103 Facts About Johnny Owen

Johnny Owen began boxing at the age of eight and undertook a long amateur career, competing in more than 120 fights and representing Wales in competitions.

Johnny Owen turned professional in September 1976 at the age of 20, winning his debut bout against George Sutton.

Johnny Owen challenged for the British bantamweight title in his tenth professional fight in 1977.

Johnny Owen defeated champion Paddy Maguire in the eleventh round to win the title, becoming the first Welshman in more than 60 years to hold the belt.

Johnny Owen recorded five further victories, including a defence of his British title against Wayne Evans, before meeting Paul Ferreri for the Commonwealth bantamweight title.

Johnny Owen defeated the experienced Australian on points to claim the Commonwealth title and challenged Juan Francisco Rodriguez for the European title four months later.

Johnny Owen went on to win seven consecutive bouts within a year to rechallenge Rodriguez in February 1980.

Johnny Owen avenged his earlier defeat by beating Rodriguez on points to win the European title.

Johnny Owen left the ring on a stretcher and never regained consciousness.

Johnny Owen fell into a coma and died seven weeks later in a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 24.

Johnny Owen possessed a professional career record of 25 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats.

Johnny Owen remains revered in the South Wales Valleys where he was raised, particularly in his hometown of Merthyr Tydfil where a statue commemorating his life and career was unveiled in 2002.

Johnny Owen had four brothers, Phillip, Vivian, Kelvin and Dilwyn, and three sisters, Marilyn, Susan and Shereen.

Johnny Owen's paternal grandmother worked in the local mines while his grandfather Will worked in an ironworks and was an amateur boxer.

Johnny Owen's mother was born in Merthyr Tydfil, although her family hailed from Lydney in Gloucestershire, where her father had worked as a farmer.

Johnny Owen's parents settled in a rented council house in Heol Bryn Selu on Gellideg housing estate in Merthyr.

Johnny Owen's wife had suffered complications during the birth of the couple's seventh child and her health deteriorated so much that she was hospitalised for an extended period.

Johnny Owen began to box at the age of eight, idolising fellow Merthyr-born boxer Jimmy Wilde.

Martyn Galleozzie, who trained alongside Johnny Owen, noted how Johnny Owen struggled to achieve the weight increase each year and was fed cakes and biscuits on the journey to try and make weight.

Johnny Owen joined Hoover Amateur Boxing Club soon after, where he trained with Idris Sutton and modelled his fighting style on Eddie Thomas.

Johnny Owen was a quiet, reserved, friendly character outside the ring and often needed to be coaxed into fighting full force.

Johnny Owen attended Georgetown Secondary Modern School until the age of 16 when he left to take up a role as a machine operator in a local Suko nuts and bolts manufacturing factory.

In November 1973, Johnny Owen was invited to fight Welsh amateur champion Bryn Griffiths after his opponent had fallen ill and pulled out of a bout.

Johnny Owen's father was becoming an increasing influence on his son's training especially when the two trainers at Johnny Owen's gym began suffering ill-health.

Johnny Owen represented Wales at amateur level several times; his performance in a 1974 tournament between Wales and Scotland drew praise in the local press.

Johnny Owen became well known for his seemingly small, thin frame as he grew older; he was chosen to represent Wales in a contest against Sweden in February 1975 and was greeted with jeers and laughter when he removed his robe.

The nickname "Matchstick Man" was coined at the event as Johnny Owen comfortably stopped his opponent in the second round.

Johnny Owen's physique attracted further attention in November 1975; while representing Wales against an army team, a doctor initially refused to pass him fit to fight believing him to be too frail to box.

Johnny Owen enjoyed a lengthy amateur boxing career, taking in some 124 fights.

Johnny Owen won 106 bouts in his amateur career, losing the remaining 18.

Johnny Owen represented Wales at amateur level 19 times, suffering defeat on only two occasions.

The decision to turn professional prompted a change of name; Johnny Owen had been fighting under his given name as an amateur but was advised by his new management that a ring name would benefit his career.

Nonetheless, Johnny Owen was driven to turn professional by a desire to support his family and escape his relatively poor upbringing.

Johnny Owen wanted to buy them a house but, really,.

The decision to fight an already established opponent proved astute as victory immediately saw Johnny Owen's standing rise in the boxing community.

Johnny Owen's second fight was against Northern Irishman Neil McLaughlin in his opponent's home nation during the height of The Troubles.

Johnny Owen finished his first year as a professional by comfortably defeating Englishman Ian Murray in Tonypandy.

Johnny Owen knocked Murray down twice before the referee stopped the fight in the seventh round.

At the start of the following year, Johnny Owen met McLaughlin in a rematch in West Bromwich.

Unable to challenge for the title, Johnny Owen's promoters found themselves in need of an opponent and could only secure another rematch with McLaughlin.

Johnny Owen was spurred on by these irritations and knocked Kellie down twice in quick succession before the referee stopped the fight in the sixth round.

Johnny Owen was able to recover and won the fight on points.

However, when the official challenger Wayne Evans declined the opportunity to fight Maguire, stating that he needed more experience, Johnny Owen stepped in and the fight was scheduled for November 1977 at the National Sporting Club in London.

Johnny Owen edged the early rounds of the fight as his longer reach caused Maguire problems and the champion was warned on more than one occasion for use of the head and low blows.

Already ahead on points, Johnny Owen dominated the eighth round and nearly knocked down Maguire.

The champion rallied in the ninth round but the referee stopped the fight in the eleventh after Johnny Owen had opened a large cut above Maguire's eye.

In only his tenth professional bout, Johnny Owen was crowned the British bantamweight champion at the age of 21, becoming the first Welsh fighter to hold the title since Bill Beynon in 1913.

Johnny Owen was awarded the belt by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, while Maguire subsequently announced his retirement from boxing.

Johnny Owen's victory brought him a new found level of fame to which the young fighter was unaccustomed.

Johnny Owen was named Welsh Boxer of the Year for 1977 and finished fourth in voting for the 1977 BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year.

Johnny Owen returned to the ring in January 1978 in a non-title fight against Scottish boxer Alan Oag, defeating his opponent in the eighth round.

Johnny Owen's team had neglected to research their opponent ahead of the bout and the initial surprise caught Johnny Owen off-guard.

Johnny Owen was the stronger of the pair in the opening four rounds and Evans was hampered by a knuckle injury that had plagued his career.

In June 1978 Johnny Owen fought twice, defeating Dave Smith on points at the National Sporting Club before stopping Davy Larmour in the seventh round of a fight at the Double Diamond Club in Caerphilly two weeks later.

Johnny Owen rejected the offer over the distance and fears that partisan Australian judges could make the fight unwinnable.

Johnny Owen instead met Englishman Wally Angliss, stopping him in the third round after Angliss had suffered a deep cut above his left eye.

Johnny Owen was named BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year for 1978, becoming the first boxer to win the award since Winstone more than a decade earlier.

Johnny Owen's victory led him to challenge for the division's European title, held by Juan Francisco Rodriguez of Spain.

Johnny Owen was promised the use of the same training facilities as the champion in the afternoons, once Rodriguez had finished his sessions.

At the weigh-in, Johnny Owen was marginally overweight, prompting a last minute training session involving running up and down the hotel stairs until he hit the 118 pounds limit.

Johnny Owen decided to go ahead with the bout, eager not to return to Britain empty-handed.

Gardiner held concerns over local judges heading into the fight and predicted that, in order to win, Johnny Owen would have to stop his opponent.

When Johnny Owen returned to his corner, his father was infuriated after smelling wintergreen oil on Johnny Owen.

Rodriguez used several underhand manoeuvres against Johnny Owen, including illegal use of the head and elbows and attempted to screw his thumb into Johnny Owen's eye, eventually receiving an official warning from the referee in the twelfth round after being reprimanded on several occasions.

At the start of the tenth round, Johnny Owen returned to the middle of the ring but was forced to wait as Rodriguez took several extra minutes to leave his corner before standing to taunt his opponent in front of the home crowd.

Johnny Owen made his first defence of his Commonwealth title and his third of his British title in June 1979 against Dave Smith, an opponent he had beaten the previous year, at the Double Diamond Club in Caerphilly.

Johnny Owen was eager to impress in the fight as victory would see him achieve a lifelong ambition of retaining a Lonsdale Belt, which became the permanent property of a fighter once they had completed three successful defences.

Johnny Owen's camp knew nothing of the new opponent but went along with the change to provide Johnny Owen with much needed competition.

Johnny Owen ended 1979 with one further victory over American David Vasquez, a fighter who had unsuccessfully challenged world champion Lupe Pintor a year earlier and had been in line to meet Wilfredo Gomez.

Two weeks later Johnny Owen fought fellow Welshman Glyn Davies at the National Sporting Club.

Johnny Owen did cause damage to his opponent after trapping him on the ropes during the sixth.

However, Johnny Owen's next fight was confirmed as a British and Commonwealth title defence against Englishman John Feeney at Empire Pool in London.

Johnny Owen stated that, should he win the fight, his plan was to defend the belt three times before retiring to Merthyr.

Johnny Owen arrived in Los Angeles a week before the fight to acclimatise to the humidity.

Johnny Owen found the press intrusion from the Mexican reporters difficult to deal with; he was hounded everywhere during the day and his motel room phone rang so often that Dai Gardiner requested the motel block any incoming calls.

Johnny Owen's pressure was rewarded in the third and fourth rounds, both of which he won on most observers' scorecards, although Pintor responded with some strong right hands.

Pintor began to realise that Johnny Owen was a considerable threat, perhaps more than he had anticipated, and responded in the fourth by landing a strong shot to Johnny Owen, although the Welshman quickly shook it off.

The ringside doctor and the referee inspected the cut but deemed Johnny Owen was fit to continue.

Johnny Owen got to his feet quickly and assured the referee that he was fine but the momentum of the fight moved in the champion's direction and from the tenth round Pintor was in the ascendency.

An exhausted Johnny Owen battled on through the eleventh round and referee Marty Denkin approached Johnny Owen's corner to end the fight but was told he was fine to continue.

Johnny Owen returned for the twelfth and was knocked down a second time but again got to his feet.

The referee immediately called an end to the fight rather than count Johnny Owen out, stating he had seen Johnny Owen's pupils go up into his head, indicating he was unconscious before he fell to the floor.

Johnny Owen suffered convulsions in the ring as doctors treated him and blood poured from his mouth.

Ken Bryant, a member of Johnny Owen's team, had his wallet pickpocketed from his coat as he attended to the stricken fighter.

Johnny Owen was loaded onto a stretcher and carried out of the arena before being taken to California Hospital Medical Center.

Johnny Owen was taken into surgery, where doctors removed a blood clot from his brain after a three-hour operation.

The hospital where Johnny Owen was treated received more than 100 calls and telegrams from well-wishers within the first 24 hours after the fight.

Johnny Owen's mother arrived in the United States a day later.

The neurosurgeon in charge of Johnny Owen revealed how they had discovered that Johnny Owen possessed both an unusually delicate skull and a strong jaw.

Johnny Owen underwent a second operation soon after to relieve pressure on his brain but soon contracted pneumonia.

Johnny Owen's body was returned to Wales where he was held in Merthyr Parish Church.

Pintor was devastated by the death of Johnny Owen and contemplated retiring from boxing.

The WBC claimed that Johnny Owen had been insured for $50,000, but this later proved to be false as the payments were capped at $25,000 that would first be put towards medical expenses.

The cost of Johnny Owen's treatment was $94,000, more than three times the insurance payout.

Johnny Owen was renowned for his dedication to boxing, training relentlessly and often doing more work than his trainers asked of him.

Johnny Owen's dedication was such that he never drank alcohol and it is widely believed that he abstained from romantic relationships.

Johnny Owen's training involved running considerable distances, between 9 and 12 miles on normal days, contributing to his thin physique.

Johnny Owen could fight for hours, and would wear opponents down by outlasting them.

Johnny Owen's punching power was often debated, with some doubting that he possessed the power required to become a world champion.

Johnny Owen's family attended the ceremony during which the statue was unveiled by Pintor, who travelled from his home country to attend.

Historian Martin Johnes has argued that Johnny Owen was an "emblematic figure who represented both the ideals of Welsh working-class communities and their suffering and courage in the face of adversity and tragedy".

Johnes' research demonstrates how Johnny Owen's story was told and retold, with its meaning and relevance shifting in the postindustrial environment of Merthyr and South Wales.

Johnny Owen noted that Owen's funeral resembled those of the victims of coal mining pit disasters which had frequented the area while the Western Mail described him as "the latest hero of a town scarred by bitter memories".