Boxing is something very French, the martial art of Savate, which is not to be confused with English boxing. In the 18th century, sailors in the demimonde of Marseille started it, later the upper classes also became interested in it, and today Frédéric Elissalt teaches French boxing in the Paris suburbs. The tradition is therefore about as old as French democracy, and one could perhaps say that both are defended tooth and nail here, in the Paris suburb of Montreuil.