Maurice Huguenin: The Forgotten French Flyweight Champion
Maurice Huguenin was a French flyweight and bantamweight professional boxer from Paris. His professional career began in 1926 and ended in 1938. He won the French flyweight title and challenged for the European flyweight title twice, but did not win it.
Huguenin’s European flyweight title challenges came against Praxille Gydé: he lost a split decision in February 1933 and a points decision in January 1935. In 1937, he also challenged for the European bantamweight title, losing on points to Nicolas Petit-Biquet. His listed activity continued through 1938, with more than one hundred professional contests recorded.
Domestic success and European opposition
Huguenin’s rivalry with Gydé extended beyond the two European title challenges. His record includes a points victory over Gydé in May 1932, before the later championship defeats. The sequence is a useful reminder that beating a future or reigning champion in one meeting does not mean a boxer won every title associated with that opponent.
His busy 1934 schedule included a points victory over Eugene Huat at Stade Roland Garros in July and a defeat against Benny Lynch in Glasgow the following month. He also defeated Valentin Angelmann in November. Those opponents connect Huguenin’s French career with the wider European flyweight scene of the interwar years.
Later appearances included a December 1936 points win over Young Perez in Lyon and the 1937 European bantamweight challenge in Brussels. Moving between flyweight and bantamweight broadened the range of opponents he faced. His career is therefore best read through its separate levels of achievement: a French championship, repeated European challenges and an extensive schedule against prominent regional opposition.
Sources
Sources: Boxerlist biography and bout record; BoxRec profile; European flyweight title history; European bantamweight title history.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
