20 times they’ve tried, and only seven have succeeded
Colwyn Bay’s Gerome Warburton heads south tonight in an attempt to win the Welsh middleweight championship.
If the boxer known as “The Breadmaker” beats Aberdare man Morgan Jones in Swansea, Warburton will become just the eighth pro boxer from North Wales to win a national title.
The history books also show boxers from the North have fought for Welsh belts just 20 times in 90 years.
So, whatever the result, Warburton will join a select band of competitors.
We look back at those 20 tales which include bravery, bad luck and heartbreak – and seven which ended with a man from North Wales being crowned king.
August 4, 1930 – JIM CRAWFORD (Pentre Broughton) v Ginger Jones
The first challenge by a northern boxer was Crawford’s rematch against Brynmor ‘Ginger’ Jones at Wrexham Racecourse.
Crawford had pushed the featherweight champ hard in a losing non-title bout six weeks prior and was rewarded with a shot at the belt. He went the distance but lost the decision.
February 6, 1932 – BOB FIELDING (Caergwrle) v Freddy Morgan
The north got its first champion in flyweight Fielding, who was too fit and too young for the Gilfach Goch veteran Morgan, in his second reign, in Merthyr Tydfil.
It was an impressive 15-round points victory that hinted at bigger things, but Fielding suffered an eye injury in his next fight. It handicapped him for the remainder of his career, which was curtailed in 1935 when Fielding had the eye surgically removed.
September 23, 1932 – GEORGE FIELDING (Caergwrle) v Ginger Jones
George bid, in Llanelli just seven months later, to join his brother Bob in the champion ranks. But defending champion Jones was three years into his featherweight reign – including repelling Crawford in 1930 – and made his experience count.
Fielding made a bright start but Jones caught up with him, delivering a frightening overhand right to put the younger man down and out in round six.
June 28, 1965 – CARL GIZZI (Rhyl) v Len Rocky James
It would be 33 long years until another North Walian vied for national honours. Just as well, then, that the region’s most celebrated fighting son was the man to do so.
Heavyweight Gizzi earned his shot by beating James in a non-title affair, and then repeated the feat with the belt on the line, incongruously down in London.
Gizzi had outpointed Pontypridd’s James first time round, and was dominant in the rematch, winning by fifth-round TKO. He was just 21 and this title set him up for a storied career that would include a British title shot and trading leather with the likes of Joe Bugner, Richard Dunn, Jack Bodell and Danny McAlinden.
October 11, 1971 – CARL GIZZI v Dennis Avoth
Gizzi would hold his Welsh title until his final match, when he dropped a 10-round decision and the belt to Avoth in London.
By now, Gizzi was past his peak and on a losing streak, but still pushed Cardiff’s Avoth to a close – and some say controversial – decision.
March 26, 1974 – DAVE DAVIES (Bangor) v Colin Davies
1970 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Davies was the first light-middleweight champion of Wales after beating Aberfan namesake Colin Davies via eighth-round stoppage in Caerphilly.
It followed a decent pro apprenticeship and seemed to set Davies on the path for bigger things, but defeats to future world-level operators Maurice Hope, Angelo Jacopucci and Jimmy Batten broke his momentum.
March 5, 1977 – DAVE DAVIES v Pat Thomas
After his unsuccessful forays into British and European title contention, Davies sought to regroup with a defence of his Welsh championship.
Unfortunately, he came up against razor-sharp Cardiffian Pat Thomas, who cut and dropped Davies en route to an eight-round stoppage defeat in Liverpool. Davies fought on, but never again for a title.
March 4, 1983 – RAY HOOD (Queensferry) v Andy Thomas
After contesting his first 16 bouts in England, Hood made his homecoming a double reason to cheer, as he lifted the Welsh lightweight crown in front of 2,000 fans at the newly opened Deeside Leisure Centre.
In a rematch of his bout with Swansea’s Thomas four months earlier, Hood was an impressive victor, winning all but one of the 10 rounds. Unfortunately, injuries and mental health struggles conspired against Hood from that point on, as he would only win two of his remaining eight contests, and sadly committed suicide in 2004, aged just 41.
February 17, 1984 – ROCKY FELICIELLO (Rhyl) v John McGlynn
One of two fighting brothers, Raffaele rebranded himself ‘Rocky’ to capitalise on the popularity of the movie franchise, as well as his own ‘Italian Stallion’ roots.
A Welsh ABA finalist, he surged to the national light-middleweight championship within 14 months of turning pro. Fighting with ferocity in front of his hometown fans, Feliciello battered Swansea man McGlynn into an eighth-round TKO defeat.
July 19, 1985 – EDDIE LLOYD (Rhyl) v Stanley Jones
Just five months later, Lloyd came agonisingly close to giving Rhyl its second simultaneous champion, as he held undefeated Llandeilo fighter Stanley Jones to a bitterly contested draw for lightweight honours.
Lloyd seemed to be closing in on the win, only for Jones to rally down the 10-round stretch and claim a share of the spoils in Colwyn Bay.
March 14, 1986 – ROCKY FELICIELLO v Geoff Pegler
Feliciello’s win over McGlynn caught the attention of London promoter Terry Lawless, and Rocky embarked on a decent run of eight wins from nine fights. But his momentum then was snapped with two consecutive defeats prior to an attempt to claim Welsh honours again, this time at welterweight.
Though back at home in Rhyl, Feliciello was weaker at the lower weight and was stopped in the seventh by another Swansea rival.
Rocky’s brother Tony turned pro a year later and would build a statistically superior record at 10-1-1, but never contested a title.
April 26, 1990 – JOHN DAVIES (Mancot) v Kelvin Mortimer
Davies was born in Mancot, and while he moved south when he was five, he still spent a lot of time in the Flintshire land of his birth, visiting his mother.
Turning pro at 18, Davies racked up an impressive 10-1-1 slate prior to challenging for the Welsh welterweight title against Trebanog’s Kelvin Mortimer in Merthyr.
It was a rout, with Davies winning in less than five minutes.
This, alongside two excellent wins in South Africa, placed Davies in international class.
A bout with London’s Andy Till would have granted Davies a world ranking had he won – and he almost did, pushing Till to a split decision. Davies still looked an excellent prospect but would only box once more.
January 19, 1993 – EDDIE LLOYD v Barrie Kelley
Lloyd’s second shot at a Welsh belt came eight years and 14 fights later, and a division down, at super-feather.
Lloyd had in the interim mixed with some of the UK’s biggest names between featherweight and lightweight, but this added experience could not be translated into victory when it mattered.
He surged late in the Cardiff fight, but he couldn’t peg back enough of Kelley’s lead, and suffered his only defeat in three title tries.
March 8, 1995 – EDDIE LLOYD v JT Williams
Lloyd’s third and final title tilt was his most bitterly contested.
Defending super-featherweight champion Williams, from Cwmbran, had got under the northerner’s skin and Lloyd poured everything into the challenge in Cardiff.
Convinced he had done more than enough to win, Lloyd was devastated when the outcome was ruled all-even after 10 rounds.
He retired the following year, but while a belt agonisingly eluded him, Lloyd can take pride in once having been British top 10-ranked, and having fought seven boxers who won or fought for world titles.
December 5, 1998 – CRAIG WINTER (Denbigh) v Paul Samuels
Irony saw to it that Winter, despite being one of the most accomplished boxers the North has produced, suffered one of the heavier defeats in Welsh title class.
Winter, a top 10 UK-ranked light-middleweight in his prime, had the misfortune of facing one of the country’s hardest punchers in Paul Samuels when he contested that division’s Welsh belt in Bristol.
The contest started promisingly, as Winter floored his unbeaten opponent in the first round. But the Newport banger paid him back with interest in the second, a left hook putting an end to a brief but brutal affair.
February 23, 1999 – TIM REDMAN (Dolgellau) v Darron Griffiths
Redman was a win-some, lose-some operator, but his stats might have looked a bit better with more favourable matchmaking. Still, having mixed it with the likes of Peter Oboh, Jacklord Jacobs, Lee Swaby (whom he beat) and even heavyweight contender Michael Sprott, Redman was rewarded with a Welsh cruiserweight title shot in Cardiff.
Griffiths, from Rhondda, was gunning for his second national championship and put this extra experience to good use. Redman made a good start but was gradually worn down and then knocked out with a combination in the seventh round.
February 5, 2011 – PAUL ECONOMIDES (Connah’s Quay) v Robbie Turley
Born in Chester and based in Deeside, Economides straddled the border literally and professionally, with two shots each at the Welsh national title and the English Central Area belt (which he won).
The first attempt at Welsh honours took place at super-bantamweight in Newport. Co-challenger Turley, though light-fisted, was the faster of the two and took a 99-92 decision which was perhaps a little harsh on Economides’ effort.
March 3, 2012 – PAUL ECONOMIDES v Dai Davies
Economides’ second shot at Welsh gold, a division up at featherweight, took place in his birthplace of Chester, but “hometown” advantage could not secure the belt.
Davies, despite journeyman stats, comfortably outpointed Economides, with the 99-91 score this time an accurate telling of the story.
Economides would later earn consolation through that English Central Area title win, as well as the fringe WBF International belt.
June 7, 2013 – MARK EVANS (Holyhead) v Chuck Jones
North Wales’s last Welsh champion was also its first for 23 years, but Mark Evans had to go all the way from Blackpool to win the belt.
In Jones, he faced a man who had travelled even further – from Ferndale in Gwent – but at least it meant the fight was contested on neutral territory.
The pair put on a thriller with plenty of ebb and flow before the bloodied islander won by a 98-95 nod.
Evans, unbeaten at the time, unfortunately lost three consecutive bouts the following year and never defended the crown.
March 25, 2017 – MIKE JONES (Wrexham) v Tony Dixon
The most recent northern assault on national glory was unfortunately met with the worst defeat – although that was perhaps not surprising given Jones brought a paltry 2-2 record into the bout against Dixon, of Mountain Ash.
Furthermore, Jones had never boxed beyond four-round class and did not have any amateur achievements to speak of.
The mismatch everyone feared came to pass in Merthyr Tydfil, in front of the S4C cameras, too.
Three knockdowns in 109 seconds secured Dixon the light-middleweight belt. He would go on to add the welterweight version, too, while Jones never fought again.
- This story first appeared in the print edition of the Daily Post, May 28, 2022
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