FRENCH BOXING FANS ARE BEGINNING TO TAKE NOTICE OF A 22 YEAR-OLD PARIS FIGHTER WHOSE NAME IS MARCEL CERDAN. IT'S NAME FAMILIAR IN THE BOXING WORLD FOR MARCEL CERDAN SENIOR WAS THE MOST OUTSTANDING BOXER TO COME OUT OF FRANCE SINCE THE END OF WORLD WAR TWO. CERDAN SENIOR WAS MIDDLE-WEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD FOR A TIME. HE DIED IN 1949 IN AN AIR CRASH WHILE FLYING TO NEW YORK TO TRY TO RETRIEVE HIS TITLE FROM JAKE LA MOTTE.
CERDAN JUNIOR'S AMBITION IS TO RECAPTURE HIS FATHER'S WORLD TITLE AND THERE ARE MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN FATHER AND SON. YOUNG CERDAN'S PARIS HOME IS FULL OF HIS FATHER'S TROPHIES AND MOMENTOS. HE EVEN USES HIS FATHER'S TRACK-SUIT FOR TRAINING AND HIS FATHER'S WATER BOTTLE FOR DRINKS BETWEEN ROUNDS.
THE RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN THE TWO CERDANS STRIKES EVERYONE WHO KNEW THE FORMER WORLD CHAMPION, AND EVEN MARCEL'S STYLE IN THE RING IS SIMILAR, FOLLOWING A SINGLE LEFT WITH A STORM OF BODY BLOWS.
CERDAN JUNIOR WAS ONLY FIVE YEARS OLD WHEN HIS FATHER DIED, AND THE ONLY TIME HE'S SEEN HIS FATHER FIGHT IS ON THE FILM OF HIS FATHERS' CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT.
CERDAN IS CERTAINLY ON THE WAY TO SUCCEEDING HIS FATHER, IN SPITE OF HIS MOTHER'S PROTESTS, FOR UNLIKE MOST BOXERS HE DOESN'T NEED THE MONEY THE RING OFFERS. AS AN AMATEUR BOXER HE LOST ONLY TWO FIGHTS OUT OF 41. HE TURNED PROFESSIONAL LAST WINTER AND SINCE THEN HE HAS WON ALL EIGHT PROFESSIONAL BOUTS.
HIS NEXT FIGHT IS ON WEDNESDAY WHEN HE MEETS THE SPANISH BOXER JAIME APARITI IN PARIS.