Paul Fritsch (25 February 1901 – 22 September 1970) was a French

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, th ...

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...

boxer who competed in the early 1920s. In 1920 he became the first French boxer to win an Olympic title, defeating teammate

Jean Gachet Jean Gachet (2 June 1894 in Saint-Étienne – 4 February 1968) was a French featherweight boxer. He competed in the 1920s. Gachet won a silver medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics, losing to Paul Fritsch in the final. Olympic results *1st ...

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 Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blin ...

and became a car salesman.

1920 Olympic results

Below is the record of Paul Fritsch, a French featherweight boxer who competed at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics: * Round of 32: bye * Round of 16: defeated George Etcell (USA) * Quarterfinal: defeated Paul Erdal (Norway) * Semifinal: defeated Edoardo Garzena (Italy) * Final: defeated Jean Gachet (France) Note: In 1920 a country could have more than one boxer per weight classification

References

1901 births 1970 deaths Boxers from Paris Featherweight boxers Olympic boxers for France Boxers at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for France Place of birth missing Olympic medalists in boxing French male boxers Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics {{france-boxing-bio-stub