Christophe Mendy

Christophe Mendy (born August 4, 1971 in Rouen) is a retired boxer who competed for France in the heavyweight division (– 91 kg) during the 1990s. He won the bronze medal at the 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Berlin, Germany, where he was defeated in the semifinals by Cuban legend Félix Savón. A year later he ended up second at the 1996 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Vejle, Denmark. A couple of months later Mendy represented France at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mendy was born in Rouen, Normandy, a region of Western France. He began boxing at the age of 10 and soon came to be noticed by the local trainers, becoming an amateur boxer in the cruiser-weight division at the age of 17. He won various local championships and became vice-champion of France. He then came to be noticed by scouts for the French national team.

In 1990, his first international tournament in Medan, Indonesia, he was the gold medallist. When he returned home, he joined the Battalion of Joinville, E.I.S. (National Army School for Sports) reserved for the French sports elite. This year he also became the Heavyweight Champion of France.

In 1991 he joined the National Institute for the Study of Sports and Physical Fitness (INSEP). There he studied for 5 years while representing France at various international meetings and tournaments collecting various medals and awards. At Almeria, Spain, he beat German Kraulenko and loses a decision to Željko Mavrović (Croatia).

The following month, a tournament takes place at Boulogne sur Mer. Christophe beats Raymond Meygerse (Germany) and Igor Andreev (Russia) to gain the silver medal. He loses a decision in the final bout to Arnold Vanderlijde (Holland). In Athens, Greece, at the Mediterranean Games of 1991, Christophe again faces Željko Mavrović and loses in a decision. In Ankara, Turkey, he boxes Rebua and Georgi Kandelaki (Geo.) and wins Gold. The day after the final of the 1992 championship, he leaves for Halle, Germany, to take part in the qualifying tournament for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. This time, he will finish fourth and will not go to Barcelona. Disappointed, he leaves the French team and returns Home to Normandy. After a few months of reflection and soul searching, he joins the ranks of the Semi-professionals and wins two contests.

In 1993, the French national team asked Christophe to rejoin to take part in several important competitions. In the Super Heavyweight division, he wins a bout against American, Allan Cromp, in Marseilles. In the Mediterranean Games of 1993 in Béziers, France Christophe won the Gold Medal in the Super Heavyweight category by beating Egyptian, Ahmed El Sayed and the Italian, Paolo Vidoz.

In February 1994 Djakarta, Indonesia was the location of a qualifying bout for the 1996 Olympic Games. Christophe meets an Australian fighter, the famous Ukrainian Champ Vitali Klitschko and in the finals, the Pakistani Safarash Khan. Christophe won Gold. The following month, a tournament takes place in Venice, Italy. He is, again, the gold medallist of the super heavyweight class. Then, at the 1994 World Cup of Boxing, in Bangkok, Thailand, he fights the Cuban, Roberto Balado, the number One Super Heavyweight. In spite of a beautiful and dominating effort by Christophe, the Cuban wins on points. Subsequently, Christophe requested the national team return him to the Heavyweight class. He then meets the 1993 French title holder and finally wins the Heavyweight title.

France was invited to take part in the 1994 Goodwill Games in St Petersburg, Russia. The first bout pitted Christophe against Cuban, Félix Savón. After a beautiful and well executed fight, the Cuban is declared victorious by a slim two point advantage. Félix Savón, during a TV interview (TV5), would go on to say that Christophe is the only boxer able to beat him. In 1995, Christophe Mendy is elected third best heavyweight boxer in the world by the A.I.B.A (International Association of Amateur Boxing).

Amateur Highlights

Member of the 1996 French Olympic Team as a Heavyweight. His results were:

• Defeated Ovidiu Bali (Romania) TKO 2
• Lost to David Defiagbon (Canada) DQ 3
• Lost to Luan Krasniqi (Albania) Points

Although Mendy fought professionally once in 1993 while classified as an amateur, he officially launched his pro career in 1995. He had limited success as a pro, and retired in 2000 after having won 14 and lost 4 with 2 KOs and a drawn.