Cheikh Ahmeth Niang alias Boy Nar: from the arena to the kitchens of Mantes-la-Jolie

Some wrestlers left their mark on the arena with their exploits before reinventing themselves or retraining after their sporting career. The section “What happened to them?” » tells of their post-career life. Today, the spotlight is on Cheikh Ahmeth Niang, aka Boy Nar, former resident of the Fass stable, who experienced a meteoric rise before his career was slowed down by hardships.

Born in the Medina, Cheikh Ahmeth Niang owes his nickname Boy Nar to his childhood in an environment where Mauritanian traders, commonly called “Nar” (Moor), occupied an important place. His family lived in “Cogne Nar”, at Rue 5 corner 6.

His light complexion and his resemblance to certain members of this community contributed to giving him this nickname. This was well before the events of 1989 between Senegal and Mauritania. At the Charles Baudelaire private school, as in the neighborhood, young people of his generation began to call him that.

A nickname that will never leave him. In 1989, his family left the Medina for the Parcelles sasainies. The young boy, until then very supervised by his mother, who took care of his French and Koranic studies, discovers another universe. He attended school 20 des Parcelles and immersed himself in a neighborhood where sports activities and games took center stage.

It is in this new environment that Boy Nar forges his character. An altercation with Paul, son of the former wrestler Manga 2, will especially change his relationship to combat. After punching Paul following an altercation, he is picked up and then thrown to the ground by the latter, who undoubtedly masters wrestling techniques.

Humiliated, Boy Nar seeks revenge. The matter reaches the ears of Manga 2. “Manga 2 has always pampered her children and never wanted anyone to touch them. This is how he took his child’s side. But I did not give in, I grabbed a stone, ready to face them, which shocked him,” says Boy Nar, his memories still vivid.

The Prince of the Arena

“Afterwards, Manga 2 called on me to speak to me as his child. We thus sealed the peace of the brave,” he continues. But the story doesn’t end there. Having understood that Paul had strong qualities as a wrestler, Boy Nar asked him to teach him how to wrestle from now on. The daily meeting was set every evening. “Paul defeated me during all our duels.

But, each time, I took lessons,” he remembers. In the locality, another name will count in his apprenticeship: Ouza Sow, son of Aly Sow, formerly of the Fass stable. Ouza is popular thanks to his exploits in the “mbapatt”. He mentors several young people from the neighborhood, including his brothers Papa Sow and Tapha Jr, as well as Bazooka, Makhary Thiam, Balla Diouf, Bruce Lee, etc.

“I have always had deep respect for Ouza Sow,” explains Boy Nar. During the 2005-2006 season, Boy Nar joined Fass’s stable, after the insistence of his friends, including the late Makhary Mbengue and Ouza. In training, he stood up to great champions and impressed Moustapha Guèye, the “2nd Tiger of Fass”.

The latter asks promoter Gaston Mbengue to find him a fight. For his debut, during the day between Baye Mandione and Mbaye Diouf, Sunday March 6, 2005, Gaston Mbengue proposed Lamane Sarr du Baol. Boy Nar wins.

Aziz Ndiaye, promoter and supporter of Moustapha Guèye, discovered him and offered him a fight against Dame Niang for a fee of 250,000 FCfa. Boy Nar signs another victory. Gaston Mbengue then offers him Cheikh Fall Faladio. It still imposes itself.

For his fourth outing, he competes in a headline slot against Cheikh Kane, heir to the former wrestler Pape Kane de Thiaroye. The confrontation is difficult. Boy Nar then recalls an experience that he associates with the mystical, explaining that he was ill before the fight and was unable to see his opponent clearly before the fight.

The turning point of his career

“It was during this confrontation that I, for the first time, believed in mystical practices. When the referee blew the whistle, I couldn’t see my opponent. It is ultimately he who leads the fight. He attacks me, hits me before grabbing me. But, thanks to my strong build, he found himself on the ground while I was almost inactive,” he reveals.

The young wrestler gradually became one of the public’s favorites. The promoter Petit Mbaye of Action 2000 chose him to fight in the curtain raiser of Tyson-Yékini, on January 1, 2006 at the Léopold Sédar Senghor stadium. He faces Jean-Pierre Soughère, a heavyweight known to be difficult to maneuver.

Boy Nar manages the fight, injures his opponent in the nose and wins by medical decision. Boy Nar experienced his first significant defeat against Auguste de Mbour, then African champion, who beat him in Mbour, on Saturday January 27, 2007. He had the opportunity to cross swords with Simel Faye, a poster sealed by Manga 2.

Boy Nar indicates that he prepared only to knock him out, while his opponent was presented by some as particularly very mystical. A preparation which bore fruit, since he effectively knocked out the former member of the Sérère stable, on Sunday April 27, 2008. Promoter Serigne Modou Niang then offered him a fight against Cobra de Pikine, who also called for Bombardier.

The idea is simple: the winner was to become the next opponent of Mbour B52. Boy Nar accepts and defeats Cobra by a four-stand fall. But Bombardier will ultimately not be there. In his place, Serigne Modou Niang offers him Elton.

The confrontation ended without a clear fall and Elton, nicknamed the “Guédiawaye Bulldozer”, was declared the winner after warnings. In his progress towards the summits, Boy Nar won a fight against Kadd-Gui, winner of Gris Bordeaux, and created a surprise by winning the duel on Saturday July 26, 2008.

Also read: From wrestler to Mma fighter, then to Fort Boyard

Always eager to meet Bombardier, he finally saw Bazooka offered to him, then nicknamed “Bombardier 2”. “I took it in two weeks, I had prepared myself, rested well, but I was sure of my victory,” he says. He said he stayed in Ngor for several weeks with friends and mainly trained in swimming. He ultimately wins the fight.

Then, he agrees to compete against Pakala, another African champion. But an injury will slow down his momentum. Previously the victim of a motorcycle accident, he found himself physically weakened and did not follow training normally.

France and reconversion

He finally lost to Pakala on Saturday December 18, 2010, a fall which he partly attributed to the consequences of his injury. In 2013, a new project presented itself with the Spanish champion, Juan, nicknamed the “White Lion” of the arena. After several adventures, the fight ultimately did not take place.

In 2018, he took a flight to France, officially “for a change of scenery and to come back”. He will ultimately not return to Senegal. Upon his arrival, he began by “selling shoes, fabrics and various articles”. But he still has another talent: cooking. A Senegalese family from Mantes-la-Jolie asked him one day to “prepare dishes for the birthday of one of their children”.

He accepts for a fee. This experience opened a new path for him. Boy Nar decides to get into the gambling business. Little by little, he built up a clientele. Clients come from different backgrounds and his activity allows him to earn a living.

In Mantes-la-Jolie, his daily life is now punctuated by work and catering. The fight is now a thing of the past. He meets a woman with whom he marries. After misunderstandings, however, the couple ended up separating “amicably”.

Boy Nar will have lived several lives. He has challenged champions, tasted successes and endured setbacks. Since 2018, it is in France that he has written a new chapter in his story. Far from the cries of the arena, he chose the embers of the ditch to continue his path, with a new life to build.

By Abdoulaye DEMBÉLÉ