About Marcel Cerdan
Marcellin "Marcel" Cerdan was a French professional boxer and world middleweight champion in 1948-1949. He was considered by many boxing experts and fans to be France's greatest boxer, and beyond to be one of the best to have learned his craft in Africa. Nicknamed "the Moroccan bomber" or "the man with hands of clay", his talent led him to France in 1938 where he became French champion three times and then European champion in the welterweight category. His life was marked by his sporting achievements, social lifestyle and, ultimately, tragedy, being killed in an airplane crash. After his first loss, Cerdan recorded five consecutive wins, which led him to challenge Saviello Turiello for Europe's welterweight title in Milan, Italy. For his next bout after the first fight with Buttin though, Cerdan put his title on the line against José Ferrer (namesake of the Hollywood star).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.