French Boxer Charles Ledoux: A Bantamweight Legend
Charles Ledoux, nicknamed “Little Apache,” was a French bantamweight known for hard punching and a long career against leading fighters of his era. He competed from 1909 into the mid-1920s and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014.
French and European titles
Ledoux won the French bantamweight title in 1911. In 1912, he added European and International Boxing Union titles by knocking out British champion Digger Stanley in the seventh round. The International Boxing Hall of Fame records that he also won the French belt from Georges Gaillard that year. London’s National Sporting Club at one point recognized Ledoux as world bantamweight champion, although other contenders held wider recognition.
World-title challenge and later career
Ledoux faced American champion Abe Goldstein for the world bantamweight title in New York on July 16, 1924, losing a 15-round decision. He continued boxing through 1926. BoxRec describes him as a hard-hitting contender who faced several leading fighters, including Jim Driscoll, Johnny Coulon, Kid Williams and Joe Lynch.
Sources
- International Boxing Hall of Fame: Charles Ledoux
- BoxRec: Charles Ledoux biography and career
- The New York Times: “Charles Ledoux, Bantamweight, on Trail of Johnny Coulon” (1912)
- IBRO Research Journal: 1924 Goldstein-Ledoux fight report
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
