The city of Saint-Louis in Senegal is preparing to make vibrate the memory of Amadou Mbarick Fall, known worldwide under the pseudonym of Battling Siki. From 13 to 15 December 2025, the city will host a set of activities to commemorate the centenary of the assassination of the pioneer of African boxing. This athlete, who was the first world champion of boxing from the continent, will finally be fully recognized in his place of birth. This initiative is being carried out by an organising committee chaired by Marième Fall, in partnership with the Association veillant sur l’héritage d’Amadou Mbarick Fall. Marième Fall stressed the importance of this figure, declaring: “We honour a champion of the world and a war hero”, and a vivement souhaité that la municipalité apporte son soutien total à cet hommage dû à l’un des fils les plus célèbres de la vieille ville. The detailed programme of the festivities provides for the organization of an international colloquium to describe its course, a reading of the Koran and several cultural events. The first ambition is to draw this figure from the shadow in which it has remained too long, far from the official historical accounts.
Mémoire retrouvée: Battling Siki honored in his hometown, one hundred years after his death
