Post-war Career
After his discharge from the military, Siki resumed his boxing career. In October and November 1920 Siki boxed two matches in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He got to know a Dutch girl and stayed in Amsterdam for a while. In this period he taught boxing at the amateur boxing club De Jonge Bokser (The Young Boxer).
From November 1, 1919, until he faced Georges Carpentier for the world's light heavyweight championship in 1922, Siki compiled the impressive record of 43 wins in 46 bouts (21 KOS), suffering just 1 loss (on a decision) and 2 draws. Carpentier, the reigning World and European champion, agreed to fight Siki for the title, and they met in Paris, France on September 24, 1922.
Siki claimed that he had agreed to take a dive, but when Carpentier, dropped Siki, the outraged African decided to get up and fight. Although he had agreed to throw the fight, he did not intend to get beat up doing so.
In the sixth round Siki hit Carpentier with a powerful right uppercut that appeared to put Carpentier down and out for the count. The referee, however, claimed Siki had tripped Carpentier, and awarded the bout to the unconscious champion on a foul. Fearing a riot from the aroused crowd, the three ringside judges overruled the referee, and Siki was eventually declared the champion.
Siki then embarked on a well publicized rampage of partying and carousing. He would walk his pet lion down the Champs-Élysées while wearing his top hat and tuxedo. Siki was known to fire his revolvers in the air in public as a means of prompting his two great danes to do tricks. He was constantly reported drinking champagne in night clubs, and spent freely on flashy clothes and partying. He was fond of white women, and both his wives were white.
During this time offers poured in from the United States for the colorful Siki to meet the leading heavyweight contender Harry Wills, middleweight champion Johnny Wilson, and the legendary Harry Greb. Attempts were even made to match Siki with the then reigning heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey.
Instead, Siki signed to defend his title against Irish light heavyweight Mike McTigue on Saint Patrick's Day in Dublin. The bout was controversial and Siki lost his belt on decision and lost the title. This defeat was the first loss in a downward trend of dissipation and poor ring performances suffered by Siki, which culminated in his death a little over a month after his last fight.
Read more about this topic: Battling Siki
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