PARIS – Hassan N’Dam, former middleweight boxing champion of the world, wanted to repay the French hospital that cared for his father-in-law through his bout with COVID-19.
Perhaps with Champagne? Or chocolate? No, N’Dam thought: “These are things that won’t last. I wanted to leave something quite memorable.” It occurred to him that he held the answer in his own hands — or rather, in his fists.
He would give the staff at Villeneuve-Saint-Georges hospital boxing lessons, to help them relieve the tension of long shift work during the pandemic — “letting off steam, getting rid of all one’s emotions.” “They have seen so many (difficult) things that they came here looking for something,” said N’Dam, who wore a sky blue face mask as he spoke at