"There are no hard and fast rules about what makes a good boxer." "There are plenty of poor places in the world that haven't produced any fighters." "On the other hand, boxers tend not to come from places where the living is easy." "For as long as fists have been raised and used to punch, the Valleys of South Wales have been one of the richest seams in the fight game." "Jab." "Two." "Bang, bang." "Like that." "And the Valleys production line is still running, each generation inspired by the deeds of the one that went before." "And Winstone is champion of the world at last!" "Johnny Owen!" "Jo-o-o-oe Calzaghe!" "There was once an obvious connection between boxing and coal, but the mines have gone." "Boxing lives on." "There, see?" "You've got your opportunities." "Nice and sharp." "Perhaps it is an ongoing struggle fought by those who do not have much to make it in the world of those that do." "The ageless quest to live the dream, however hard the road." "A few have made it to the very top." "One stayed there." "Less than 30 seconds to go." "They're rising to their feet at Madison Square Garden." "They're standing to witness possibly the end of two great careers." "Maybe we'll see them again, but tonight we have seen Joe Calzaghe in his absolute destructive best." "The crowning and the final moment in the most successful career of all the boxers from Wales." "Light heavyweight champion of the world " "Jo-o-o-oe..." "Calzaghe!" "46 wins from 46 fights, a boxer from Newbridge, the super middle and light heavyweight champion of the world, retiring undefeated." "My dream was always to become a world champion." "That was my way out, my way to do something in life." "And my dad was a boxing fan, you know." "I had a local boxing gym." "If I didn't have a local boxing gym," "I wouldn't have boxed." "The gym - where it starts for everybody." "Gyms like this in places like this " "Clydach Vale, Cwmclydach, tight against Tonypandy in the Rhondda." "This is home to Liam Williams, unbeaten in 11 bouts and a week away from the biggest fight of his life - a shot at the vacant Commonwealth light middleweight title." "These are the calorie-counting days before the weigh-in." "Do you like the food that you've got to eat?" "Not really." "These are the long days and small plates before a fight." "If you could have any food now, what would you love to have?" " Cake, probably." " Cheesecake." "I don't even want food, I just want cake." " The sweets." " Sweets, really?" "You said you dream about it and you were showing me pictures on your phone." "I just can't stop thinking about it, man." "Look at some of these pictures." "See, look at that." "Food porn." "Relief of sorts comes in the hard slog of training." "He sets out once again on the lonely routines." "This is a familiar landscape." "This is fighting country, always has been, back to the earliest days of industry here - of bare-knuckle mountain fighting for the settling of scores, a chance for a little wager, a big wager, hard men slugging it out." "We'd go up and watch them, and they were so good and so tough, they'd hit hell out of each other, shake hands after" " and then they'd open up the old four and a half, right?" " That's right." "They'd open up the old four and a half and then they'd get drunk, and perhaps they'd make another match, then." "Hard sport went hand-in-hand with hard work." "Boxing offered relief from a life of toil, and it began to offer an alternative, an escape." "I think it's difficult at this distance for us to imagine the hardship and the deprivation of those early years of the 20th century, and in some ways, boxing provided an outlet for some of those people." "It wasn't yet an escape to the high life - more a chance to join the fairground boxing booths that travelled the land." "The public rolled up and paid to have a go at some of the best boxers in the area." "Out of the mines and the boxing booths came a world champion." "He stood five foot five inches tall and weighed 7st in his prime." "Jimmy Wilde, born in Quakers Yard, raised in Tylorstown, world flyweight champion during the First World War." "After the war, Wilde fought in America." "They adored The Mighty Atom." "Jimmy Wilde, the great Jimmy Wilde, retired to South Wales." "In his 70s, he was mugged on a station platform in Cardiff." "He died penniless." "There is not always a happy ending here." "But there is something." "The South Wales Valleys is a very special place." "I think people have often looked on life in this part of the world as a struggle against the odds." "The whole business of being involved in boxing is a struggle against the odds." "And there is a warmth about boxers" "I think you don't get with other sport." "I think this is why they never really leave the area." "'People say, oh, people want to get out of the Valleys and stuff." "'Then you've got me, I love the Valleys." "'There's no reason why I want to get out," "'I just want to do well for myself." "Everyone knows everyone round here." "'My nan and grandfather live next door.'" "And my uncle lives up the street." "My other uncle lives not too far up again, we're all pretty close to each other, you know?" "So, yeah, it's nice that we are all close, like." "At the end of this same street in Clydach Vale lives the man who introduced Liam to his sport, a mine of boxing history, back to the days of his own youth." "Boxing was more popular then than what it is now, I think." "Because it's like, today, they see it on television and every kid wants to be a footballer." "Right?" "So you've got grounds everywhere." "Whereas it was like that in the '30s, but everybody wanted to be a boxer." "Just around the corner from Liam and Pete's street in Clydach Vale, the house of another boxer," "Tommy Farr, born 22 years after Jimmy Wilde." "Bigger, heavier than The Mighty Atom." "One of eight children, Tommy's mother died when he was nine." "His father, bare-knuckle fighter George Farr, was injured underground." "Still a child, Tommy had to go down the pit to feed the family." "Boxing was a way out." "In March 1937, they celebrated back home when he became British and Empire heavyweight champion." "They saw Tommy Farr as one of them." "He'd grown up in that community and it was basically showing that someone from that background could come through and succeed on a pretty high level." "The future holder of the Lonsdale Belt was given a shot at the world title." "A date was fixed, August 30, 1937, a Welshman in New York to meet the champ." "Joe Louis against Tommy who?" "'In America, they know nothing about him.'" "What's your height, Tommy?" " Six foot one and a half." " And your reach?" "81 inches." " How old are you?" " 23." "'In Britain, no fight has gripped public imagination more." "'And the magic of radio 'will bring the news of his fate to the little house in Tonypandy.'" "My father, he woke me up." "He was listening to it on the..." "on the wireless." "This was the champion's first title defence." "In American eyes, the challenger was going to be easy meat before bigger bouts ahead." "Except it wasn't panning out like that." "'The commentator's voice is saying Farr is putting up a great fight." "'Already, Louis understands - it's not going to be easy.'" "The fight went the 15-round distance." "When the decision was announced, Louis the unanimous winner on points, there was booing in the Yankee Stadium crowd." "I think it was the New York Herald Tribune said," ""Joe Louis lost everything save his heavyweight title" ""in the Yankee Stadium last night," you know." "The effort that Tommy had put up had that kind of impact." "It has gone down as one of the heavyweight fights of all time, part of folklore." "Liam Williams is counting the days to his fight, counting those damn calories." "What have you been eating?" "Just a bit of porridge." "Porridge?" "Whoo-hoo!" "Good stuff." "These two go way back." "Pete was Liam's first trainer when Liam was nine." "Now that he's a professional," "Liam is trained by former middleweight Gary Lockett." "All right, here we go then." "Get off my ropes." "Go for the body, go for the body." "Don't head-hunt." "See what I mean?" "That's the exercise, it's staying back and just being patient." "If you get close and you swing, you're going to miss." "So, stay back and counter." "There, see?" "You get your opportunities." "Nice and sharp." "Pete is at ringside, knowing eyes that have seen so much, from Liam in the here and now, back to the days of Tommy Farr." "And in-between the two, the one who made it all the way." "Merthyr Tydfil in the early 1960s." "And a young featherweight from the town is the British champion." "Howard Winstone." "A nice man." "Which a lot, a lot, a lot of boxers are, very nice people." "Generally they are nice people." "And Howie, as we used to call him in the boxing game, you know, he was one of them." "As an amateur he'd won gold at the Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff." "Within two years of turning pro..." "Howard Winstone wins the Featherweight Championship of Great Britain." "Now came his shot at the world title." "Earls Court, London, September 1965, against Vicente Saldivar of Mexico." "After 15 rounds he lost on points." "There was only one place to go." "Home to Merthyr." "Battered and bruised." "We want the champ!" "But if Howard had been defeated, it didn't sound like it." "We want the champ!" "It is my great pleasure and privilege to welcome Howard home again." "Two years later a rematch, this time in Wales, at Ninian Park, the old home of Cardiff City." "'No-one could fail to be moved by the emotion 'here at Ninian Park, Cardiff 'from some 20,000 to 25,000 Welshmen here to cheer Winstone on 'to what they hope will be a famous victory 'against this tough champion from Mexico, Vicente Saldivar.'" "'They are the loneliest men in the world at the moment as they stand 'in their corners now waiting for this world title fight to begin." "'And here it goes, round one.'" "'The first world championship fight in Wales for 21 years.'" "'With a left to the body he gets in on his second attempt, 'gets into the body and Winstone goes back, jabbing him to the head.'" "'It's a hard left from the Mexican 'and Winstone's in trouble on the ropes again." "'And there's the bell." "'A wonderful world championship fight and Saldivar is the winner.'" "Later that same year they'd fight again." "Howard would lose again, knocked down in Mexico City." "Saldivar then retired and in January 1968." "Howard fought Mitsunori Seki for the vacant title at the Royal Albert Hall in London." "'Took it for granted it was over and it is over!" "'It's over in the ninth round 'and Seki, moments after he was cut, 'has been stopped and Winstone 'is champion of the world at last 'and is the first Welsh world champion for 45 years." "'You won't stop the Welsh invading this ring now.'" "He touched the lives of so many people in Merthyr." "He appreciated that support and I don't think he always realised how good he really was." "He was amazing." "He was amazing." "Well done, well done." "Good, good, good." "Well done, mate." "Thanks, pal." "Even though you're tired, you kept your discipline." "Towards the end you were landing them nice long shots." " Yes." "You've got to start going to the body a little bit more, right?" "I done it a little bit more, didn't I?" "Yeah, a little bit more, but good." "I think a lot of them have this quality deep inside that they're so anxious to succeed, and there's that thing inside them that they will not be beaten, they are not going to take short cuts with their training," "they're going to do absolutely everything to ensure that they have the best opportunity of success." "Liam is also under orders to take the day off." "Family time, with his nephews." "Oi, Kenzie, come out from there!" "LAUGHTER That is enough." "Not now." "I love being around them." "Do they watch your fights on the telly?" "Yes, they normally watch them on the telly." "What do you normally say?" " What do you normally say?" " I don't know." " "Smash him up," eh?" " Yeah." "They normally shout at the TV saying, "Smash him up, Liam," or whatever!" "But they normally watch it the next day, obviously just you never know what's going to happen, do you?" "And, like, even the fights I'm expected to win, you never, like, cos boxing anything could happen and you wouldn't want them to see something bad or whatever." "It lurks, never far away, the danger that comes with boxing." "It is outweighed by the dream, held at bay by being so sound for the job." "10 stone, 13 pound, 18... eight ounces." "That soundness carefully checked." "The awareness of danger must be put to one side so close to a fight." "But in the long hours of waiting somebody will be worrying and the sense of danger has to be managed." "You don't want the people around who's the people who worry about you." "They'd ask me how I feel and whatever." "Obviously Gary cares about me but he knows what I am capable of, so he don't worry about me but, like, you just want everything to go smoothly." "Things cannot always go smoothly." "The danger is real." "19th September, 1980," "Johnny Owen of Merthyr in Los Angeles for a shot at the world bantamweight title." "Everybody had always worried about Johnny Owen." "His trainer knew he was a lot more formidable than he looked." "Dai Gardiner from the Rhymney Valley had had a brief professional career as a welterweight." "He'd sparred with Howard Winstone." "Now he was trainer to the Merthyr Matchstick, who in three-and-a-half years as a pro had become European champion." "I think he was one of the most dedicated fighters, well," "I have ever had, or anybody could have had, to be honest." "He was..." "He was so frail-looking but to look at him, that is why everybody supported him because..." "It was mostly women because they didn't want..." "They wanted to cutch Johnny, like." "A bit self-conscious, he was." "But, having said that the ring part of him was a totally different thing." "Oh!" "What a man!" "He was amazing." "His back was like a mass of muscle." "And did he have energy?" "Oh!" "'Oh, yes!" "'" "'And Evans is in real trouble.'" "'I was lucky enough to referee' one of Johnny's contests, just before he won the British title." "And Johnny won the British title, he won a Lonsdale Belt outright, he won the Commonwealth title, he won the European title and, therefore, was a challenger for the world title, as of right." "He had earned the opportunity to challenge for the world title." "Unfortunately, he came up against an exceptional champion, in Lupe Pintor." "The Grand Olympic Auditorium, south LA." "Johnny Owens!" "Johnny was more than holding his own against Lupe Pintor - the Mexican at the peak of his powers - until this, in the ninth round." "It was the first time he had been knocked down in his professional career." "The fight went on and on, until, in the 12th round, Johnny was knocked out." "He lapsed into a coma and died seven weeks later." "I was sitting on the side of the bed upstairs when the report came through in the morning." "And..." "I burst into tears, straight away, as soon as I heard the news report." "Merthyr had once rushed south to see Howard Winstone fight." "Now, the town didn't move." "There was a mass of people there." "That's how much regard they had for him." "Standing there, at the graveside... with..." "I was next to my father, and we were just holding hands." "I just squeezed his hand, you know?" "You couldn't speak." "It had that sort of impact on us." "'Oh, it was terrible." "One that will never leave you." "'I never went back to that same gym." "'Cos Johnny had worked in that gym.'" "I left there after just about 18 months and I built a new..." "Got into a new gym" " Fleur-De-Lys." "We know the consequences were absolutely tragic, but he died pursuing his dream." "A sport by its very nature violent and dangerous will have its detractors." "But the people from places whose history is defined by ever-present danger, boxing speaks volumes about them and their homes." "This is a long way from home - a different world for Liam." "'I could only get my hands on a couple of tickets, 'which is a bit gutting." "Apparently, it's a dinner show.'" "From 1989, Derek Williams!" "'Half of them probably wouldn't even be interested in boxing.'" "'Nevertheless, it's a Commonwealth title shot and I'm never going to 'let it pass.'" "The main thing is, you have got 12 rounds, if you adopt the right attitude." "If it's not happening, and if you're not landing clean," "I don't want you to get frustrated, because it might be the first three, four, five rounds you don't." "When the... the snap starts to go out of him, whatever snap he has got, that is when you are going to start catching him, so just" " take your time, OK?" " Yeah." " You all right?" "You OK?" " Yes." "Let's do it." "All right, buddy?" "Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the undefeated." "Liam Williams!" "Right, let's use that jab." "Everything's about tonight, right?" "Love you, right?" "Let's do it." "Liam's opponent is Michael Lomax." "Not too soon, not too soon!" "Liam, neutral corner!" "Liam!" "Liam!" "Keep them straight!" "Use your head." "He's stopping it." "It's all over in the first round." "Liam is the Commonwealth Champion." "He is on his way." "Back home, a world away from Park Lane, nothing seems to have changed." "But it has." "At last," "Liam can have his cake." "And after that, the routines and rituals start all over again, tapping the seam." "Of the 11 world champions that have come from Wales, eight have come from the South Wales valleys." "What do they make in the South Wales valleys?" "They make boxers." "Boxing is probably the most primitive sport." "At times, it can be a cruel sport." "The ring can certainly be a very unforgiving place." "But, every time you step into the ring or you look at a contest, you will see... skills you will see courage and you will see sportsmanship." "I can assure you, I tried my best, but, evidently, the officials, they thought my best wasn't good enough." "And I think those three elements have tremendous appeal to the ordinary man in the street." "And through all that, I feel very strongly that boxing breeds some very, very special people." "These types of people you have got to think, "Thank God that I met that type of person."" "Because they are special people."