Before coaching heroes like Winstone, Buchanan and Jones, Eddie Thomas was a hero himself

Yesterday's heroes

EDDIE Thomas from Merthyr has been successful at all levels of sport for nearly 40 years. He will still be remembered today by veterans of the game as a brilliant manager who ran a small stall from his office in an ice cream parlor in his home town, deep in the Welsh countryside.

Among the many amazing stars Eddie sought out were all-time stars Howard Winstone, Ken Buchanan, and Colin Jones. He had a number of other fighters in the 1960s and 1970s, including Eddie Avoth, the British light-heavyweight champion between 1969 and 1971, and Carl Gizzi, who challenged for the British heavyweight title in 1969.

As a fighter Eddie was ranked number two in the world at welterweight in the January 1951 issue of Call it magazine. To show how successful this was, the only man standing above him was Sugar Ray Robinson.

Like many great boxers of this era, Eddie was a very good novice. Despite working hard as a coal miner, he won the Welsh lightweight championship in 1946 and followed it up with a victory in the ABAs five weeks later. Ten thousand fans flocked to the Empire Pool, Wembley, to witness the contest and Eddie won the contests against the Scottish challenger, T Fraser, and the champion fighter, Ernie Thompson. Two weights above Eddie, 17-year-old Randolph Turpin won the middleweight division. Eddie and Randolph met again later that month as the duo won the ABA in a 5-3 victory against a strong USA team.

Eddie wasted no time turning into an expert. He won his first tournament six days later representing the ABA, and defeated Ivor Simpson of Basingstoke in a 4-round contest in Jack Solomons' promotion at the Harringay Arena. Top of the bill that night was a 12-rounder at heavyweight between Bruce Woodcock and Freddie Mills. Eddie was already competing with the top company, and with top London boss Sam Burns looking after his interests, his path to the top would be well planned.

He won his first 10, with competitions taking place in London's top shows or in smaller halls in South Wales, where he built up a strong following. Defeat to Yrjoe Piitulainen of Finland put the brakes on and in March 1948, defeating Welsh star Gwyn Williams in the British welterweight championship, caused his team to pause and reflect.

Eighteen straight wins set things right and helped Eddie move from number five in the UK to number two in the world and a possible match with Sugar Ray. Along the way, Eddie took the British title. After defeating veteran Ernie Roderick in the championship, Eddie then defeated Henry Hall and Cliff Curvis in title fights to claim two points of the Lonsdale belt.

Unfortunately, Jack Solomons was unable to finish the world title fight, as Robinson was making good money at middleweight and becoming the light-weight world champion. Instead, Eddie had to face the Commonwealth title and the European title, which he won at the Market Hall, Carmarthen, of all places.

Eddie was now at the peak of his career and the Board and the EBU saw his next competition, a European defense against Frenchman Charles Humez, as a world title decider. Once again, Eddie defended in his native Wales, this time in Porthcawl, but came second best, BN reporting that Humez put on “a frenetic display of strong two-handed wrestling that proved beyond Thomas' ability. Eddie has never seemed at ease before the fury of his unquestionable opponent”.

He boxed for three more years, losing his British title and, therefore, the opportunity for the Lonsdale Belt, but then achieved much as a manager. One of Wales' greatest fighters, Eddie died in 1997, aged 71.