Old Rhondda boxers

[Brian T3]

Gareth, This is a piece about Frank Moody.
 An old family friend of ours , Lewis Williams, was the landlord of the Afandale Hotel, Cymmer, Port Talbot, not Porth.
He was also Frank Moody's manager. He told us the story of when he had to send Frank to the USA
to bolster his image.
 He said he was winning his fights until the last one against Tiger Flowers.
 Frank was doing very well against Tiger until in one clinch Tiger whispered in Frank's ear
that the party was over and he had to end it.
He then proceeded to give Frank the worse beating of his life.

[Garethboxing]

Hi Brian,
    Frank Moody always regarded Flowers as the best fighter he ever met and admitted that he knew Tiger had carried him in the later rounds (Flowers won on points after 10 rounds). Moody spent a long time in the US and did win more than he lost, but he lost a dozen or so out there, including being knocked out by the legendary Harry Greb.
   The Lewis Williams you refer to - do you mean Llew Williams, known as 'Bompa', who was his trainer. At the time Llew was licensee of the Ruperra Hotel in Pontypridd.
     Gareth

[Brian T3]

Hi Gareth,
 I only knew Lew from the early 40's and he was In the cymmer pub then.
 I met Frank and he was real gentleman.

[ants1988]

Hi Gareth i have just started my family tree.I have just logged on and found that you are looking for Rufus if its the right person and iam sure it. Rufus was my nans brother and they did own TY DU farm.Rufus also had 2 brothers called Tommy and Percy they were both flyweight boxers in the 1930s -1946  can you help me  any more info on them and i will share anything as i may find out with you many thanks .

[Bethan]

Do you have this one Gareth?                                                                    http://www.jobyculverhouse.blogspot.co.uk/

[shazza_i]

My grandfather, Ned Cop (p) was a boxer in the Rhondda. I do know some of the history of his boxing but I wondered whether there was any mention of him in Gareth Jones' book on the boxing history of the Rhondda?

[jamesharry1921]

phineas john did indeed live in maerdy 103 maerdy road with his wife agnes he and agnes were invoved in the local football team the maerdy royals because the royal hotel was 3 doors from themyou want the maerdy home page and archives on facebook they will supply many answers for you. carol

[jennyalsop]

I am the neice of the boxer and Lonsdale belt winner, Jonty Alsop. My father was uncle Jont's younger brother, Peter John Alsop. My name is Jennifer Hirst Alsop. My parents bought uncle Jont's shop when he moved to Rhoose, Barry. The house we lived in prior to the shop was where my father and his siblings had all lived. This was in Ynyscynon Road, Trealaw. If you want more information, please ask.

[jennyalsop]

Hi Gareth,  re. JONTY ALSOP the boxer.
My uncle Jont was married to auntie Phyll and they had three children ; Audrey (ballet dancer), John and Al (Derick).
John's son, Anthony, was a boxer also. He boxed in the Commonwealth games in Australia, circa 1986 - 1990's. (Harry Carpenter was the commentator when Anthony was shown on the TV boxing.)
Uncle Jont lived in Ynyscynon Road , Trealaw. His sibblings were my uncle Jim, auntie Mill, auntie Ede and the youngest of them was Peter, my father.
My grandfather, dad & Jont's father, lived with his wife, Charlotte, in our house in Ynyscynon Road.They raised their family there. Being the youngest, my father lived there when all the siblings had left home. He lived with his father, Jack Alsop, until he married my mother, Ceinwen Hirst, who came to live there too. Uncle Jont had a shop in Tonypandy, and one in Llwynypia (which my parents later bought from him). This will be why he boxed out of Trealaw at first, then Llwynypia or Tonypandy later.