Jump to
A young French boxer was shot dead outside a shisha bar in a Parisian suburb.
According to Le Parisien, Wilfried Florentin was injured after a brawl broke out on Sunday morning in front of L’Insolit e, a shisha bar in the Paris suburb of Bonneuil-sur-Marne.
“I’m stunned,” said Yohan Zaoui who was in contact with him, according to L’Équipe. “I am very sorry. Such a waste. He was the father of two children. The best French hope. A real drama.
“He was working as a bouncer at this shisha bar. He got shot. Two bullets in the chest.”
The 23-year-old French boxer was tended to by firefighters outside the establishment before being driven to hospital. He died from his injuries shortly thereafter, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The circumstances behind the incident have yet to be determined. An investigation for attempted voluntary homicide was entrusted to the departmental service of the judicial police.
A suspect is in custody for Wilfried Florentin’s murder
Meanwhile, the suspect was detained Monday at Brussels airport, on his way to Côte d’Ivoire, according to the Créteil prosecutor’s office. He was reportedly handed over to the French authorities by Belgian police.
The 35-year-old suspect was already subject to a Europe-wide arrest warrant.
Florentin was crowned European junior champion in the -91kg class in 2019. The French boxer subsequently won his first three professional fights by knockout, according to the reference site “boxrec”.
The boxer was expected to compete at the Paris Olympics
Florentin was expected to compete at the Paris 2024 Games. In September 2019, he won a gold medal at the European Youth Championships but failed to secure his spot at the Tokyo Games. He subsequently turned pro and won his first three bout by knockout.
Florentin died shortly after celebrating his 23rd birthday.
“A young 23-year-old boxing champion, the age of all possibilities, but also of the reality of a violent society,” the mayor of Bonneuil Denis Oztorun wrote on Twitter. “Our first thoughts and condolences go to his family and loved ones.
Thank you for reading this article. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain in tact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today.
Subscribe to Karim Zidan’s Sports Politika newsletter.
About the author
