Jean Despeaux

Jean Sylvain Despeaux ( born October 22, 1915 in Paris, † May 25 1989 in Largentière ) was a French boxer at middleweight and Olympic champion from 1936.

Career

Jean Despeaux won at the 11th Summer Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, the gold medal in the middleweight (up to 72.6 kg ) and is therefore currently the only French medalist at the Olympic Games this weight class. He sat down beside it through against Juan Bregaliano from Uruguay, Josef Hrubeš from Czechoslovakia, Raul Villarreal from Argentina and Henry Tiller from Norway. In 1937 he was defeated in a meet against Erich Campe, silver medalist of the Olympic Games in 1932.

In 1938, Jean Despeaux pro, winning on November 8, 1941, the French Championship against Assane Diouf and defended the title against Edouard Tenet, Joe Brun and in a rematch against Diouf. In December 1942, he lost in a rematch, although on points against Edouard Tenet, but again won the third duel in January 1944. A month later, he lost on points against Felix Wouters.

In May 1945, he lost for the first time against Marcel Cerdan and prematurely ended after another knockout loss in January 1946 against Laurent Dauthuille his career.

From 1942 to 1949 he also appeared as an actor in French TV productions such as The killer lives in No. 21, The Devil's Hand, Manon, Le parfum de la dame en noir and Maya.