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Everybody who follows boxing,
and almost everybody who
doesn’t, knows about the Rocky
story. The legendary tale of a
journeyman fighter coming from
nothing, getting a big
opportunity and making something
of himself by becoming a
champion against all odds.
French-based Cameroonian
Stephane Malenou is looking to
make his own Rocky story on June
23 in Paris, when he takes on a
yet to be announced opponent for
the vacant World Boxing
Federation (WBF)
Intercontinental Welterweight
title.
Malenou was born June 30 1983 in
Doula, Cameroon and grew up in
the country’s capital Yaoundé.
The second youngest in a family
with six children, his father
was in the army and passed away
when young Stephane had just
turned seven.
His mother was out of a job, so
his upbringing was very poor.
When his oldest sister got sick,
his mother stayed in the
hospital with her for several
months, leaving the five other
children to fend for themselves
for long periods of time. It was
a tough time for Stephane, who
was struggling to channel the
aggression that build inside of
him:
“I fought with all the children
in school, and in my
neighborhood. Some times against
two or three at the same time,
and I always tried to prove
myself against others
physically. I liked the
competition, and I always wanted
to be the best”, says Malenou.
A chance encounter with one
person changed the entire life
of the troubled boy, and
provided him with a better way
to use his energy than fighting
at school and around the
neighborhood:
“One day I met a guy called
Felix Kemeni, who was a very
good boxer and trainer at the
Sports & Recreation Center. He
took me to the boxing club, and
that’s how I became a boxer at
12 years of age.”
“A couple of years later I was
one of the best amateur boxers
in the country, and eventually I
was included in the national
team. In 2002 I was travelling
with the national team, and
decided to stay in Paris. I had
no support, no money or
anything, and I was sleeping in
the streets.”
The hard life in France didn’t
break Malenou, and in time he
managed to build relations that
would enable him to turn
professional. He made his paid
debut in November 2003, and won
a six round decision. Two weeks
later he was back in the ring,
full of hope and confidence that
he was on a fast-track to the
top.
But Malenou found out that it
would not be so easy, as he lost
his second fight to the much
more experienced Bouziane Oudji
(15-3-1), a former French
champion who had challenged for
the European title a year
earlier. He rebounded well with
a victory in March 2004, but
then lost again the following
month.
With a mediocre 2-2 professional
record, Malenou was not expected
to do well when he was matched
with Bayram Arici (9-4-1) in a
bout for the International
French Cup in June 2004. But he
put on a great performance, and
won a unanimous decision after
eight rounds.
Things were looking up for
Malenou, and a draw with the
13-1 former French champion
Karim Netchaoui in January 2005
only served as a reminder that
he was a talented prospect,
despite the less than stellar
record. Three months later he
beat Nicolas Guisset (8-1-1),
and it appeared that he had
finally established himself as a
force to be reckoned with on the
French scene.
“I was sure I had it made, that
now someone would come along and
sponsor me, and that I would get
a promotional contract. But
nothing happened”, said Malenou.
“It became harder for me to get
a fight, and I was very
frustrated.”
The frustration followed him
into the ring when he finally
did get a fight, and Malenou
lost his next three outings. At
4-5-1, he travelled to America
and hoped it would be the land
of dreams for him. In June 2008
he made his US debut and won on
points over the tough Reggie
Holly in New York.
Following the Holly victory, it
would be more than a year before
he got another fight. When he
did, it was not exactly clever
matchmaking as he was pitted
against 6-0 Issouf Kinda, and
lost another decision. He
decided the American dream was
over, and returned to Europe,
not knowing what the future
would bring.
After another long lay-off,
Malenou returned to action in
October 2011, and stopped Pieter
Vandamme in Belgium. This
victory would signal the start
of a new chapter for the now
28-year-old, and over the next
two years he was moved along
wisely and put together a string
of five victories.
At 10-6-1 (3), and almost twelve
years after the day he decided
to not return to Cameroon but
stay in Paris, he is finally on
the verge of completing his
Rocky Story. If he captures the
WBF Intercontinental title on
June 23, he will be an unlikely
champion, but one who has
certainly paid his dues and
deserves the glory.
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