Until his 90th birthday, he still went regularly to the Red Star Audonien boxing gym, located on Vannes Island in Saint-Ouen.
Guided by his passion, he trained and gave advice to the youngest.
Weakened, his visits had become rarer for several months.
But Gaëtan Micaleff was able to see the room where he trained so many boxers for nearly 50 years, one last time at the end of February.
The legendary coach died at the age of 93, this Friday morning in Saint-Ouen, his city which he never left, marking a rare loyalty to Red Star Audonien (RSOA) despite several offers of International Federations.
"I have just lost my second father, a great man who marked the history of boxing in France at the RSOA, he trained the greatest", underlines, very moved, Éric Tormos who succeeded him in the club of Saint -Wow.
Born in Tunis in 1929, Gaëtan Micaleff arrived in France after the independence of Tunisia in 1956. He never boxed but was already gravitating in the world of boxing in Tunisia where he had met the manager of Spanish origin, Jose Jover.
The latter had asked him to assist him for training at Red Star Audonien.
For nearly 25 years, they will form a very effective duo.
In 1985 when Jover retired, Micaleff succeeded him by donning, in addition to the trainer's tracksuit, the manager's costume, negotiating the fights of his boxers.
Very close to Belmondo
The list of boxers he directed, shaped and accompanied is long: the great Tunisian champion Tahar Ben Hassen with whom he always had a special relationship and whom he brought to France in 1966, the WBO world champion Daniel Londas, European champions Jean Josselin, Daniel Trioulaire, Roland Cazeaux, Lucien Rodriguez, Cyril Thomas, Guillaume Frénois, French champions Fabio Bettini, Stéphane Ferrara, Pierre-Franck Winterstein, Dominique Nato, Stéphane Cazeaux and Pascal Warusfel… He also led the career of the legendary Jo Gonzales, Olympic vice-champion, Jérôme Thomas, double Olympic medalist in 2000 and 2004 or Aldo Cosentino.
Micaleff was also very close to Jean-Paul Belmondo whom he also trained at Saint-Ouen.
The actor had also come to the evening organized in his honor in 2016 in Saint-Ouen.
Other renowned actors like Patrick Dewaere or Gérard Depardieu had also rubbed shoulders with his gloves.
Until the age of 90, Gaëtan Micaleff trained the boxers of Red Star Audonien.
“He was charismatic and reassuring with his very paternalistic side”
"It's a very sad day, a loss for our discipline," sighs Dominique Nato, president of the French Boxing Federation who was his pupil.
“It was he who took me in hand in 1977 when I arrived at Red Star Audonien, continues Nato.
With Jover, they formed a beautiful tandem.
Today, he left to join him… When I was boxing, I would never have wanted anyone other than him in my corner.
Gaëtan was loved by all, unanimously respected.
He counted enormously for several generations of boxers.
Even if he was very fine, he did not hesitate to teach the heavyweights a lesson.
He was charismatic and reassuring with his very paternalistic side.
He prepared both body and mind.
He was reassuring because he never lost his temper.
He was always calm.
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Having become coach of the French amateur team, Nato recognizes that Micaleff was "a model".
“His way of managing fights inspired me when I became a coach myself.
He had flair and a sharp eye.
He was very strong tactically.
Even if he had never boxed himself, one cannot lead to world or European belts, as many boxers, without having great human and sporting qualities.
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