Colin Jones
Encyclopedia
Colin Jones was a Welsh
welterweight
boxer, who represented Great Britain
at the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal, Canada.
He was the youngest British
boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games
until Amir Khan
appeared at the 2004 Summer Olympics
.
Jones was arguably the hardest punching
welterweight of his generation. His ability to knock fighters out with a single shot (with either hand) allowed him the luxury of being a notoriously slow starter.
However it was a chilling second round capture of the European bauble over popular Dane Hans-Henrik Palm (in Copenhagen) that confirmed his arrival as a world class fighter.
He lost 3 times, one by disqualification (Curtis Ramsey) , one by split decision (Milton McCrory
) and once where he was stopped in four rounds (cuts) by a peaking Donald Curry
. The latter two losses came in challenges for the world title after he had drawn with McCrory in his first attempt to claim it.
This is balanced by an efficient rise to the top. The two "come from behind" knockout victories against the gifted Kirkland Laing
were particular highlights of his career.
A modest and well-respected fighter, Jones, still regarded as boxing royalty in his native Wales, won the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
in 1983.
Jones was national coach of the Welsh Boxing team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
boxer, who represented Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 1976 Summer Olympics
There were eleven boxing events at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Light Flyweight :-First Round:* Armando Guevara def. Eduardo Baltar , 5:0* Li Byong-Uk def. Sidney McKnight , KO-1...
in Montreal, Canada.
He was the youngest British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
until Amir Khan
Amir Khan (boxer)
Amir Iqbal Khan , is a British Pakistani professional boxer who is currently the unified WBA & IBF light welterweight champion....
appeared at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
.
Jones was arguably the hardest punching
Punch (strike)
A punch is a striking blow with the fist. It is the most commonly used attack in hand to hand combat. It is used in some martial arts and combat sports, most notably boxing where it is the only type of technique allowed...
welterweight of his generation. His ability to knock fighters out with a single shot (with either hand) allowed him the luxury of being a notoriously slow starter.
However it was a chilling second round capture of the European bauble over popular Dane Hans-Henrik Palm (in Copenhagen) that confirmed his arrival as a world class fighter.
He lost 3 times, one by disqualification (Curtis Ramsey) , one by split decision (Milton McCrory
Milton McCrory
Milton McCrory was a professional boxer in the welterweight division.- Amateur :Milton had a reported amateur record of 105-15.He lost in the 1979 National AAU finals to Lemuel Steeples and in the Olympic Trials to Johnny Bumphus.- Pro career :Known as "Ice Man", McCrory turned pro in 1980 an won...
) and once where he was stopped in four rounds (cuts) by a peaking Donald Curry
Donald Curry
Donald Curry is a retired boxer from Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Nicknamed the "Lone Star Cobra," Curry was the Undisputed World Welterweight Champion and the WBC Super Welterweight Champion.-Amateur career:...
. The latter two losses came in challenges for the world title after he had drawn with McCrory in his first attempt to claim it.
This is balanced by an efficient rise to the top. The two "come from behind" knockout victories against the gifted Kirkland Laing
Kirkland Laing
Kirkland Laing is a retired British Welterweight boxer nicknamed The Gifted One.Laing fought 56 times in a twenty year career, the highlight of which was a shock split decision win over Roberto Durán in September 1982. The fight was selected as Ring Magazine's upset of the year...
were particular highlights of his career.
A modest and well-respected fighter, Jones, still regarded as boxing royalty in his native Wales, won the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year is a televised sporting competition, broadcast on BBC Two every year; and the most prestigious annual sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organised by BBC Cymru Wales...
in 1983.
Jones was national coach of the Welsh Boxing team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
.