by Keith Lewis-Jones
Howard Winstone
Plaque sited at CF47 8EG
Howard Winstone, 1939-2000, was born in Merthyr Tydfil. He lost three fingertips in a factory accident which meant that he was never a great puncher, but won a Gold Medal at the 1957 Commonwealth Games followed by the ABA championship.
He turned professional in 1959 and became the undefeated British & European featherweight champion from 1961 to 1968. He fought three times for the World Championship losing each time before, after the retirement of Vincente Saldivar, winning the World Title in 1968. Having passed his best, he lost the title in the same year.
He was made a Freeman of the Borough in 1969.
Howard Winstone won a gold medal at the 1958 Empire Games which was held in Cardiff. Not 1957.
In the first round of the Games (Cardiff, 1958), Howard fought and beat Peter Bennyworth (England) he went on to beat Ollie Taylor (Australia), in the process of winning the fight he became the first Welsh boxer to win a gold Medal since 1938. The achievement was made all the more remarkable because it turned out to be Wales’s only Gold Medal for boxing since. THE WELSH WIZARD, BY LES MILES, PAGE 11, PAGE 12, PAGE 13 AND PAGE 16. COPYRIGHT. LES MILES 1994.
Howard Winstone fought four times for the world featherweight title. 1. 7th September 1 965 against Vivente Saldivar, in London, where Howard lost on points over 15 rounds. 2. 15th June 1967, at Cardiff. 3. 14th October 1967, in Mexico City. 4. 23rd January 1968, against Mitsunori Seki (Japan). Howard winning the World featherweight title. Losing the featherweight title to Jose Legra (Spain) at Porthcawl, 7th July 1968. Howard then retired.