Johnny Owen

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Johnny Owen boxer
Sculpture by Johnny Owen in Merthyr Tydfil

Sculpture by Johnny Owen in Merthyr Tydfil
Data
Birth Name John Richard Owens
Weight class Bantamweight
nationality British
birthday January 7, 1956
place of birth Merthyr Tydfil , Wales
Date of death November 4th 1980
Place of death Los Angeles , United States
Combat Statistics
Struggles 28
Victories 25th
Knockout victories 10
Defeats 1
draw 2

Johnny (John Richard) Owen (s) (born January 7, 1956 in Merthyr Tydfil , Wales - † November 4, 1980 in Los Angeles , United States ) was a Welsh bantamweight boxer . The multiple professional champion from the United Kingdom , the Commonwealth and Europe is considered one of the best Welsh boxers of all time. He gained additional fame by the fact that he died as a result of his only world championship fight against Lupe Pintor .

Johnny Owen was known for his skinny, almost skeletal appearance, which was made worse by his protruding ears. He weighed in at a height of 5 feet 8 inches (175 cm), only 50 kg. He owes his nickname to his appearance: " The Matchstick Man " or "Merthyr Matchstick" or "The Bionic Bantam" ( " matchstick -man" or "match from Merthyr"). Since he didn't have a hard punch, his - very successful - boxing tactic was to hit the opponent with a hail of blows.

Life and career as a boxer

Johnny Owen started boxing very early. He started exercising at the age of eight. As an amateur he won 106 of 124 fights, while he represented Wales 17 times in comparative fights and international championships, of which he was able to win 15 fights.

In 1976 he switched to the professional camp. He won his first fight on September 30, 1976 against George Sutton ; in the rematch after half a year, he won his first professional title, the Welsh championship. In November 1977 he became a British professional champion; he carried this title until his death three years later. His fight for the professional championship of the Commonwealth against the experienced Australian Paul Ferreri , his first opponent who did not come from the British Isles , he won the following year. However, he lost the following fight for the European Championship against the Spaniard Juan Francisco Rodriguez in Spain very narrowly (144-145 | 146-146 | 144-145) on points and irregular 15 rounds. (The European Boxing Union had previously limited the duration of title fights to twelve rounds. Owens won the rematch in Wales 52 weeks later on points.

Last fight and death

Johnny Owen got his first world title fight in late summer 1980. His fight with the WBC champion Lupe Pintor was scheduled for September 19 of that year; it took place in the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Pintor was a 1: 5 favorite with bookmakers. The atmosphere in the hall was very heated by the many Mexican fans. Owen did well at first. From the ninth round, Pintor gained the upper hand. In the second minute of the twelfth and final lap, Pintor was able to knock him down. Owen was counted to eight but when the referee asked if he could continue boxing, he didn’t appear seriously injured. Immediately after the fight resumed, Owen collapsed unconscious after a hard right from Pintor.

Removal of a blood clot in Owen's brain in twelve hours of emergency surgery could not save him. Johnny Owen died on November 4 of that year without regaining consciousness.

Afterlife

Owen's death sparked a debate about the dangers of boxing, particularly in the United Kingdom, which ultimately led to heightened sports medical examination requirements for professional boxers, including brain imaging, there and in several other states.

A memorial was erected in his hometown in 2002 to commemorate Owens.

In the play "Fighting Words" by Sunil Kuruvilla (1998/99) Owen's last fight is thematized from the perspective of three women who are close to him. It has been performed in Toronto, Los Angeles and Boston, among others. In the British documentary "The Longest Journey" from the BBC in 2003, Father Owens 'trip to Mexico to meet Pintor for the first time is shown: In the film, Owens' life is thematized in a flashback.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Owen shortened his surname to the s for his boxing career , since there was already a British boxer named Johnny Owens ; see. Duncan Higgitt: Johnny Owen: Champion of half the word , Western Mail (Cardiff), May 20, 2006.
  2. ↑ The BBC placed him in 2006 at number ten on the list of the best Welsh pugilers .
  3. ^ A b c Marcel Berlins: " Fighting to the last - a hero of the ring. ", The Times of May 20, 2006.
  4. ↑ overview page Owen on johnnyowens.com ( English ).
  5. ↑ Euro bantam title stays in Spain , The Ring Magazine , April 1979.)
  6. ^ Owen takes Euro crown , The Ring magazine, February 1980.
  7. ↑ Christopher Coats' report on Johnny Owen's last fight , The Ring Magazine, 1980.
  8. ↑ Duncan Higgitt: Johnny Owen: Champion of half the word , Western Mail, May 20, 2006.
  9. ^ Sunil Kuruvilla: Fighting Words . Dramatic Publications, Woodstock 2003. ISBN 1-58342-185-8 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Owen, Johnny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Merthyr Matchstick; Owens, John Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION welsh bantamweight boxer
DATE OF BIRTH January 7, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Merthyr Tydfil , Wales
DATE OF DEATH November 4th 1980
Place of death Los Angeles , United States