Johnny Famechon

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Johnny Famechon bigraphy, stories - Australian boxer

Johnny Famechon : biography

28 March 1945 –

Johnny Famechon (born Jean-Pierre Famechon 28 March 1945 in Paris, France) is a former Australian featherweight boxer.

Famechon moved to Australia in 1950 at the age of five. Over his twenty-year career he developed a reputation for being a skilled boxer whose strength was his defence. His career record of 56 wins (20 by KO), 6 draws and 5 losses.

His first major win was over Les Dunn to become Victorian Featherweight champion in 1964, then he was Commonwealth featherweight champion in 1967 after defeating the Scot, John O’Brien. He became WBC featherweight champion on 21 January 1969 after he defeated the Cuban Jose Legra on points at the Albert Hall in London.

He defended his WBC featherweight title against Fighting Harada of Japan and won in a controversial points decision.

In the rematch for the world title, against Harada in Japan six months later, Famechon decisively won the fight by knocking Harada out in the fourteenth round.

He defended his WBC title on 9 May 1970 in Rome to Mexican Vicente Saldivar and after losing the fight in a close points decision, he retired soon afterwards.

He was trained by Ambrose Palmer throughout his professional career and never fought as an amateur.

He lives in Melbourne, Australia – part of the time in the suburb of Aspendale.

In 1971, he wrote an autobiography called Fammo.

Famechon was the first Melbournian to become King of Moomba in 1970 when appointed by the Moomba festival committee.Craig Bellamy, Gordon Chisholm, Hilary Eriksen, (17 February 2006) Moomba: A festival for the people.: http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/rsrc/PDFs/Moomba/History%20of%20Moomba.pdf PDF p 22

In 1991 he was badly injured when hit by a car whilst jogging outside Sydney’s Warwick Farm racecourse, which resulted in horrific injuries.

Famechon became engaged to Glenys Bussey and married her in June 1997.

John Famechon was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles in 1997.

Reference sources

  • / Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame