20.09.23 in ambassadeurs
cyril benzaquen
Cyril Benzaquen, world kick boxing champion and entrepreneur with his production company. He notably produced his own world championship and evenings hosting several fights.
could you tell us who you are in a few words?
I am a world kick boxing champion. It's boxing where you use fists, feet and knees. Alongside that, I am also an entrepreneur with my production company. I was indeed lucky to have parents who pushed me to study at the same time as my sporting career. I went to Paris Dauphine University to study marketing and entrepreneurship. When I finished my studies, I set up my production company, which produces my fights. These are events that range from 500 to 4,000 people. We produce everything from A to Z, whether it's finding the location, managing TV rights, sponsorship, etc.
Recently, on May 31, I organized an evening hosting several fights, including my world championship, as well as the French championship finals, at the ephemeral Grand Palais. It was on this occasion that I put my title of five-time world champion on the line, and that I was able to win it again. Beyond the sporting issue and the event dimension, it was also a nod to history, because it was the first international competition to be held in this place, and the second fight in the grounds of the Grand Palais. On this same occasion, we also celebrated the 80th anniversary of the first fight, that of May 1942, with Marcel Cerdan.
How did you get into this sporting discipline?
I would like to answer that it is a bit by chance. But ultimately, I don't think there's any coincidence in this kind of situation.
When I was younger, I was a little bit chubby, a little bit round. With adolescence, I became more refined, like many teenagers, and around 13, I had tried different sports. I wasn't good at any particular sport. I wasn't very sporty either and I wanted to practice a combat sport because I was at the age where I wanted to feel a little good about myself in that regard. I must admit that I fell in love with boxing the first time I entered a boxing gym. I knew right away that this was what I wanted to do with my life. From the age of 13 to the age of 18, I trained without really having a fight, because my parents didn't want me to get injured. So I trained a lot. Subsequently, I had a series of fights, victories and defeats, and I got to where I am today.
could you tell us who you are in a few words?
I am a world kick boxing champion. It's boxing where you use fists, feet and knees. Alongside that, I am also an entrepreneur with my production company. I was indeed lucky to have parents who pushed me to study at the same time as my sporting career. I went to Paris Dauphine University to study marketing and entrepreneurship. When I finished my studies, I set up my production company, which produces my fights. These are events that range from 500 to 4,000 people. We produce everything from A to Z, whether it's finding the location, managing TV rights, sponsorship, etc.
Recently, on May 31, I organized an evening hosting several fights, including my world championship, as well as the French championship finals, at the ephemeral Grand Palais. It was on this occasion that I put my title of five-time world champion on the line, and that I was able to win it again. Beyond the sporting issue and the event dimension, it was also a nod to history, because it was the first international competition to be held in this place, and the second fight in the grounds of the Grand Palais. On this same occasion, we also celebrated the 80th anniversary of the first fight, that of May 1942, with Marcel Cerdan.
How did you get into this sporting discipline?
I would like to answer that it is a bit by chance. But ultimately, I don't think there's any coincidence in this kind of situation.
When I was younger, I was a little bit chubby, a little bit round. With adolescence, I became more refined, like many teenagers, and around 13, I had tried different sports. I wasn't good at any particular sport. I wasn't very sporty either and I wanted to practice a combat sport because I was at the age where I wanted to feel a little good about myself in that regard. I must admit that I fell in love with boxing the first time I entered a boxing gym. I knew right away that this was what I wanted to do with my life. From the age of 13 to the age of 18, I trained without really having a fight, because my parents didn't want me to get injured. So I trained a lot. Subsequently, I had a series of fights, victories and defeats, and I got to where I am today.
“I must admit that I fell in love with boxing the first time I entered a boxing gym. I knew right away that this was what I wanted to do with my life. »
Who are the people who constitute references for you in your profession or in life?
At the time, the first coach I had, Aurélien Duarte, who was a former champion, put me on a path that I followed because he inspired me. He was a very tall and lanky boxing champion who had been a model. Otherwise, in the people who have really inspired me, I would say that Michael Jordan is really a big source of inspiration for me.
Mohamed Ali, one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, is also a major reference in my life.
what compliment would you like to hear or hear again in your profession?
There is a compliment I often receive, it is not a direct compliment, but I take it as such. It’s when someone says to me: “Oh well, do you do boxing? ". In fact, the surprise that some people can have because they have clichés, preconceptions about the athlete and even more about the boxer. They will in fact find me not necessarily in line with the image they have of sport. And the second thing is that my other activities, particularly in entrepreneurship, can create surprises. And that, for me, is flattering.
how do you prepare for your competitions?
I prepare with physical training in the morning and technical training in the evening, i.e. boxing. About 25 hours per week or so, which corresponds to two to three workouts per day. This is a rhythm that I generally have from September to June. Summer is rest! There, for example, I came out of combat two weeks ago: for ten days, I really did nothing. There, I will resume sport – but not boxing – once a day for two or three weeks. Afterwards, I'll start again maybe twice a day.
what was your biggest challenge?
For having continued boxing when it was difficult, because I lost my first fight and I said to myself “No, I'm not going to give up, I'm going to continue”. The first fight I organized was a big challenge, because there was a challenge. For the last one, I rented the ephemeral Grand Palais. Normally, it's FIAC that does this, not Benzaquen. I would say that the biggest challenge is the resilience I have had to continue when things have been hard, whether in a fight in the ring or in life.
At the time, the first coach I had, Aurélien Duarte, who was a former champion, put me on a path that I followed because he inspired me. He was a very tall and lanky boxing champion who had been a model. Otherwise, in the people who have really inspired me, I would say that Michael Jordan is really a big source of inspiration for me.
Mohamed Ali, one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, is also a major reference in my life.
what compliment would you like to hear or hear again in your profession?
There is a compliment I often receive, it is not a direct compliment, but I take it as such. It’s when someone says to me: “Oh well, do you do boxing? ". In fact, the surprise that some people can have because they have clichés, preconceptions about the athlete and even more about the boxer. They will in fact find me not necessarily in line with the image they have of sport. And the second thing is that my other activities, particularly in entrepreneurship, can create surprises. And that, for me, is flattering.
how do you prepare for your competitions?
I prepare with physical training in the morning and technical training in the evening, i.e. boxing. About 25 hours per week or so, which corresponds to two to three workouts per day. This is a rhythm that I generally have from September to June. Summer is rest! There, for example, I came out of combat two weeks ago: for ten days, I really did nothing. There, I will resume sport – but not boxing – once a day for two or three weeks. Afterwards, I'll start again maybe twice a day.
what was your biggest challenge?
For having continued boxing when it was difficult, because I lost my first fight and I said to myself “No, I'm not going to give up, I'm going to continue”. The first fight I organized was a big challenge, because there was a challenge. For the last one, I rented the ephemeral Grand Palais. Normally, it's FIAC that does this, not Benzaquen. I would say that the biggest challenge is the resilience I have had to continue when things have been hard, whether in a fight in the ring or in life.
“Now I really like wearing jewelry. I think it highlights the body. It's funny, because before wearing jewelry, I didn't pay attention to the wrists, the forearms... I find that it dresses up these parts, which are often bare. »
do you have rituals in your life, your job?
It's funny because at the moment, I'm in a fairly "freestyle" period, where I've broken all my rituals. It's a period after fights and intense training where I'll eat a lot, not necessarily pay attention, do lots of things, go out, etc. A period where, clearly, I am not going to have the same hygiene as usual. For me, it's a way of counterbalancing and compensating for the rigor that I impose on myself just before and which suits me perfectly. Discipline, I like that. I'm obsessive, I'm crazy, I'm never satisfied, and I always want more. I get a lot of pleasure from the work, from doing the work, and from telling myself that I see my efforts paying off. Otherwise, in my rituals, for example, I drink lemon juice with ginger, cinnamon and hot water every morning. I have less time now, but before I tried to meditate for fifteen minutes every morning to set goals and objectives. And it worked!
do you have a favorite object?
As the years go by, I like to have a serum for my face and hair with me, I don't feel good if I don't have something to put on my face!
what is important in your life?
The human being, the people around me, the love of the people I have.
do you usually wear jewelry? If so, what does it mean to you?
Now I really like wearing jewelry. I think it highlights the body. It's funny, because before wearing jewelry, I didn't pay attention to the wrists, the forearms... I find that it dresses up these parts, which are often bare. It highlights them, it gives character, or on the contrary it softens them. But really, I like it and I find it sexy.
It's funny because at the moment, I'm in a fairly "freestyle" period, where I've broken all my rituals. It's a period after fights and intense training where I'll eat a lot, not necessarily pay attention, do lots of things, go out, etc. A period where, clearly, I am not going to have the same hygiene as usual. For me, it's a way of counterbalancing and compensating for the rigor that I impose on myself just before and which suits me perfectly. Discipline, I like that. I'm obsessive, I'm crazy, I'm never satisfied, and I always want more. I get a lot of pleasure from the work, from doing the work, and from telling myself that I see my efforts paying off. Otherwise, in my rituals, for example, I drink lemon juice with ginger, cinnamon and hot water every morning. I have less time now, but before I tried to meditate for fifteen minutes every morning to set goals and objectives. And it worked!
do you have a favorite object?
As the years go by, I like to have a serum for my face and hair with me, I don't feel good if I don't have something to put on my face!
what is important in your life?
The human being, the people around me, the love of the people I have.
do you usually wear jewelry? If so, what does it mean to you?
Now I really like wearing jewelry. I think it highlights the body. It's funny, because before wearing jewelry, I didn't pay attention to the wrists, the forearms... I find that it dresses up these parts, which are often bare. It highlights them, it gives character, or on the contrary it softens them. But really, I like it and I find it sexy.
“I really like Le Gram jewelry. they are simple and sober. they go with everything. there is one part that I find quite cool, it is the 9g double turn cable. this generous, almost endless cable makes me think of infinity.”
and what do you feel with the le gram creations?
I really like Le Gram jewelry. They are simple and sober. They go with everything. There is one part that I find quite cool, it is the 9g double turn cable. This generous, almost endless cable makes me think of infinity. It is a very fine and quite subtle piece.
what if le gramme was a sporting discipline?
By its name, I would like to put le gramme in a combat sport discipline, because the notion of weight and weighing is very important. Every gram counts. What you need to know is that in boxing, with a few grams, a fight may not take place. So le gramme reminds me a lot of the weighing of a fight, like in judo, wrestling or boxing.
I really like Le Gram jewelry. They are simple and sober. They go with everything. There is one part that I find quite cool, it is the 9g double turn cable. This generous, almost endless cable makes me think of infinity. It is a very fine and quite subtle piece.
what if le gramme was a sporting discipline?
By its name, I would like to put le gramme in a combat sport discipline, because the notion of weight and weighing is very important. Every gram counts. What you need to know is that in boxing, with a few grams, a fight may not take place. So le gramme reminds me a lot of the weighing of a fight, like in judo, wrestling or boxing.
---accumulation---
bracelet_21g_silver-925_polished_smooth_ribbon;bracelet_7g_black-ceramic_smooth_polished_cable;bracelet_33g_silver-925_brushed_smooth_ribbon;bracelet_7g_silver-925_1-line-black-diamonds_polished_smooth_cable
