Johnny Owen
Encyclopedia
Johnny Owen was a professional boxer
from Wales
. His fragile appearance earned him many epithets, including ‘the Bionic Bantam’ and ‘the Merthyr Matchstick’. During his brief career, he held the Bantamweight
Championships of Great Britain
and Europe and became the first ever Welsh holder of the Bantamweight Championship of the Commonwealth
. He challenged champion Lupe Pintor
for his version of the World Bantamweight title in September 1980, losing a torturously difficult contest by way of twelfth round knockout
. Owen never regained consciousness, fell into a coma
and died seven weeks later. A statue commemorating his life and career was unveiled in Merthyr Tydfil
in 2002.
parents Dick and Edith Owens in Merthyr Tydfil
on 7 January, 1956. He began to box at the age of eight and enjoyed a lengthy amateur boxing
career taking in some one hundred and twenty six fights. Highlights of his amateur exploits were the winning of several Welsh titles.
Owen was a quiet, reserved, friendly character outside the ring. Inside the ring Owen was a formidable opponent with determination and strength in contrast to his frail looking body and possessed an impressive stamina built by long hours running up the steep hills of the South Wales Valleys
.
He finally turned professional in 1976, winning his debut match with a points victory over fellow Welshman George Sutton, in Pontypool
, on 30 September; at the time, Sutton was ranked number three contender for the British title. In 1978 Johnny Owen was defeated by welshman Adam Jenkins, He never regained the Welsh Title.
Championship of Wales after just six contests and knocking out Paddy Maguire
to claim the British title after only ten. Guided by manager and trainer Dai Gardiner, Owen steadily grew to dominate the domestic bantamweight scene and by the end of 1978 felt ready to take on his first, big, international test.
His encounter with Paul Ferreri to contest the vacant Bantamweight Championship of the Commonwealth, delivered one of the finest performances of Owen’s entire career. Ferrari, Italian
born and resident in Australia
, had held the title before and was widely expected to be a difficult, if not insurmountable obstacle to the comparatively inexperienced Owen. Ferreri’s shots were clean and hard and both men boxed well in a fight that went the full distance of fifteen rounds. Towards the end, the Australian began to wilt, his punches seeming to have little effect on Owen as he continued to pressure Ferrari. The judges saw the contest Owen's way and he was proclaimed Wales' first Bantamweight Champion of the Commonwealth.
Owen's victory allowed him to challenge for the division’s European title, held by Juan Francisco Rodriguez
of Spain
. It was Owen's eighteenth contest and his first overseas and was seen as a controversial match. The fight took place in the champion’s home-town in Almeria
amid a series of allegations of foul play by the challenger’s camp. Rodriguez was said to have exceeded the weight limit and his camp to have engaged in gamesmanship
designed, amongst other things, to disrupt Owen's sleep. During the contest itself, the champion was stated to have elbowed and butted Owen throughout the contest, whilst his seconds were believed to have smeared his gloves with an agent for the purpose of obscuring his opponent's vision. Owen, who had appeared to dominate the contest, was to be the victim of a hometown decision and the Spanish boxing authorities withheld his purse; apparently an act of spite inspired by an incident that took place in England
, some months before.
Until the meeting with Lupe Pintor
, this was Owen’s sole professional defeat and was avenged a little less than twelve months later. With the European Championship once more at stake, Rodriguez journeyed to Ebbw Vale
and acquitted himself bravely. Four months later and Owen successfully defended his British Championship for the third and final time, winning a Lonsdale Belt
outright in the process. His next outing would be to Los Angeles
and an encounter with the reigning World Champion.
slugger, Lupe Pintor had edged a controversial split decision over stable mate and long-time champion Carlos Zarate to lay claim to his WBC
World Bantamweight title. Zarate retired in disgust, but Pintor proved to be a worthy successor and few rated Owen’s chances when they came together at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
, Los Angeles on 19 September, 1980.
Despite the difference in the fighters' frames, Owen held his own against the assertive champion. When the bell rang to signal the end of the eighth round, most observers had the Welshman ahead, but he was tiring fast and, in the ninth, suffered the first knockdown of his professional career. The momentum of the whole fight moved in the champion’s direction and from the tenth round Pintor was in the ascendency. Misfortune came with twenty five seconds of the twelfth round still to go. A final right sent Owen to the canvas and Pintor had retained his title. Following the knockout, Owen lay flat on his back for five minutes and he was then taken out. The promoters’ insurance paid about $94,000 in medical costs, but did not pay any death benefits to survivors.
Owen, whom it transpired had an unusually delicate skull, never regained consciousness and, despite extensive surgery, fell into a coma. He was pronounced dead on 4 November, 1980, aged twenty-four.
Owen’s family, far from blaming the World Champion, telegraphed him shortly after their loss and encouraged him to go on fighting. Twenty years later, a memorial to Johnny Owen was unveiled in Merthyr Tydfil. At the request of the late fighter's father, the unveiling was performed by Lupe Pintor, the statue was sculpted by James Done.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. His fragile appearance earned him many epithets, including ‘the Bionic Bantam’ and ‘the Merthyr Matchstick’. During his brief career, he held the Bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
Championships of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Europe and became the first ever Welsh holder of the Bantamweight Championship of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. He challenged champion Lupe Pintor
Lupe Pintor
Jose Guadalupe Pintor Guzman , better known as Lupe Pintor, is a former world boxing champion from Cuajimalpa, Mexico. Nicknamed El Indio De Cuajimalpa or The Indian From Cuajimalpa, he started boxing professionally in 1974...
for his version of the World Bantamweight title in September 1980, losing a torturously difficult contest by way of twelfth round knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
. Owen never regained consciousness, fell into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
and died seven weeks later. A statue commemorating his life and career was unveiled in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
in 2002.
Early life and career
Johnny Owen was born John Richard Owens, the fourth of a family of eight children to working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
parents Dick and Edith Owens in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
on 7 January, 1956. He began to box at the age of eight and enjoyed a lengthy amateur boxing
Amateur boxing
Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...
career taking in some one hundred and twenty six fights. Highlights of his amateur exploits were the winning of several Welsh titles.
Owen was a quiet, reserved, friendly character outside the ring. Inside the ring Owen was a formidable opponent with determination and strength in contrast to his frail looking body and possessed an impressive stamina built by long hours running up the steep hills of the South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
.
He finally turned professional in 1976, winning his debut match with a points victory over fellow Welshman George Sutton, in Pontypool
Pontypool
Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....
, on 30 September; at the time, Sutton was ranked number three contender for the British title. In 1978 Johnny Owen was defeated by welshman Adam Jenkins, He never regained the Welsh Title.
Professional career
Owen enjoyed an auspicious start to his professional career, lifting the BantamweightBantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
Championship of Wales after just six contests and knocking out Paddy Maguire
Paddy Maguire (boxer)
Paddy Maguire is a former bantamweight boxer. He was a Commonwealth Games silver medal winner and one-time holder of the BBBC bantamweight title.-Amateur career:...
to claim the British title after only ten. Guided by manager and trainer Dai Gardiner, Owen steadily grew to dominate the domestic bantamweight scene and by the end of 1978 felt ready to take on his first, big, international test.
His encounter with Paul Ferreri to contest the vacant Bantamweight Championship of the Commonwealth, delivered one of the finest performances of Owen’s entire career. Ferrari, Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
born and resident in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, had held the title before and was widely expected to be a difficult, if not insurmountable obstacle to the comparatively inexperienced Owen. Ferreri’s shots were clean and hard and both men boxed well in a fight that went the full distance of fifteen rounds. Towards the end, the Australian began to wilt, his punches seeming to have little effect on Owen as he continued to pressure Ferrari. The judges saw the contest Owen's way and he was proclaimed Wales' first Bantamweight Champion of the Commonwealth.
Owen's victory allowed him to challenge for the division’s European title, held by Juan Francisco Rodriguez
Juan Francisco Rodríguez
Juan Francisco Rodríguez Márquez is a retired boxer from Spain, who twice represented his native country during the 1970s at the Summer Olympics. He reached the quarterfinals in 1972...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It was Owen's eighteenth contest and his first overseas and was seen as a controversial match. The fight took place in the champion’s home-town in Almeria
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
amid a series of allegations of foul play by the challenger’s camp. Rodriguez was said to have exceeded the weight limit and his camp to have engaged in gamesmanship
Gamesmanship
Gamesmanship is the use of dubious methods to win a game. It has been described as "Pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught, using whatever dubious methods possible to achieve the desired end"...
designed, amongst other things, to disrupt Owen's sleep. During the contest itself, the champion was stated to have elbowed and butted Owen throughout the contest, whilst his seconds were believed to have smeared his gloves with an agent for the purpose of obscuring his opponent's vision. Owen, who had appeared to dominate the contest, was to be the victim of a hometown decision and the Spanish boxing authorities withheld his purse; apparently an act of spite inspired by an incident that took place in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, some months before.
Until the meeting with Lupe Pintor
Lupe Pintor
Jose Guadalupe Pintor Guzman , better known as Lupe Pintor, is a former world boxing champion from Cuajimalpa, Mexico. Nicknamed El Indio De Cuajimalpa or The Indian From Cuajimalpa, he started boxing professionally in 1974...
, this was Owen’s sole professional defeat and was avenged a little less than twelve months later. With the European Championship once more at stake, Rodriguez journeyed to Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
and acquitted himself bravely. Four months later and Owen successfully defended his British Championship for the third and final time, winning a Lonsdale Belt
Lonsdale belt
The Lonsdale Belt was a boxing prize introduced by Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, to be awarded to British boxing champions. It is still awarded to British champions today.-National Sporting Club:...
outright in the process. His next outing would be to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and an encounter with the reigning World Champion.
Final bout and death
A MexicanMexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
slugger, Lupe Pintor had edged a controversial split decision over stable mate and long-time champion Carlos Zarate to lay claim to his WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
World Bantamweight title. Zarate retired in disgust, but Pintor proved to be a worthy successor and few rated Owen’s chances when they came together at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
Grand Olympic Auditorium
The Grand Olympic Auditorium is the former name of a sports venue in Los Angeles, California, United States. Located at 1801 S. Grand Avenue, the venue was built in 1924 specifically for the 1932 Summer Olympics, which saw the boxing, weightlifting, and wrestling events held there. At the time it...
, Los Angeles on 19 September, 1980.
Despite the difference in the fighters' frames, Owen held his own against the assertive champion. When the bell rang to signal the end of the eighth round, most observers had the Welshman ahead, but he was tiring fast and, in the ninth, suffered the first knockdown of his professional career. The momentum of the whole fight moved in the champion’s direction and from the tenth round Pintor was in the ascendency. Misfortune came with twenty five seconds of the twelfth round still to go. A final right sent Owen to the canvas and Pintor had retained his title. Following the knockout, Owen lay flat on his back for five minutes and he was then taken out. The promoters’ insurance paid about $94,000 in medical costs, but did not pay any death benefits to survivors.
Owen, whom it transpired had an unusually delicate skull, never regained consciousness and, despite extensive surgery, fell into a coma. He was pronounced dead on 4 November, 1980, aged twenty-four.
Owen’s family, far from blaming the World Champion, telegraphed him shortly after their loss and encouraged him to go on fighting. Twenty years later, a memorial to Johnny Owen was unveiled in Merthyr Tydfil. At the request of the late fighter's father, the unveiling was performed by Lupe Pintor, the statue was sculpted by James Done.
Sources
- Boxing: The Champions (Ken Jones & Chris Smith, The Crowood Press, 1990), pages 180-3.
- Welsh Warriors. A complete online source
- Johnny Owen: Champion of Half the World by Duncan Higgitt of the Western Mail
- This extract from The Big If, by Rick Broadbent, details the atmosphere before the Pintor fight:.
- For more on Owen's statue in Merthyr Tydfil