Boxing News — January 11, 2018

NEWS

http://www.boxingnewsonline.net JANUARY 11, 2018 lBOXING NEWSl 11

Gareth Jones

pays tribute

to the former

Welsh

middleweight

champion

WAYNE ELLIS, 1968-

FORMER Welsh middleweight king Wayne

Ellis died at the weekend, at the age of

49. He had been in poor health for some
    years. He will be best remembered for
    his bravery in defeat against Steve Collins
    in a 1993 clash in Cardiff, when he stood
    up to a bombardment for nine rounds,
    before referee Dave Parris called a halt.
    As the battered loser recuperated in
    his dressing room, the door opened and
    Collins appeared. He told Ellis that only
    experience had beaten him, that he could
    both give a punch and take one, and that,
    “most important, you’ve got it here.” And
    the Irishman, who, six months later, was a
    world’ champion, tapped his heart.
    Wayne picked up a string of Welsh
    honours, junior and senior, before going

all the way to British ABA supremacy in

1988.

With the amateur authorities refusing

to guarantee him a trip to that year’s

Seoul Olympics, despite his two-year

unbeaten run and high world ranking,

Ellis turned pro under Frank Warren, with

Anthony Alsop as his trainer.

Wayne’s first 11 paid engagements

saw just one setback, when future British

welterweight title challenger Lindon

Scarlett dropped him twice on the way

to a draw, while his victims included Paul

“Silky” Jones and Johnny Melfah.

When his contract with Warren

expired, Ellis switched to Barry Hearn,

although his first outing with Matchroom

saw him floored by a punch on the

break from Colin Manners. Although the

Yorkshireman was warned for the offence,

Wayne never recovered and was dropped

again before being stopped in the opener.

But next time out the Cardiffian

thrilled his hometown crowd by decking

and widely outpointing Alan Richards

to secure his national middleweight

crown. He successfully defended it with a

seventh-round stoppage of Mike Phillips,

though he suffered a hand injury which,

along with a bout of glandular fever, kept

him sidelined for a year.

Then came that unforgettable

encounter with Collins, followed by

a technical decision victory over Paul

Busby: Ellis was cut by a clash of heads,

but after referee John Keane had raised

Busby’s hand in accordance with British

custom at the time, it was pointed out

that WBO rules (their Penta-Continental

strap was at stake) demanded a look at

the cards – and they had Wayne in front!

Busby gained revenge with a

unanimous decision, and after a further

points loss to Darron Griffiths for the

Welsh super-middle title, Ellis called it a

career with a 14-4-1 (7) record.

He went to live in New Zealand for

a while, returning to Cardiff a decade

ago and helping found Llanedeyrn and

Pentwyn ABC to cater for youngsters in

the area in which he grew up.

Always a popular figure in his native

city and beyond, his opponents invariably

became his friends. Last summer, for

example, he travelled to a function in

Essex to be reunited with old foe Collins.

Another former rival, fellow Cardiffian

Kevin Hayde, recalls the time when he

was running a local pub and Wayne

strolled in, insisting that a photo of

himself landing a right on Hayde’s jaw

should be given pride of place in the

display of memorabilia above the bar!

It shows their mutual respect that the

picture duly went up and remained

there throughout Kevin’s tenure as

landlord.

Photo: ACTION IMAGES

IT’S HARD NOT TO LIKE HIM:

Ellis is remembered fondly,

even by his old opponents

CHRIS WALKER, an early student
of Brendan Ingle and former
challenger for the British super-
lightweight title, has died at 66.
Walker, originally from
Nottingham, was found in his
Sheffield home at the weekend by
his son, Danny, and the cause of
death at the time of going to press
remains unknown.

He turned pro in March 1976,

but lost in a 1978 bid for the British

belt when Colin Powers halted him

in seven. Walker, a big underdog,

displayed great heart during the

defeat, even threatening to cause

the upset on occasion.

“That was the first professional

show I went to,” Glyn Rhodes,

esteemed trainer and former

stablemate of Walker, told Boxing

News. “Chris were a lovely bloke

and I remember walking in the gym

and he and Mick Mills were there.

“I always looked up to Chris and

Mick. When you are 16 there is

always someone you look up to in

the gym. For me, that was Chris.”

After the loss to Powers, Walker

was outscored by future champ

Clinton McKenzie, and he retired in

1979, with a record of 15-11-1 (5),

after defeats to Chris Sanigar and

George Feeney.

In retirement, Walker was a

landlord and considered to be in

good health in recent years. An

autopsy is set to be carried out.

CHRIS WALKER, 1951-

Remembering the ex-British

super-lightweight title challenger

AFTER THE FIGHT:

Walker [left] and Powers embrace