![]() ![]() There was a real sense of pride and loyalty in Wales. The boxer is the moth, the fight is the light, and the people get drawn to it. "Boxing does this, it's like a moth to a light. These boxers changed Welsh communities, made people who were desperate to see success so proud of their fighter from their own backyard. Young, old, male, female, it became an us-against-the-world mentality. "They then tapped into the incredible passion of the Welsh fans. Talent needs opportunity and it was our job to provide that.īarry Hearn helped kickstart everything (Image: Getty Images) What they also shared was a special boxing ability - but they needed the chance for it to come out. "These Welsh guys started off tough, not a lot of money around, needed to put food on the table. I've yet to meet a successful middle-class fighter. This would be the same with Liverpool, Newcastle, parts of London and most certainly south Wales. Docklands areas, mining areas in the Valleys. "These were naturally hard men, often from poor areas, brought up the hard way. "I looked around for a number of years for a natural breeding ground, realised no world champion had come out of Wales for decades, but I knew the talent must be there," says Hearn today. Local promoter Kevin Hayde got the ball rolling, teaming up with Robinson's trainer David Gardiner with the slogan of 'Promoting the Future of Welsh Boxing' and bringing Hearn on board. We speak to the men right at the centre of the drama. The great and the good certainly flocked to Cardiff during that golden period as some truly astonishing stories unfolded. The flurry of activity prompted World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman to say: "Rugby might be regarded as the number one sport in Wales, but so many quality champions have been produced there it has to rank among the top five boxing countries in the world, when you look at the size compared to much bigger nations." ![]() The perfect ending to a perfect Welsh fairytale." "It starts with the Cinderella Man in Steve Robinson, a triumph against adversity which appealed to the wider public everywhere, and finishes with the Prince in Joe Calzaghe riding off into the sunset, having conquered everything and everybody. Legendary promoter Barry Hearn, for whom Cardiff became like a second home he was here so often, reflects upon those halcyon days with a beautiful metaphor. Robinson had only just lost his own crown too. At one stage Wales, population a mere three million, boasted three world champions at the same time - Regan, Jones and Calzaghe. This was an astonishing little period when world title fights appeared to be held here every month or so. In between we had other world champions in Robbie Regan and Barry Jones, Nicky Piper and Floyd Havard gallantly lost further title bids, while Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis slugged it out for the WBC heavyweight crown at Cardiff Arms Park. It was a journey which started with Steve Robinson winning the world title after taking a fight at just 48 hours' notice, and culminated with Joe Calzaghe joining the pantheon of true boxing greats with a 46-0 unbeaten record. Momentarily, for a few wonderful years in the 1990s, Cardiff seemed to eclipse even Las Vegas as the most happening city on the planet when it came to the noble art. But Maidana is going to bring it again, and he has the confidence that he might not have had knowing that he can compete with Mayweather, so it should be a very interesting re-match.īV: Thank you very much Steve, I appreciate it.Way before Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua or any of these YouTubers like Jake Paul who for some reason attract millions to their fights, we had the golden era when Wales ruled the boxing world. I think that we’d all agree that if Floyd Mayweather is still Floyd Mayweather he probably beats Maidana by out boxing him. He has to prove that he still has the legs to box. So I don’t want anybody to say ‘Oh you said this,’ but Floyd has a lot to prove. I don’t make predictions on fights that I’m working because I score the fights. Maidana? I know a lot of people want to know that. He’s starting over and I think he’ll certainly get big fights because he’s an action fighter and a big name.īV: Last but not least, what’s your prediction for Mayweather vs. ![]() The most important thing for him is that he showed us that he’s sound physically and that he got through a ten round fight looking good without getting hurt and adding more injuries. ![]()
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