Battling Siki

Battling Siki
Battling Siki
Born	September 16, 1897 Baye Fall, Saint-Louis, Senegal
Died	December 15, 1925 New York
Occupation	boxer

Battling Siki (September 16, 1897 – December 15, 1925), aka Louis Mbarick Fall, was a French-Senegalese light heavyweight boxer born in Senegal who fought from 1912 to 1925, and briefly reigned as the World light heavyweight champion after knocking out Georges Carpentier.

He was born Baye Fall in the port city of Saint-Louis, Senegal. While still a teenager, Siki changed his name, and moved to metropolitan France, where, by the age of 15, he began his professional boxing career. Siki's early years were inauspicious. From 1912 to 1914 he compiled a record of just eight wins, six losses and two draws.

When World War I erupted, Siki joined the French army, serving in the 8th Colonial Infantry Regiment. During the war he was decorated for bravery in battle with the Croix de Guerre and the Médaille Militaire, before being honorably discharged.

After his discharge from the military, Siki resumed his boxing career. In October and November 1920 Siki boxed two matches in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He was romantically involved with a Dutch woman, Lijntje van Appelteer, who became his common-law wife. On December 16, 1921, she bore him a son, Louis Junior. In this period he taught boxing at the amateur boxing club De Jonge Bokser (The Young Boxer).

From November 1, 1919, until he faced Georges Carpentier for the world light heavyweight championship in 1922, Siki compiled the impressive record of 43 wins in 46 bouts (21 KOs), suffering just one loss (on a decision) and two draws. Carpentier, the reigning World and European champion, agreed to fight Siki for the title, and they met in Paris, France, on September 24, 1922.

Siki claimed that he had agreed to take a dive, but when Carpentier dropped Siki, the outraged African decided to get up and fight. Although he had agreed to throw the fight, he did not intend to get beat up doing so.

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