What Happened to Johnny Famechon?
Johnny Famechon, a former boxer who won the world championship, passed away in Melbourne after a protracted battle with sickness. He was 77.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame shared the sad news that Famechon had passed away.
While jogging in Sydney in 1991, Famechon was hit by a car, which led to him having a stroke and giving him an acquired brain injury as a consequence of the incident.
At London’s Albert Hall in 1969, the Australian boxer won the WBC world title with a points decision victory over a Cuban opponent named Jose Legra.
This was the most notable of the Australian boxer’s world title wins. Famechon boxed professionally for over 20 years, compiling a record of 56 victories, including 20 knockouts, six draws, and five defeats.
Six months after defeating Legra, Famechon successfully defended his featherweight world title against Masahiko Harada of Japan, who is better known by his ring name, Fighting Harada. Famechon won the fight via a controversial points decision.
In the rematch for the world title, which took place in Tokyo in the 14th round, Famechon scored a knockout victory over Harada.
In May of 1970, Famechon traveled to Rome to defend his WBC title against Mexican opponent Vicente Saldivar, but he was unsuccessful in this endeavor. Soon after that, at the age of 24, he called it quits in the boxing ring.
