Can some of the more venerable Brits (or anyone else) tell me more about the Merthyr Matchstick. I remember his bout with Pintor -- can't recall if it was shown live or in a replay in the aftermath of the tragedy, but I loved the way he fought in that bout and the courage the tall, skinny bantam showed.
he fought a mate of mines brother, terry hanna. Fought 3 irishmen in fact, Hanna, Paddy Maguire and Davie Larmour, with the latter 2 being british champs
There isn't a whole lot of footage from his fights,unfortunately.I've only seen extended highlights of his fights with Paul Ferreri and Wayne Evans outside of the one with Pintor. Those fights highlight Owen's tenacity and determination as well as the Pintor fight did.No defense and little power to speak of,just an incredibly determined fighter that's always pressing,always looking to initiate the attack and prepared to take whatever punishment in necessary to do so.
I only recently read a book on him. The Big If. Its an excellent book and i'd thoroughly recommend it if you havent already read it [ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-If-Life-Death-Johnny/dp/0330443348/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311853313&sr=8-1[/ame]
Lots of heart and never ever ending supply of stamina. He took the fight right too Pintor for 12 rounds.
Owen took alot of punishment in those last three rounds but never stopped pressing forward and throwing punches.The last knockdown makes for uncomfortable viewing.
"The Big If" by Rick Broadbent is one of the best boxing books I've ever read. Superb. A clean copy of the pintor-owen fight is hard to come by. They didn't end up showing the fight in the Uk as it was going to be on delay until the BBC execs pulled it on account of the result.
