The life of Louis MBarick Fall was one of boxing fame – won and then lost – as his heroism and prowess came up against insurmountable racism. Born in Saint-Louis, Senegal in 1897, he moved to France as a child where he became a teenage boxer. He served alongside the Senegalese Tirailleurs during World War I and was awarded the Médaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre. Back in the ring, he went on to become known as the Battling Siki and on 24 September, 1922 at Buffalo Stadium in Montrouge, this underdog fighter defeated Georges Carpentier in front of a crowd of 50,000 to become the first African-born world boxing champion, European champion and French champion.

It was a victory that came with consequences: a coloniser had fallen before the colonised. The press unleashed a storm upon Siki for knocking out the darling of the French public. Siki, despite enjoying his notoriety in Paris high society, endured racist slurs and was portrayed as a wild animal. The Fédération Française de la Boxe went on to accuse him of foul play, suspended him from the sport and stripping him of his French titles. And after a defeat to Mike McTigue in Ireland, Siki had no choice but to set out for the US. It was New York that he met a tragic end on December 15, 1925, shot in the back aged just 28 years old.

For a long time erased from the history books, Siki deserves to be celebrated as a source of Senegalese pride and as a role model for young African boxers today. So, this story goes some way to honouring the man for his athleticism, style and irrepressible courage.