The Welsh Ex-Boxers' Association will hold its 50th anniversary reunion and awards lunch at Cardiff's Masonic Hall, bringing together a roster of world, European, and British champions that organisers say will eclipse even the upcoming Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua heavyweight showdown at the Principality Stadium.
Chairman Kevin Hayde, who helped stage many of the 1990s world title fights in Wales, quipped: "It will be the only event involving so many big names which doesn't need security on the door!"
A golden era remembered
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Cardiff hosted world title fights so frequently that it was briefly claimed to have eclipsed Las Vegas as the boxing hub of the world. Hayde recalled a comment from Mauricio Sulaiman, President of the World Boxing Council (WBC): "'Kevin', he said, 'Wales has produced so many world champions that you have to rank among the top 10 boxing nations in the world, given the size of population'."
He also shared a story about super-featherweight champion Barry Jones, from the Ely area of Cardiff, who once told a previous association function: "You know, I was a world champion… but I wasn't even the best world champion in my street!" That honour went to another Ely fighter, Steve Robinson, who took a title shot at 48 hours' notice after a pie and chips supper, beat John Davison for the featherweight crown, and defended it seven times before losing to Prince Naseem Hamed.
Champions in attendance
Robinson and Jones will be among the world champions attending Sunday's event. Also present will be Robbie Regan, who beat Puerto Rico's Daniel Jimenez for the world bantamweight title, and Joe Calzaghe, whose 46-fight unbeaten record included world titles at super-middleweight and light-heavy. Nathan Cleverly, who made five defences of his WBO light-heavyweight title, will also attend, alongside Barry's Lee Selby, Newport's Gavin Rees, and more recent champions Joe Cordina and Lauren Price.
Others attending include Colin Jones, who had two welterweight battles with Milton McCrory, Nicky Piper, who challenged Nigel Benn, Floyd Havard, and a mix of European and British champions. Beyond Wales, John Conteh, world light heavyweight king in the 1970s, and John H. Stracey, who dethroned welterweight champion Jose Napoles in Mexico City, are also coming.
A self-made charity
Hayde explained the association's purpose: "We're a small organisation who raise money at these annual events to help amateur boxing clubs, or to assist any former fighters who might have hit on hard times. A self-made charity, in effect." He added that the 50-year landmark makes the event extra special, with much of the talk likely to centre on Fury versus Joshua, but most conversation will focus on sharing stories from that period.
Reflecting on the era before mobile phones and the internet, Hayde recalled: "We were using FAX machines to sort contracts. Or I'd run to a phone box to make a call to Barry Hearn. I was literally going around the streets of Cardiff with posters about the upcoming world title fight." He noted that the effort transferred to the fighters: "Robinson and Regan conquered the world, it started to pick up. Everything kind of took off from there."
Calzaghe made his professional debut on the undercard at Cardiff Arms Park in 1993, when Lennox Lewis stopped Frank Bruno to win the world title. The association was founded in 1976, and Sunday's event is sponsored by Welsh haulage firm United Worldwide Logistics. Hayde serves as chairman, with Wynford Jones as vice-chair and Cyril Thomas as secretary.
