Johnny
Owen was born in January 1956 in Merthyr Tydfil. His hero was Jimmy Wilde
and Johnny joined the local boxing club when he was 10 years old. His career
as an amateur was very distinguished, taking part in 122 contests and losing
only 18. He boxed for Wales 7 times & won on 6 occasions.In September 1980 he travelled to America for the bantamweight championship of the world to fight Lupe Pintor. The contest was fairly evenly matched until the twelfth round when the Mexican, Pintor floored the British champion. No one could have imagined what a terrible tragedy they were witnessing. After a 3 hour operation to remove a blood clot from his brain, Johnny Owen died on 4th November, 1980 in Los Angeles from his injuries and is buried at Pant Cemetery. Johhny Owen's dedication to boxing cost him his life, when this dream fight became a nightmare. You can find more information about Johnny Owen by visiting this website: www.johnnyowen.com
