win86–2 Edouard TenetPTS1023 Jun 1945 87Win85–2 Oscar MenozziKO3 (10)3 Jun 1945 86Win84–2 Jean DespeauxKO5 (10)13 May 1945 85Win83–2 Joe BrunTKO7 (10)9 Mar 1945 84Win82–2 Ralph BurnleyTKO2 (3)16 Dec 1944 83Win81–2 Floyd GibsonPTS314 Dec 1944 82Win80–2 Clint PerryKO1 (3)12 Dec 1944 81Win79–2 BouayaKO1 (10)21 Oct 1944 80Win78–2 Joe DiMartinoTKO1 (3)19 Feb 1944 79Win77–2 Sammy AdragnaPTS317 Feb 1944 78Win76–2 Harold DrouhinKO1 (3)15 Feb 1944 77Win75–2 Willie SampsonKO2 (10)30 Jan 1944 76Win74–2 Larry CisnerosKO2 (10)29 Dec 1943 75Win73–2 James ToneyTKO2 (?)26 Dec 1943 74Win72–2 Bulldog MilanoKO2 (10)30 Oct 1943 73Win71–2 Larry CisnerosKO6 (10)10 Oct 1943 72Win70–2 Omar KouidriPTS1012 Sep 1943 71Win69–2 John McCoyKO2 (10)8 Aug 1943 70Win68–2 José FerrerTKO1 (15)30 Sep 1942 69Loss67–2 Victor ButtinDQ8 (10)15 Aug 1942 68Win67–1 Fernand FrelyTKO3 (10)2 Aug 1942 67Win66–1 Victor JanaTKO2 (10)25 Jul 1942 66Win65–1 Gaspard DeridderKO1 (10)28 Jun 1942 65Win64–1 Fernand ViezPTS1017 May 1942 64Win63–1 Gustave HumeryKO1 (10)26 Apr 1942 63Win62–1 Fred FluryTKO7 (10)21 Feb 1942 62Win61–1 Roby SeidelTKO3 (10)31 Dec 1941 61Win60–1 Roland CoureauTKO9 (10)13 Sep 1941 60Win59–1 Joe BrunTKO2 (10)20 Jul 1941 59Win58–1 Francois BlanchardKO6 (10)22 Jun 1941 58Win57–1 Omar KouidriRTD6 (15)5 May 1941 57Win56–1 Victor FortesRTD2 (10)13 Apr 1941 56Win55–1 Victor JanasPTS109 Mar 1941 55Win54–1 Victor FortesRTD7 (10)2 Feb 1941 54Win53–1 Young RaymondRTD6 (10)26 Jan 1941 53Win52–1 Young RaymondKO1 (10)19 Jan 1941 52Win51–1 Cleto LocatelliPTS1016 Jun 1939 51Win50–1 Saverio TurielloPTS153 Jun 1939 50Win49–1 Roger CadotTKO6 (12)21 May 1939 49Win48–1 Felix WoutersPTS1222 Mar 1939 48Win47–1 Saverio TurielloPTS1220 Feb 1939 47Win46–1 Al BakerTKO7 (10)4 Feb 1939 46Win45–1 Ercole BurattiPTS1021 Jan 1939 45Loss44–1 Harry CrasterDQ5 (10)9 Jan 1939 44Win44–0 Omar KouidriPTS1224 Nov 1938 43Win43–0 Alfred KatterKO5 (10)10 Nov 1938 42Win42–0 Amedeo DeyanaPTS1027 Oct 1938 41Win41–0 Al BakerPTS1015 Sep 1938 40Win40–0 Victor DeckmynPTS103 Jul 1938 39Win39–0 Jean MorinPTS104 Jun 1938 38Win38–0 Gustave HumeryKO6 (12)20 May 1938 37Win37–0 Cleto LocatelliPTS125 May 1938 36Win36–0 Eduard HrabakPTS1013 Aug 1938 35Win35–0 Charles PernotPTS104 Mar 1938 34Win34–0 Omar KouidriPTS1221 Feb 1938 33Win33–0 Jean ZidesTKO9 (10)20 Jan 1938 32Win32–0 Eddie RanKO2 (10)13 Jan 1938 31Win31–0 Charles FedorowichTKO2 (10)6 Jan 1938 30Win30–0 Max IferganePTS1018 Dec 1937 29Win29–0 Jean MorinPTS1021 Oct 1937 28Win28–0 Louis JamptonPTS107 Oct 1937 27Win27–0 Eduard HrabakKO6 (10)13 Sep 1937 26Win26–0 Kid MarcelPTS1022 Aug 1937 25Win25–0 Ali OmarTKO5 (10)3 Jul 1937 24Win24–0 Omar KouidriPTS103 Apr 1937 23Win23–0 Omar KouidriPTS102 Mar 1937 22Win22–0 Maurice NaudinTKO3 (10)30 Jan 1937 21Win21–0 Aissa AttaffRTD8 (10)16 Jan 1937 20Win20–0 Jean DebeaumontPTS1021 Nov 1936 19Win19–0 Aissa AttafKO1 (10)8 Nov 1936 18Win18–0 Primo RubioPTS1017 Oct 1936 17Win17–0 Al FrancisKO6 (10)2 Aug 1936 16Win16–0 Mariano CastillanosPTS106 Jun 1936 15Win15–0 Kid AbadieKO3 (10)27 May 1936 14Win14–0 M RicardoTKO5 (10)23 May 1936 13Win13–0 Joseph MartinezTKO9 (10)11 Apr 1936 12Win12–0 Max IferganePTS107 Apr 1936 11Win11–0 Antoine AbadPTS104 Mar 1936 10Win10–0 Mak PerezPTS1014 Dec 1935 9Win9–0 Mak PerezPTS1023 Nov 1935 8Win8–0 Francisco MestresPTS103 Aug 1935 7Win7–0 Joseph SarfatiPTS1019 Jul 1935 6Win6–0 Mak PerezRTD2 (10)5 Jul 1935 5Win5–0 Max PrivatRTD5 (10)13 Apr 1935 4Win4–0 Leon BenazraPTS1013 Apr 1935 3Win3–0 Perez IIIPTS106 Feb 1935 2Win2–0 Leon BenazraRTD5 (6)12 Nov 1934 1Win1–0 Marcel BucchianeriPTS610 Nov 1934
Titles in boxing Major world titles NYSAC middleweight champion (160 lbs) NBA (WBA) middleweight champion (160 lbs)
The Ring magazine titles The Ring middleweight champion (160 lbs)
Regional/International titles European welterweight champion (147 lbs) European middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2×)
Undisputed titles Undisputed middleweight champion
See also List of middleweight boxing champions
References
External links
Marcel Cerdan Official website, created by Nicolas Cerdan, his grandson Marcel Cerdan Heritage – Vintage Sportswear (Eng/Fr), created by Nicolas Cerdan, his grandson IBHOF.com International Boxing Hall of Fame Homepage
Here's Looking At You, Casablanca: Marcel Cerdan