Pugilist princes: Wales' greatest boxers

By Sean Davies

Wales' Top 10 boxers

Other notable Welsh boxers and trainers

It took a long time, but Joe Calzaghe's stellar career eventually won him recognition on the world stage.

He continued a great tradition of Welsh pugilists, following the likes of Howard Winstone, Jimmy Wilde and Jim Driscoll.

So where does Calzaghe stand in this pantheon of fighters?

WALES' TOP 10 BOXERS

606: DEBATE What do you think of my rankings? Sean_D

10: Johnny Owen
The Matchstick Man's story is dominated by its tragic end - the frail-looking Welshman was beaten to death in a Los Angeles ring by Mexico's Lupe Pintor...

Read the full profile of Johnny Owen...

9: Jack Petersen
Petersen was an accomplished heavyweight, but the question will always remain as to whether he could have been world-class at light-heavy, his natural weight...

Read the full profile of Jack Petersen...

8: Colin Jones
The welterweight from Gorseinon was taken into the Eddie Thomas stable and moulded into a fighter worthy of succeeding Howard Winstone and Ken Buchanan...

Read the full profile of Colin Jones...

7: Tommy Farr
Farr met Joe Louis in New York's Yankee Stadium amidst one of the most turbulent political and sporting mixes in ring history...

Read the full profile of Tommy Farr

6: Percy Jones
Jones was Wales' first world champion, a fast and powerful flyweight who earned his title in one of the toughest eras of the sport's history...

Read the full profile of Percy Jones

5: Howard Winstone
Winstone and his trainer Eddie Thomas formed a famous fight partnership whose quest for the world featherweight title captivated the nation...

Read the full profile of Howard Winstone

4: Jim Driscoll
Driscoll's performance against Abe Attell was enough to see him recognised as world champion in Europe, but the no decision rule meant he never officially wore the crown...

Read the full profile of Jim Driscoll

3: Freddie Welsh
Welsh's remarkable, cross-Atlantic career and epic trio of fights with Benny Leonard mark him down as one of the greatest lightweights of all time...

Read the full profile of Freddie Welsh

1=: Jimmy Wilde
Standing at just over five foot and weighing in at 100 pounds, Wilde possessed a phenomenal punch that earned him the moniker 'The Ghost with the Hammer in his Hand'...

Read the full profile of Jimmy Wilde

1=: Joe Calzaghe
Calzaghe mastered the art of boxing in his era and always found a way to win, meaning he deserves to be ranked alongside Wilde at the very pinnacle of Welsh sport...

Read the full profile of Joe Calzaghe

OTHER NOTABLE WELSH BOXERS AND TRAINERS

606: DEBATE Who else should be on this list? Sean_D

Jamie Arthur
Jamie Arthur - Official website
Career record - Boxing Records website

Eddie Avoth
Eddie Avoth - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website

Johnny Basham
Profile - BBC Local
Career record - Boxing Records website

Bill Beynon
Profile - Boxing Biographies website
Career record - Boxing Records website

Enzo Calzaghe
Enzo Calzaghe - BritishBoxing.net website

Nathan Cleverly
Nathan Cleverly - Official website
Career record - Boxing Records website

Jason Cook
Jason Cook - Wikipedia
Jason Cook profile - Welsh Warriors/Johnny Owen website
Career record - Boxing Records website

Brian Curvis
Brian Curvis - Wikipedia
Brian Curvis profile - South Wales Evening Post
Career record - Boxing Records website

Cliff Curvis
Tributes paid to Curvis - BBC Sport
Career record - Boxing Records website

Dai Curvis
Boxing trainer, father of Brian and Cliff

Dai Dollings
Having trained marathon runners and the great Ted 'Kid' Lewis in the UK, Dollings moved to New York where - in the period around 1914 - he worked with a young Ray Arcel, teaching him how to analyse fighters. Dollings was a legend at Grupp's Gym on West 116th Street, the top New York fighting gym before Stillman's emerged.
Ray Arcel and Dai Dollings - Jews in Sports website

Dai Dower
Dai Dower profile - Welsh Warriors/Johnny Owen website
Dai Dower - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website

Llew Edwards
Career record - Boxing Records website

Joe Erskine
Joe Erskine - Wikipedia
The man who beat Chuvalo - BritishBoxing.net website
Career record - Boxing Records website

Scott Gammer
Gammer fails with Williams gamble - BBC Sport article
Career record - Boxing Records website

Dai Gardiner
Gardiner's guide to boxing spirit - BBC Sport Academy
Career record - Boxing Records website

Neil Haddock
Career record - Boxing Records website

Peter Harris
Career record - Boxing Records website

Floyd Havard
Career record - Boxing Records website

Billy Hughes
Boxer's 'hard living' - BBC News

Benny Jacobs
See Wynford Lyn Jones, "Benny's Boys: The Stable of Benny Jacobs" (2007)

Ronnie James
Career record - Boxing Records website

Barry Jones
Career record - Boxing Records website

Gary Lockett
Gary Lockett - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website

Enzo Maccarinelli
Career record - BBC Sport website
Enzo Maccarinelli - BBC Raise Your Game
Career record - Boxing Records website

Neville Meade
Career record - Boxing Records website

Glen Moody
Career record - Boxing Records website

Frank Moody, 'The Pontypridd Puncher'
Frank Moody - BBC Sport profile
Career record - Boxing Records website

Charlie Pearson
Charlie Pearson retires - BBC Sport

David Pearce
David Pearce profile - Welsh Warriors/Johnny Owen website
David Pearce profile - BBC Local, SE Wales
David Pearce - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website

Nicky Piper
Nicky Piper - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website

Dennis Powell
Dennis Powell profile - BBC Local
Career record - Boxing Records website

Bradley Pryce
Bradley Pryce - Official website
Career record - Boxing Records website

Gavin Rees
Career record - Boxing Records website

Robbie Regan
Robbie Regan - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website

Dick Richardson
Dick Richardson profile - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website

Steve Robinson
Steve Robinson profile - Welsh Warriors/Johnny Owen website
Steve Robinson - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website

Francis Rossi
Career record - Boxing Records website

Steve Sims
Career record - Boxing Records website

Kelvin Smart
Career record - Boxing Records website

Neil Swain
Career record - Boxing Records website

Cuthbert Taylor
Career record - Boxing Records website

Daniel Thomas, aka Gipsy Daniels
How Daniels earned his name - Antiquities of the Prize Ring
Career record - Boxing Records website

Eddie Thomas
Eddie Thomas profile - Welsh Warriors/Johnny Owen website
Eddie Thomas archive - BBC Wales On Air
Career record - Boxing Records website

Pat Thomas
Career record - Boxing Records website

Tom Thomas
Thomas Thomas - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website

Gwyn Williams
Career record - Boxing Records website

Johnny Williams
Johnny Williams - Wikipedia
Career record - Boxing Records website
Obituary - The Independent

Lennie 'the Lion' Williams
Career record - Boxing Records website

Mac Williams
See "Wales and its Boxers: The Fighting Tradition", ed. Peter Stead and Gareth Williams (University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 2008)

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