Alphonse Halimi
| Alphonse Halimi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | la Petite Terreur |
| Rated at | Bantamweight |
| Nationality | French |
| Born | 18 February 1932 |
| Died | 12 November 2006 (aged 74) |
Alphonse Halimi (February 18, 1932 – November 12, 2006) was a French boxer. He was nicknamed "la Petite Terreur."
Time wrote of him: "Alphonse went to work with a street fighter's will. A grown-up guttersnipe from the back alleys of Algeria. He worked like a heavyweight, swung looping haymakers, careless of where they landed, confident that they hurt."
He was born in Constantine, the last of 13 children – only seven of whom reached adulthood. His father was a postal inspector. At the age of 10, he ran away from home for the first time, living for long periods of time on the streets of a nation torn by war. A tailor named Dianoux, of Algiers, took him under his wing and Halimi began to work as a tailor at the age of 12.
After he got involved in a fight on the streets of Algiers, Dianoux encouraged him to train at the Mouloudia gymnasium. Halimi was an excellent swimmer, but he chose boxing as his calling. He was Jewish, and sewed a star of David on his red and green (the Mouloudia colors) training shorts. Halimi's hero was the Algerian-born Marcel Cerdan, and he would carry a photo of his idol at the bottom of his suitcase from the beginning to the end of his career.
He won more than 100 matches before being noticed by a trainer and being asked to come to France. He became French amateur bantamweight champion in 1953, 1954, and 1955. In 1955, he was champion of the Mediterranean Games and turned professional. On April 1, 1957, at the Vélodrome d'hiver in Paris, Halimi became world bantamweight champion by defeating the Italian deaf-mute boxer Mario d'Agata.
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