Eugene Criqui, "Iron Jaw", 1910s and 20s French featherweight, brutal puncher. His boxing career was interrupted by World War I, while doing guard duty at Verdun he took a sniper's bullet to the jaw and it blew his mouth to pieces. A surgeon reconstructed his jaw using wire, silver, and bone from a goat's leg, it's how he got his nickname. You would think something like that would put an end to his boxing career, nope, went right back to it and knocked out the great Johnny Kilbane in 1923 to become world featherweight champion, putting an end to Kilbane's 11-year title reign. This is his rookie card, 1922 Boy's Friend Eugene Criqui.
Here are a couple of photos of Eugene Criqui and you can see the scars on his jaw and face from where the sniper's bullet tore through. Talk about having a granite chin, tough son of a gun.
This is a photo of Eugene Criqui in his French military uniform during World War I. This photo was taken after he had been hit in the jaw by a sniper's bullet and had undergone reconstructive surgery. It's honestly one of the most insane stories in not only boxing history but sports history, to have your jaw blown apart by a sniper's bullet and put back together, and you go right back to boxing and win the world featherweight title. This guy was made of material not of this Earth.
A couple more photos of Eugene Criqui, I'm sorry but you just can't help but to be fascinated and enthralled with his story. The guy was hard as nails.
Eugene Criqui standing over a beaten Joe Fox in London in 1922. This victory was part of an impressive 23-0 (22 KOs) winning streak that culminated in the French war hero capturing the world featherweight title with a stoppage of Johnny Kilbane in New York.
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1910 Champion Athletes (C52) #24 Johnny Coulon. I love this card, the orange background and Coulon himself looks so cool, he looks like a kid.
1948 Leaf Gum Johnny Coulon.
Eugene Criqui, "Iron Jaw", 1910s and 20s French featherweight, brutal puncher. His boxing career was interrupted by World War I, while doing guard duty at Verdun he took a sniper's bullet to the jaw and it blew his mouth to pieces. A surgeon reconstructed his jaw using wire, silver, and bone from a goat's leg, it's how he got his nickname. You would think something like that would put an end to his boxing career, nope, went right back to it and knocked out the great Johnny Kilbane in 1923 to become world featherweight champion, putting an end to Kilbane's 11-year title reign. This is his rookie card, 1922 Boy's Friend Eugene Criqui.
Here are a couple of photos of Eugene Criqui and you can see the scars on his jaw and face from where the sniper's bullet tore through. Talk about having a granite chin, tough son of a gun.
1923 Burstein Isaacs Eugene Criqui.
This is a photo of Eugene Criqui in his French military uniform during World War I. This photo was taken after he had been hit in the jaw by a sniper's bullet and had undergone reconstructive surgery. It's honestly one of the most insane stories in not only boxing history but sports history, to have your jaw blown apart by a sniper's bullet and put back together, and you go right back to boxing and win the world featherweight title. This guy was made of material not of this Earth.
A couple more photos of Eugene Criqui, I'm sorry but you just can't help but to be fascinated and enthralled with his story. The guy was hard as nails.
Eugene Criqui standing over a beaten Joe Fox in London in 1922. This victory was part of an impressive 23-0 (22 KOs) winning streak that culminated in the French war hero capturing the world featherweight title with a stoppage of Johnny Kilbane in New York.
Eugene Criqui knocks out Johnny Kilbane in the 6th round to win the world featherweight title in 1923 at the Polo Grounds.
This is the photo of Eugene Criqui from his Hall of Fame profile, he looks fearsome as hell, he was a bada$$.
These are really, really cool, 1925-31 Four-on-One Exhibits Postcards Eugene Criqui / Dave Shade / Joe Judge / Ty Cobb.
1937 Globo Chewing Gum Eugene Criqui. I can't find the photo of Criqui that was used for this card and it's driving me crazy.