The greatest Welsh boxer you have likely never heard of is Jimmy “The Mighty Atom” Wilde, who was born in Quaker’s Yard, Merthyr Tydfil, on this day (15 May) in 1892.
The “Mighty Atom” nickname stems from Jimmy’s diminutive stature, coming in at just 1.57m (5 ft 2 in) tall and weighing just 44kg (7 stone).
Despite this, Jimmy was one of the hardest hitting boxers of all time, boasting a fight record of 150 fights, 137 wins and 98 of them by way of knockout. Additionally, he was known to fight men “twice his size” and there are accounts of him knocking out boxers weighing twice his weight. To this day, he is widely regarded as the greatest flyweight of all time.
He still holds the record for the longest unbeaten run in boxing history, which stretched to 103 wins. Ring Magazine named him the third greatest puncher of all time and the greatest flyweight of all time.
If you ever want to be a boxer, be from Merthyr Tydfil.
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Niklas is the founder, owner, manager, editor, writer, video creator, voice over artist, and so forth, of Welsh Histories. He is passionate about the preservation of Welsh culture; the rejuvenation of the Welsh language and the promotion of Welsh history. Niklas currently resides in Pune, Maharashtra, with his beloved wife.