Jean-Pierre Famechon (28 March 1945 – 4 August 2022) was a French and Australian featherweight boxer.

Famechon was the 2003 Inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame Moderns category and was the third to be elevated to Legend status in 2012.

Early life and boxing career Famechon was born in Paris, France to French parents. He and his mother, father and younger brother moved from Paris to Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia a suburb of Melbourne, in 1950 when he was five. The family then moved to Middle Park another suburb of Melbourne. His mother Antoinette and younger brother Christian moved to Paris a couple of years later; John and his father Andre then moved to Richmond.

Famechon attended Salesian College (Rupertswood) and later Essendon Technical School. He met his wife Elise (née Alves), and they married at St Brigid's Church in Mordialloc in 1970. They moved to Aspendale and later Frankston and had their first child Paul in 1972, and daughter Danielle in 1974.

Famechon came from a boxing family. His father Andre won the French lightweight championship. His uncle Ray Famechon was a European Boxing Union Champion twice, French featherweight champion and fought for the World Featherweight Title. Another uncle was French flyweight champion Emile. Other uncles Alfred and Lucien were also professional boxers.

Famechon never fought as an amateur and turned professional at age 16. He was trained by Ambrose Palmer throughout his professional career. Over his twenty-year career Famechon developed a reputation for being a skilled boxer whose strength was his defence. His career record was 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 Lineal and WBC featherweight champion on 21 January 1969 after he defeated the Cuban José Legrá on points at the Albert Hall in London.

Famechon 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 by knocking out Harada 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.

Boxing style

Famechon was known for his hit and don't get hit style of boxing. His defense is often compared to that of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Famechon's style, like Mayweather's Crab style, consisted of a low lead hand and a high rear hand. The key difference being that Famechon held his rear hand in a cross guard position with the glove open to catch punches. Famechon's defense also included ducking and slipping punches.

Famechon's offensive relied heavily on the use of the lead left hand. Famechon's style was developed by his trainer and is the topic of a book co-written by Famechon titled, The Method: Fammo's Tribute to the King - Ambrose Palmer.

Later life Famechon received the Keys To The City in 1969 on his return to Australia after his World Title win against Jose Legra in London.

Famechon was the first Melburnian to become King of Moomba in 1970 when appointed by the Moomba Festival festival committee.Craig Bellamy, Gordon Chisholm, Hilary Eriksen, (17 February 2006) Moomba: A festival for the people.: PDF p 22

In 1971, he and long time friend Frank Quill, wrote his autobiography, Fammo.

Famechon was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles in 1997. He also was inducted to the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003 and to the Frankston Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2013 the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame elevated him to Legend status.

In 1991 he was badly injured when hit by a car outside Sydney's Warwick Farm racecourse, which resulted in horrific injuries and sustained an acquired brain injury and a stroke. In December 1993 Famechon commenced a new complex brain-based multi-movement therapy rehabilitation program that resulted in his return to a near normal life some 10–12 weeks after the therapy began.

Famechon now has a bronze statue in his home town of Frankston and is only the third Australian boxer to be honoured in this way after Les Darcy and Lionel Rose.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for significant service to boxing at the elite level.

Famechon died in Melbourne on 4 August 2022 at the age of 77.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes67LossVicente SaldívarUD159 May 197066Win56–4–6Arnold TaylorPTS1011 Apr 197065Win55–4–6Fighting HaradaKO14 (15), 6 Jan 197064Win54–4–6Pete GonzalezKO3 (10)9 Dec 196963Win53–4–6Miguel HerreraPTS1011 Nov 196962Win52–4–6Fighting HaradaPTS1528 Jul 196961Win51–4–6Jimmy AndersonPTS1020 May 196960Win50–4–6Giovanni GirgentiPTS1021 Apr 196959Win49–4–6José JiménezPTS1021 Mar 196958Win48–4–6José LegráPTS1521 Jan 196957Win47–4–6Nevio CarbiPTS1018 Oct 196856Win46–4–6Billy McGrandleTKO12 (15)13 Sep 196855Win45–4–6Vincenzo PitardiPTS1026 Jul 196854Win44–4–6Freddie RengifoTKO10 (10), 1 Jul 196853Win43–4–6Bobby ValdezDQ13 (15), 20 May 196852Win42–4–6Antonio HerreraPTS105 Apr 196851Draw41–4–6René RoquePTS1011 Mar 196850Win41–4–5Isao IchiharaPTS1016 Feb 196849Win40–4–5John O'BrienTKO11 (15)24 Nov 196748Win39–4–5Michel HoudeauTKO6 (10)20 Oct 196747Win38–4–5Don JohnsonPTS1022 Sep 196746Win37–4–5Gilberto BiondiPTS1021 Jul 196745Win36–4–5James SkeltonPTS107 Jul 196744Win35–4–5Lothar AbendPTS1026 May 196743Win34–4–5Roberto WongPTS1014 Apr 196742Win33–4–5Andrea SilanosKO2 (10)3 Mar 196741Win32–4–5Giovanni GirgentiPTS1020 Jan 196740Draw31–4–5Giovanni GirgentiPTS109 Dec 196639Win31–4–4José Caetano dos SantosPTS107 Oct 196638Draw30–4–4Domenico ChiloiroPTS1210 Jun 196637Win30–4–3Noel KundeTKO4 (12), 4 May 196636Win29–4–3Domenico ChiloiroPTS151 Apr 196635Win28–4–3Noel KundeTKO8 (12)11 Mar 196634Win27–4–3Carmelo CosciaPTS1225 Feb 196633Win26–4–3Mario SitriPTS1211 Feb 196632Loss25–4–3Gilberto BiondiPTS1229 Oct 196531Win25–3–3Harold HopkinsTKO4 (12)15 Oct 196530Win24–3–3Max MurphyKO7 (15)24 Sep 196529Loss23–3–3Max MurphyPTS1219 Jun 196528Win23–2–3Singtong Por TorPTS1211 Jun 196527Draw22–2–3Domenico ChiloiroPTS124 Jun 196526Loss22–2–2Dion MurphyPTS101 Apr 196425Win22–1–2Domenico ChiloiroPTS1519 Mar 196524Win21–1–2Billy MalesTKO6 (12)8 Feb 196523Win20–1–2Pat GonzalesPTS126 Nov 196422Win19–1–2Ollie TaylorPTS1518 Sep 196421Win18–1–2Max MurphyPTS1228 Aug 196420Win17–1–2Arthur ClarkeTKO9 (12)7 Aug 196419Win16–1–2Les DunnTKO10 (15)22 May 196418Win15–1–2Jake GulinoPTS1220 Mar 196417Win14–1–2Johnny EvansTKO7 (12)21 Feb 196416Win13–1–2Jake GulinoPTS1229 Nov 196315Win12–1–2Osei RennerPTS1025 Oct 196314Win11–1–2Jimmy SmithPTS104 Oct 196313Win10–1–2Roy SpackmanPTS86 Sep 196312Win9–1–2Bobby DaldyPTS823 Aug 196311Win8–1–2Kevin BellPTS819 Jul 196310Win7–1–2Bobby DaldyPTS619 Apr 19639Win6–1–2Ken EswardsKO6 (6)8 Mar 19638Win5–1–2Roy SpackmanPTS616 Nov 19627Win4–1–2Nicky WellsTKO3 (4)5 Oct 19626Loss3–1–2Roy SpackmanPTS622 Jun 19625Win3–0–2Gordon CrooksTKO2 (6)1 Jun 19624Draw2–0–2Brian LevierPTS46 Apr 19623Win2–0–1Peter BarnesKO4 (4)15 Sep 19612Win1–0–1Salvatore CasabeneTKO2 (4)4 Aug 19611Draw0–0–1Sammy LangPTS39 Jun 1961

See also Lineal championship List of WBC world champions French Australian

References

External links

"Johnny Famechon: A boxer's story" from All in the Mind (ABC Radio) Talk to Johnny Famechon / Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame