He possessed the courage of a lion and a strong heart. And, as Jeff Murphy points out in this moving account of his life, Johnny Owen died doing the thing he loved best, trying to achieve his dream of becoming a world champion.
It is more than 25 years — September 19, 1980 — since Owen was battered into a coma by the powerful Lupe Pintor, the world bantamweight champion, in Los Angeles. He fought on for 46 days before submitting to the inevitable final count.
Owen had arrived in Los Angeles for the showdown as the British, European and Commonwealth champion, but also the subject of much ridicule from the international press and ringside pundits, who mocked his frame and did not give him a chance against the vicious Pintor.
Yet the 24-year-old from Merthyr Tydfil proved them wrong, ramming their scepticism back down their throats as he almost beat the mighty Mexican.
Almost, but not quite. Fatigue caught up with him as the fight entered its closing stages, Pintor appearing to find a second wind as the bell for the fateful 12th round was rung.
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The book does not simply reiterate the facts and emotions from that night or Owen’s upbringing in Wales and his development as a boxing legend. It also moves the story forward to the modern day, offering hope and compassion to those others affected by the events of that bout.
Murphy was on hand when Owen’s father, Dick, met Pintor again for the first time in 22 years. He provides a unique insight into that touching moment when the two men shook hands at Pintor’s home in Mexico.
The intervening years had been tough on both men: Dick, who had been his son’s trainer throughout his career, had not been near a ring since his death. Pintor had immersed himself in training young hopefuls in the ring as a way of putting to rest the memories of that haunting night in Los Angeles.
Their reunion would bring both men a welcome closure to that night of destruction: ‘Tears flowed, from both sides . . . Dick forgave Lupe, and absolutely absolved him from all blame of what had happened to his son.’
Truly a stirring tale of courage and, ultimately, redemption — a recommended read
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