The noble art is in mourning. Former lightweight world champion at the end of the 1990s, Jean-Baptiste Mendy died of pancreatic cancer on Monday in a Paris hospital. “It was very quick.
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He learned of his illness at the end of June at the beginning of July and that was the escalation ”, specified to L’Equipe Ellyson Mendy, the son of the boxer withdrawn from the rings for twenty years.
The native of Dakar (Senegal), who grew up and lived in the Paris region, was one of the most worthy representatives of the golden age of French boxing. Recognized for his elegant and technical style, the puncher had a record of 55 wins (including 31 by KO), 8 losses and 3 draws since his professional debut on January 15, 1983.
Today we learned of the death of Jean-Baptiste Mendy… Let us pay tribute to one of the most elegant boxers of his generation. We will always remember this magical evening at Bercy in 1998! pic.twitter.com/5CCRAaYqCc
He had to wait until 1991 to win his first title, that of French lightweight champion after a success in the first round against Angel Mona. His career then took off. The following year, in Creil (Oise), he became European champion against the Italian Antonio Renzo. A belt that he will keep six times before trying his world luck for the first time in 1994 in Levallois (Hauts-de-Seine).
Defeated by Mexican Miguel Angel Gonzales, then WBC world champion, he will wear two new continental crowns. It was in 1996, again at the Marcel-Cerdan sports center in Levallois, a major boxing center, that he finally won the title of WBC world champion against the American Lamar Murphy.
But the best was yet to come. Detained in his first defense, Jean-Baptiste Mendy achieved the biggest feat of his career in 1998 at Porte de Versailles (Paris XVth) by snatching the unbeaten Kyrgyz Orzubek Nazarov belt of WBA lightweight world champion.
A champion leaves. He embodied elegance at all levels. Champion of France, Europe and the World. Sad day for #boxing Rest in peace Jean-Baptiste Mendy. pic.twitter.com/f38h2CTctO
After a successful first defense, he ended up losing it against another Frenchman, Julien Lorcy, in April 1999 in Bercy (Paris XIIth). He retired from the rings at the same place a year later, on April 8, 2000, after a last victorious fight in points against the Mexican Pedro Garcia.
The one who in his youth saw himself more studying psychology than putting on gloves continued to work, as during his career in a hypermarket in the Paris region. Jean-Baptiste Mendy was the father of two children, Ellyson and Cécilia.
source: cameroonmagazine
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