Jean-Pierre Famechon (28 March 1945 – 4 August 2022) was an Australian

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...

boxer. Famechon was the 2003 Inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame Moderns category and was the third to be elevated to Legend status in 2012.

Early life and boxing career

Famechon was born in Paris, France. He and his mother, father and younger brother moved from Paris to Ferntree Gully,

Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

a suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, in 1950 when he was five. The family then moved to Middle Park another suburb of Melbourne. His mother Antoinette and younger brother Christian moved to Paris a couple of years later; John and his father Andre then moved to Richmond. Famechon attended Salesian College (Rupertswood) and later Essendon Technical School. He met his wife Elise (née Alves), and they married at St Brigid's Church in Mordialloc in 1970. They moved to Aspendale and later Frankston and had their first child Paul in 1972, and daughter Danielle in 1974. Over his twenty-year career Famechon developed a reputation for being a skilled boxer whose strength was his defence. His career record was 56 wins (20 by KO), 6 draws and 5 losses. His first major win was over Les Dunn to become Victorian Featherweight champion in 1964, then he was Commonwealth

champion in 1967 after defeating the Scot John O'Brien. He became Lineal and WBC

champion on 21 January 1969 after he defeated the Cuban José Legrá on points at the

Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

in London. Famechon defended his WBC featherweight title against

Fighting Harada Masahiko Harada (born April 5, 1943), better known as Fighting Harada, is a Japanese former professional boxer. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the NYSAC, WBA, and ''The Ring'' undisputed flyweight titles from 1962 t ...

of Japan and won in a controversial points decision. In the rematch for the world title, against Harada in Japan six months later, Famechon decisively won by knocking out Harada in the fourteenth round. He defended his WBC title on 9 May 1970 in Rome to Mexican

Vicente Saldivar Vicente Samuel Saldívar García (May 3, 1943 – July 18, 1985) was a Mexican professional boxer who competed between 1971 and 1973. He was a two-time featherweight champion, having held the WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' titles from 1964 until ...

and after losing the fight in a close points decision, he retired soon afterwards. He was trained by Ambrose Palmer throughout his professional career and never fought as an amateur.

Later life

Famechon received the Keys To The City in 1969 on his return to Australia after his World Title win against Jose Legra in London. Famechon was the first Melburnian to become King of Moomba in 1970 when appointed by the

Moomba Moomba (also known as the Moomba Festival) is held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Run by the City of Melbourne, it is Australia's largest free community festival. The Melburnian tradition is celebrated over four days, incorporating the La ...

festival committee. In 1971, he and long time friend Frank Quill, wrote his autobiography, ''Fammo''. Famechon was inducted into the

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...

in 1985. He was inducted into the

World Boxing Hall of Fame In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

in Los Angeles in 1997. He also was inducted to the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003 and to the Frankston Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2013 the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame elevated him to Legend status. In 1991 he was badly injured when hit by a car outside Sydney's Warwick Farm racecourse, which resulted in horrific injuries and sustained an

acquired brain injury Acquired brain injury (ABI) is brain damage caused by events after birth, rather than as part of a genetic or congenital disorder such as fetal alcohol syndrome, perinatal illness or perinatal hypoxia. ABI can result in cognitive, physical, e ...

and a stroke. In December 1993 Famechon commenced a new complex brain-based multi-movement therapy rehabilitation program that resulted in his return to a near normal life some 10–12 weeks after the therapy began. Famechon now has a bronze statue in his home town of Frankston and is only the third Australian boxer to be honoured in this way after

Les Darcy James Leslie Darcy (28 October 189524 May 1917) was an Australian boxer. He was a middleweight, but held the Australian Heavyweight Championship title at the same time. Les Darcy was the 2003 Inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall ...

and

Lionel Rose Lionel Edmund Rose MBE (21 June 1948 – 8 May 2011) was an Australian former professional boxer who competed from 1964 to 1976. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' bantamweight titles from 1968 to 1969, becoming the first In ...

. He was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

(AM) in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for significant service to boxing at the elite level. Famechon died in Melbourne on 4 August 2022 at the age of 77.

References

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External links

*
"Johnny Famechon: A boxer's story"
from '' All in the Mind'' (ABC Radio)
Talk to Johnny Famechon
/ Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame {{DEFAULTSORT:Famechon, Johnny 1945 births 2022 deaths Australian male boxers Boxers from Paris Commonwealth Boxing Council champions Featherweight boxers French emigrants to Australia French male boxers Members of the Order of Australia Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees World Boxing Council champions World boxing champions People educated at Salesian College (Rupertswood) People from Ferntree Gully, Victoria Boxers from Melbourne Sportsmen from Victoria (state) People from Frankston, Victoria

Early life and boxing career

Later life

See also

References

External links