Johnny Owen - 30 years on...Tribute to a remarkable Man...

"WTF is this ??" Was the biggest observation in 1980 when a kid entered Los Angeles who looked like he'd just escaped from a concentration camp...This Bantamweight looked more like a Straw weight.....Not sure since Garcia v Salka a challenger has been so dismissed by critics and commentators.....After all Pintor had beaten the great Zarate who had defended the title countless times.....He'd also defended the belt a few times himself and was looking at 130 and the fruit there....End up in a great fight with fellow legend Gomez in I think 82..

Pintor was a top 10 P4per and some skinny nobody was not going to beat him...Especially not in the Olympic Auditorian in front of thousands of Mexican fans where getting to the ring unscathed was a battle in itself....The heat was also in play...Like Barry fighting runners in Belfast...You don't run for long in a hundred degree heat and it was going to be hot whatever the weather outside..

But this kid didn't run...Instead of being blown over by the wind of one of Pintor's punches......He pushed the great Mexican back and backed him up for 10 rounds and a figure of fun was set for a great upset no one including the dismissive Commentators could believe...No one backed Pintor up like that....This kid was throwing a 100 punches a round....No one was laughing now..

Only problem was fights were 15 rounds in those days and Owen's pace was more suited to the 12 we have now...and eventually he got caught and his mouth was badly lacerated.....But despite being spent and with a fight ending injury Owen told his Dad who was in the corner he wasn't leaving without the belt....The rest is history....Johnny spent weeks in Hospital before the ventilator was turned off....

But what a credit to the sport and his Country and rightly has a statue in his honour in his hometown.....Pintor always spoke highly of him and became close friends with his Dad who didn't blame him at all for the tragedy....Think Pintor was there for the Statue's unveling.

Wales have produced Burton...Hopkins...Jones...Does Johnny Owen belong up there in that bracket....

Hell yeah......

Everytime i see anything about Owens i gotta tell you all. Go and read

The Big If

it is an amazing, heartbreaking book

Heaven knows what 40 days in Hospital cost the Owen family too...Shouldn't think insurance covered all of it..

Never take your NHS for granted....

Thanks for the heads up over the book Derby.

It's a tragedy where the details are best not known; Owens bravery was ultimately his downfall, he was in effect a ticking time bomb with an unusually thin skull.

His family raised over £120k which covered the medical bills and they donated the rest to charity, he received after costs around £7000 for the fight.

Pintor did indeed attend the unveiling of the starue ,and was moved to tears to be received so warmly by Owen's family and the community.
I read in the terrific "McIlvanney on Boxing" that people looked at Owen and feared for him.. although his vulnerable appearance was misplaced. He was indeed a creatively talented boxer and a beautiful soul.
As long as people remember bravery in the ring they will remember him.Rest in peace Johnny Owen.