Word: cerdan
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Marcel Cerdan Jr. was no higher than a ring post when his father became the middleweight champion of the world. Marcel Sr. died shortly thereafter but for the son the legacy lives on: "It is my duty to try to succeed my father." He is certain of this, he says, for on the eve of a fight his father often visits him in his dreams, urging him on. "It is in the stars," says his manager, Philippe Filippi. "Old Marcel is up there watching me, and I know he's happy about what I am doing...
...memory of Marcel Cerdan Sr. is no less vivid to millions of Frenchmen. A veteran of the Free French navy, the handsome brawler fought his way out of Casablanca to become "l'Immortel." In September 1948, he knocked out Tony Zale in the twelfth round to win the middleweight title. He lost the crown to Jake LaMotta nine months later when he tore a left shoulder muscle in the first round, then gamely fought on virtually one-handed until he was unable to answer the bell for the tenth round. Scheduled for a rematch with LaMotta, the superstitious Cerdan...
...Then, clutching an unopened bottle of champagne, he stood up and asked through a translator: "Overall, what did you think of me?" The reporters politely applauded. In Paris, where the fight was televised via satellite, the verdict was harsher -and truer. Headlined France-Soir: THE END OF A DREAM: CERDAN WON'T BE ABLE TO BECOME WORLD CHAMPION...