The origins
Erick Romeas is passionate about combat sports, and began practising judo as a child alongside his father Roger, a qualified teacher, and his 6-year-old brother.
Erick ROMEAS with his father Roger and brother Maurice
Discover
A few years later
At the age of 18, Erick turned to karate, a more hard-hitting sport for his taste, and obtained his black belt. However, due to a lack of contact (at the time), he wanted to toughen up his fighting even more and switched to full contact, a fist-and-foot boxing discipline brought over from the USA by the Frenchman Dominique VALERA.
Teaching
In 1982, Erick was competing in the French Championships, but when he suffered a retinal detachment injury, he had to give up competition and naturally turned to teaching. He set up his own club, the ‘FULL CONTACT ACADEMY’, as instructor and president, on the premises of the Sporting Club de la Sécurité Sociale in Marseille, where he shares the tatamis with his judoka father.
Erick ROMEAS and his son with Marvin ‘Marvelous’ HAGLER
Erick ROMEAS with his wife Marie France
A few years later, with a BPJEPS in his pocket, he taught full contact and kick boxing for several decades in the same club, training several French, European and world champions with whom he travelled all over the world. Today, with the help of his instructors, he teaches at the Espace Michelet, 18 rue du Dc Aquaviva, 13004.
Organization / Promotion
In 1977, he helped promote a ‘European Championship’ in Marseille’s Salle Vallier, pitting Frenchman Dominique Valéra against Norway’s Skog. Even if the sporting result wasn’t there, the popular and media success was, with a packed house and a broadcast on France2. From then on, Erick developed a taste for promoting fist-fighting sports. Completely self-taught, and with the fervent support of his wife MARIE FRANCE, who was just as passionate, Erick developed full contact, kick boxing and Thai boxing in France, notably at the Palais des Sports in Marseille, where some of the best fighters in the world competed in some of the most memorable bouts.
Erick surrounded by ROUFUS and HOOST
Anthony – Marie France – Marina – Erick
He will not stop until today (2024) with the help of his children, Marina and Anthony, who ‘fell into it’ when they were very young and who now manage the sports programme. Everyone will be on deck on 16 November to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the famous Night of Champions, which Erick designed and organised.
