Percy Jones (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Rhondda's
Percy Jones (26 December 1892 - 25 December 1922) became the first Welshman
ever to win a World Boxing
title when he took the World Flyweight
Championship from Bill Ladbury in 1914. Appropriately born on Boxing Day
, the diminutive Jones also took the British and European Flyweight Championships from Ladbury in the same match.
He has been voted number 6 in a BBC
poll of Welsh boxing greats
coal mining
family, Jones made his name at a local level, fighting in boxing booths, before winning the first 27 fights of his professional career. He successfully defended his World Flyweight belt once, against Eugene Criqui
- a man who had beaten him six weeks before in a non-title bout. This time, with the European & World titles at stake Jones beat Criqui with a points decision over 20 rounds. Jones was knocked out in his next non-title bout by Joe Symonds and lost the belt to Tancy Lee in the second defence of his titles prompting a move to bantamweight
. Jones had had difficulties staying within the Flyweight weight limit. He engaged in catchweight non-title bouts; with mixed fortunes. After again fighting Criqui, this time at bantamweight, the Porth fighter never again made the flyweight limit.
His last contest was a fifth round KO of the man he took the World title from, Bill Ladbury, in 1914. In his short, illustrious career Percy Jones had reached the pinnacle of his sport and established himself as one of Wales
' finest ever boxers.
World War I
interrupted his boxing career and Percy enlisted in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He was serving as a sergeant
when he was badly wounded in the leg. After almost 30 operations to save the leg it was eventually amputated. Jones was also badly affected by poison gas
.
He died of trench fever
in 1922 on Christmas Day, one day short of his 30th birthday.
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
Percy Jones (26 December 1892 - 25 December 1922) became the first Welshman
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
ever to win a World Boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
title when he took the World Flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
Championship from Bill Ladbury in 1914. Appropriately born on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
, the diminutive Jones also took the British and European Flyweight Championships from Ladbury in the same match.
He has been voted number 6 in a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
poll of Welsh boxing greats
History
Raised in a PorthPorth
Porth is a town and a community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Valley and is regarded as the gateway to the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach valleys because both valleys meet at Porth...
coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
family, Jones made his name at a local level, fighting in boxing booths, before winning the first 27 fights of his professional career. He successfully defended his World Flyweight belt once, against Eugene Criqui
Eugène Criqui
Eugène Criqui was a French boxer who held the world featherweight title in 1923.Criqui was born in the Belleville neighbourhood of Paris. He was a professional pipe-fitter before he turned professional in 1910. He won the French flyweight title in 1912. His boxing career was interrupted when he...
- a man who had beaten him six weeks before in a non-title bout. This time, with the European & World titles at stake Jones beat Criqui with a points decision over 20 rounds. Jones was knocked out in his next non-title bout by Joe Symonds and lost the belt to Tancy Lee in the second defence of his titles prompting a move to bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
. Jones had had difficulties staying within the Flyweight weight limit. He engaged in catchweight non-title bouts; with mixed fortunes. After again fighting Criqui, this time at bantamweight, the Porth fighter never again made the flyweight limit.
His last contest was a fifth round KO of the man he took the World title from, Bill Ladbury, in 1914. In his short, illustrious career Percy Jones had reached the pinnacle of his sport and established himself as one of Wales
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...
' finest ever boxers.
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
interrupted his boxing career and Percy enlisted in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He was serving as a sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
when he was badly wounded in the leg. After almost 30 operations to save the leg it was eventually amputated. Jones was also badly affected by poison gas
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
.
He died of trench fever
Trench fever
Trench fever is a moderately serious disease transmitted by body lice. It infected armies in Flanders, France, Poland, Galicia, Italy, Salonika, Macedonia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt in World War I Trench fever (also known as "Five day fever", "Quintan fever" (febris Quintana in Latin), "Urban trench...
in 1922 on Christmas Day, one day short of his 30th birthday.
Fight record
Jones is presently recorded as having 52 professional fights, with 46 wins, 3 loses and 3 draws.External links
- Fight Record Retrieved on 13 January 2010