Johnny Owen

Sculpture of Johnny Owen in Merthyr Tydfil

Johnny ( John Richard ) Owen ( s ) ( born January 7, 1956 in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, † November 4, 1980 in Los Angeles, United States), was a British / Welsh bantamweight boxer. The multiple professional champion of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and Europe is one of the best Welsh boxer of all time. He became famous when he died as a result of his only world championship fight against Lupe Pintor.

Owen was to be extremely skinny, skeleton -like appearance, which was further enhanced by its strongly protruding ears, known, he weighed in at a height of 5 feet 8 inches (about 175 cm) by only 50 kg; because of this appearance, he received the nickname "The Matchstick Man" or " Merthyr Matchstick " or " The Bionic Bantam " ( " matchstick man " or " match from Merthyr "). Since he had no hard punch that was his - very - successful Boxtaktik is to stock the opponent with a barrage of punches.

Career

Owen started very early with the sport of boxing. At the age of eight he began training. As an amateur he won 106 of 124 fights, while he represented Wales 17 times in comparison struggles and international championships, which he won 15 fights. In 1976, he became a professional. His first fight he won on September 30 against George Sutton, in the rematch after half a year he won his first professional title, the Welsh Cup. In November 1977 he became a British professional champion, he wore that title until his death, 3 1/2 years later. His first fight against a boxer who was not from the islands, the experienced Australian Paul Ferreri to the professional championship of the Commonwealth, he won a year later, however, the following battle for championship, against the Spaniard Juan Francisco Rodriguez in Spain he lost very nearly ( 144-145 | 146-146 | 144-145 ) on points and irregular 15 rounds - the EBU had the duration of championships previously set at twelve rounds - the rematch 52 weeks later in Wales Owens won but then confidently on points

Last battle and death

Owen got his first world title fight awarded in late summer 1980. His fight with the WCW champion Lupe Pintor was terminated on 19 September of the year. Grand Olympic Auditorium Pintor was the bookies as a 1:5 favorite. The mood in the hall was heated by the many Mexican fans. Owen was initially held up well. From the ninth round Pintor won the upper hand. In the second minute of the twelfth and final round Pintor could knock him down and he was down for the count to eight, responded to the question of the ring the judge if he could still continue boxing, positive and did not look seriously injured. However, immediately after the restart Owen broke unconscious together after a hard right Pintors.

The removal of a blood clot in the brain Owens in a twelve-hour emergency surgery could not save him, he died on 4 November of the same year, without first having regained consciousness.

Aftereffect

By Owens death was particularly triggered a debate about the dangers of boxing in the United Kingdom that ultimately led there and also in some other states to exacerbated physical examination duties, including imaging studies of the brain, for a professional boxer. In memory of Owens his hometown in 2002 erected a monument. The theater drama " Fighting Words " by Sunil Kuruvilla (1998/99 ) deals with Owens last battle from the perspective of three women close to him, it was listed among others in Toronto, Los Angeles and Boston. The British documentary " The Longest Journey" by the BBC from 2003 shows the Father Owens travel to Mexico to Pintor to meet for the first time, the film talks about the process in a flashback, life Owens.

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