Retired at the relatively tender age of 25, after
a five year career that took in the British, Empire & European
flyweight championships, a world title challenge against a true
all-time great and 37 action packed fights, Dai Dower justly earned
his place alongside the great Welsh boxers that had gone before.
The flyweight division has a tradition of
producing fast, elusive fighters with considerable skill, what made
Dai Dower shine in this illustrious company was, he had all of the
above - and in abundance.
Just two months into his professional campaign,
and two inside the distance wins under his belt, Dai was taken the
distance for the first time when opposing the vastly more
experienced Colin Clitheroe. Hailing from Preston, Clitheroe had
lost just three of twenty two fights, and campaigned mostly at
bantamweight, but was no match for the new Welsh flyweight sensation
with Dower easing to a six round decision. Five wins later Dai
showed his improvement in the pro ranks by facing Clitheroe again
and this time stopping his man in five rounds. In
just his fourteenth paid bout Dower
pitted his considerable skills
against 74 fight veteran and current
British Flyweight Champion, Terry
Allen. The fight was not for the
title, which was just as well for
the seasoned Allen with the
Abercynon fighter powering to a 2nd
round KO. Dai Dower was now a force
to be reckoned with in the division.
Another six wins in 1954 earned Dai
a tilt at winning his first title;
the Empire flyweight championship
against the rough, tough South
African, Jake Tulli. Although Empire
champion for two years this was to
be Tulli's first defence.........and
his last.
Dower dominated the fight, displaying his sublime
skills throughout. Tulli never stopped trying, but Dai Dower was
just too much of a will 'o the wisp to be caught. Piling up the
points with fast, accurate jabs, eye-catching combinations and
dancing away when the least bit threatened the Welshman took a
lop-sided 15 round points decision to become the new Empire
Flyweight Champion. A three round stoppage of
Germany's Willibald Koch followed,
in Dower's first fight of 1955,
before a second chance of a title
came along in the shape of the
British flyweight crown. Terry
Allen, a previous Dower victim, had
vacated the title allowing Dai Dower
to contest the crown against Eric
Marsden, of St Helens. The signs
were looking good for Dower. Marsden
although having lost just three of
his 31 fight career to date had lost
those fights to Terry Allen (twice)
and Jake Tulli - both fighters that
Dower had faced and beaten. At
stake, also, was Dai's Empire crown.
The little Abercynon fighter left nothing to
chance as he moved effortlessly around the ring out-jabbing the
taller and longer reaching Marsden. In a dazzling display the
Welshman's technique, speed and ringmanship proved to be beyond his
opponent. Marsden fought to the last and made it to the final bell,
but the decision was never in doubt as Wales celebrated another
great British Flyweight Champion.
Exactly one
month later, and just five months
after winning his first championship
belt, the fighting phenomenon of the
south Wales valleys was to seize his
third major title! On a 23 fight
winning streak, and still unbeaten,
the sensational Dower challenged
Italian, Nazzareno Giannelli for the
European flyweight crown. Gianelli
had won the title at his second
attempt just six months earlier, and
was making his first
defence.......and his last.
The bout took place at the Earls Court Exhibition Hall with Dai
Dower, of Wales, truly putting on an exhibition. Boxing at his
brilliant best Dower dazzled the watching crowd, and his opponent,
with a wonderful display of text book left jabbing. Making full use
of the ring diminutive Dai showed his vast array of dancing skills
as he moved in and out to score with his devastating jab and avoid
anything significant that was thrown his way. At the end of the
fifteen round contest, Giannelli knew his belt had passed into the
hands of a new Flyweight Champion of Europe - Dai Dower.
Three more wins, all against foreign opposition, saw the fabulous
little Welshman suffer defeat for the first time in his 27th
contest, and ironically his first defence of the newly attained
European crown. Spaniard, Young Martin ripped the title away from
the Abercynon battler with a ruthless showing of aggression that
Dower just could not halt. At first it seemed the champion would
prove to be too skilful for the tough challenger and retain his
title, as expected. Young Martin had other ideas. The Spaniard was
beginning to get through to the champion with his forceful and
hurtful body attacks. It's well known that successful attacks to the
body are a sure fire way to slow down even the best of boxers - if
you can catch them. But Dai was getting caught.......and often.
Against the 'run of play' the Welsh battler had a brief moment of
success in the seventh when he dropped Martin for a short count. The
moment was all too brief as Martin rose, unhurt, and continued where
he had left off - attacking relentlessly to the body. Martin evened
up the visits to the canvas by dropping Dower in the ninth round for
the first time in the Welshman's career. Unfortunately it wasn't the
last. The tenth saw Dai knocked down no less than six times! By now
Dower was beaten but battled on with tremendous pride and courage.
He was a champion and if he was going to lose would go out fighting.
Sadly, the fight was knocked out of Dai in the twelfth when Young
Martin unleashed a devastating body assault that dropped the brave
Welshman for the full count. Putting the
disappointment of his European title
loss behind him Dai Dower got back
into the ring just two months later
to defend his Empire flyweight belt
against old foe Jake Tulli. The
terribly punishing defeat at the
hands of Young Martin was long
forgotten as Dai went the full
fifteen round distance to once again
prove his superiority over the South
African challenger.
Five wins out of five in 1956, saw
Dai take a break from the ring when
he joined the army to do his
National Service. However, eight
months after his last fight Dai was
suddenly offered a shot at the big
one. The World Title. Travelling to
Argentina for his first fight on
foreign soil, the odds were not in
Dower's favour; he would be fighting
in the champions back yard of Buenos
Aires. And the champion? Pascual
Perez.
Perez was a formidable champion; 41 fights
unbeaten with 33 KO's and three successful defences under his belt.
While Dower clearly had the tools to to beat the best this was going
to be a major test. The champion was the favourite going into the
fight but there were many who thought that the little Welshman could
beat the odds with his superior skills against the hard hitting
champ. No-one could have foresaw the outcome. At the first bell Dai
came out firing that beautiful jab of his into the Argentinean's
face, followed up with right crosses. Perez, unflustered, fired off
a left hook that connected and clearly hurt the challenger, this was
followed up with a slamming, thunderbolt of a right that sent Dai
crashing to the canvas and to first round defeat.
Following the crushing world title defeat, Dai Dower went back to
the army to finish his National Service; later vacating his British
& Empire flyweight titles. He didn't fight again until the following
year; a long break by his busy standards. January of 1958 saw Dower
climb back between the ropes to defeat Eric Brett over eight rounds.
This, however, was not the vintage Dai Dower that had gone before
and the end was nigh. Dai Dower's final contest came with a 10 round
points defeat at the hands of unheralded Canadian, Pat Supple.
Wales has produced some great flyweight champions over the years.
Indeed, arguably we had the best flyweight of them all in Jimmy
Wilde. Abercynon's Dai Dower has his place amongst them. He was
unfortunate to meet a legendary champion in his world title
challenge (in the champ's backyard), held the British, Empire and
European flyweight titles - never losing the British or Empire title
in the ring - and was a boxer with superb skills, huge courage and
considerable style.
|