The Most Famous

BOXERS from France

This page contains a list of the greatest French Boxers. The pantheon dataset contains 496 Boxers, 9 of which were born in France. This makes France the birth place of the 10th most number of Boxers behind Uzbekistan, and Mexico.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary French Boxers of all time. This list of famous French Boxers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of French Boxers.

1. Georges Carpentier (1894 - 1975)

With an HPI of 51.87, Georges Carpentier is the most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages on wikipedia.

Georges Carpentier (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ kaʁpɑ̃tje]; 12 January 1894 – 28 October 1975) was a French boxer, actor and World War I pilot. A precocious pugilist, Carpentier fought in numerous categories. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908 to 1926. A French professional champion on several occasions, he became the European heavyweight champion before the First World War. A sergeant aviator during the Great War, he was wounded before returning to civilian life. He then discovered rugby union, playing as a winger. On his return to the ring in 1919, "le grand Georges" ("the great Georges" in English) he was celebrated as a symbol of a sporting powerhouse France, via performances in Great Britain and the United States of America. His knockout victory over Battling Levinsky on 12 October 1920 in Jersey City in the United States earned him the title of world champion. A defeat by Jack Dempsey the following year nevertheless strengthened his legend and brought him worldwide fame. This defeat marked the decline of his career, punctuated by the controversial loss of his titles to Battling Siki. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood 5 feet 11+1⁄2 inches (182 cm) and his fighting weight ranged from 147 to 175 pounds (67 to 79 kg). Later notable performances included a defeat by Gene Tunney. Carpentier ended his career in 1926, but remained a leading figure in French boxing. Appointed ambassador for French sport abroad after the Second World War, in which he took part in the French Air Force, Carpentier died of a heart attack in 1975. A decade after his death, the Parisian Sports Arena in the 13th arrondissement of Paris was renamed Halle Georges-Carpentier after him. Along with Marcel Cerdan, he remains one of France's best boxers.

2. Charles Mayer (1882 - 1972)

With an HPI of 46.41, Charles Mayer is the 2nd most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Charles Mayer (7 January 1882 – 5 May 1972) was an American middleweight and heavyweight boxer who competed in the early twentieth century. He won two medals in boxing at the 1904 Summer Olympics, one of only five boxers in Olympic history to ever do so. In the middleweight category he defeated fellow American Benjamin Spradley in the final to win a gold medal but took silver in the heavier heavyweight category. Mayer only had to compete in two fights to capture his two medals, in the middleweight class only two boxers participated. In the heavyweight class there were three boxers with Mayer earning the bye in the first round. Mayer was the National Amateur Middleweight Champion in 1905.

3. Jean Despeaux (1915 - 1989)

With an HPI of 45.72, Jean Despeaux is the 3rd most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Jean Despeaux (22 October 1915 – 25 May 1989) was a French boxer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1936 he won the gold medal in the middleweight class after winning the final against Henry Tiller. He also acted in a handful of films, including Maurice Tourneur's La Main du diable (1943), in which he played a boxer.

4. Roger Michelot (1912 - 1993)

With an HPI of 45.19, Roger Michelot is the 4th most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Roger Michelot (8 June 1912 in Saint-Dizier, Haute-Marne – 19 March 1993) was a French boxer who competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics and the 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1936 he won the gold medal in the light heavyweight class after winning the final against Richard Vogt. Born in Saint-Dizier, Haute-Marne he also competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

5. Paul Fritsch (1901 - 1970)

With an HPI of 44.71, Paul Fritsch is the 5th most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Paul Fritsch (25 February 1901 – 22 September 1970) was a French featherweight professional boxer who competed in the early 1920s. In 1920 he became the first French boxer to win an Olympic title, defeating teammate Jean Gachet in the final, despite losing to Gachet at the national championships before the Olympics. After more than 300 amateur bouts, Fritsch turned professional in 1921. He fought approximately 100 more bouts, but never won a major title. He retired from boxing in 1929 due to a retinal detachment and became a car salesman.

6. Alexis Vastine (1986 - 2015)

With an HPI of 34.90, Alexis Vastine is the 6th most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Alexis Vastine (17 November 1986 – 9 March 2015) was a French boxer who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the Light Welterweight division. He also competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals in a controversial decision. He died in the Villa Castelli helicopter collision during the filming of French TV reality show Dropped for the TF1 network.

7. Tony Yoka (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 33.91, Tony Yoka is the 7th most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Anthony Victor James Yoka (born 28 April 1992) is a French professional boxer. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2015 European Games; and gold at the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympics.

8. Brahim Asloum (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 30.96, Brahim Asloum is the 8th most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Brahim Asloum (Arabic: إبراهيم اسلوم, born 31 January 1979 in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Isère) is a French boxer. He held the WBA light flyweight title from 2007 to 2009. As an amateur boxer, Asloum won Light Flyweight Gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. His Olympic win was France's first Olympic gold medal in boxing in 64 years.

9. Jérôme Thomas (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 30.38, Jérôme Thomas is the 9th most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Jérôme Cedric Thomas (born 20 January 1979) is a French former boxer, he competed in the flyweight (– 51 kg) division as an amateur and as a bantamweight as a professional.

10. Sofiane Oumiha (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 28.06, Sofiane Oumiha is the 10th most famous French Boxer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Sofiane Oumiha (born 23 December 1994) is a French lightweight boxer. He won silver medals at the 2015 European Games and at the 2016 Summer Olympics and at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

People

Pantheon has 16 people classified as French boxers born between 1882 and 1998. Of these 16, 10 (62.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living French boxers include Tony Yoka, Brahim Asloum, and Jérôme Thomas. The most famous deceased French boxers include Georges Carpentier, Charles Mayer, and Jean Despeaux. As of April 2024, 7 new French boxers have been added to Pantheon including Charles Mayer, Brahim Asloum, and Caroline Veyre.