One of the great Welsh fighters who is all too often forgotten is Johnny Basham of Newport, the 'Happy Wanderer' who became the welterweight British champion, joining his fellow countrymen, Jim Driscoll, Tom Thomas, Freddie Welsh and Jim Driscoll who had also earned Lonsdale Belts at their respective weights.



By the time his career ended he had won the British and the European championship at two different weights. Like so many boxers from South Wales, Basham first found his punch on the boxing booths that would travel around the country, after proving himself a capable scrapper on the streets of Newport. Known for his elegance and artistry as a ring stylist, Basham was a close friend of 'Peerless' Jim Driscoll, and both would travel great distances in WW1 to entertain the troops stationed throughout France with displays of their boxing prowess.

Johnny Basham in WW1 Boxing Squad (2nd from right, back row). Jimmy Wilde (front row left) and Jim Driscoll (front row right) can also be seen in the picture


In later years, after his career in the ring had passed, Johnny Basham struggled to find an alternative to boxing and fell on hard times. Never one to wallow in his misfortune, he remained a upbeat and likable character known for his love of a good joke. The people of Newport did not forget Johnny's days of glory, and in 1947 a boxing tournament was arranged in the hope that the proceeds of the event would provide Johnny with a pension.

Johnny's Lonsdale Belt - could belong to Wales for 30,000



Sadly, just a week before the tournament, Johnny Basham died, with a huge crowd turning out for the funeral. Sufficient funds were not available to mark Johnny's grave in a manner befitting such a great champion, and his resting place was marked with a simple wooden cross for forty years.

In 1987 a boxing tournament between Newport and its German twinned town Heidenheim helped raise the money for a headstone.

The Lonsdale Belt, which was awarded to Basham in 1914, 1915 and 1916, was auctioned at Bonhams Sporting Memorabilia sale yesterday in Chester, but failed to reach its reserve price of 30,000.

It seems a shame that this information does not seem to have reached any Welsh institution that might have been able to raise the funds to purchase the belt so that this amazing piece of Welsh boxing history could remain in the country and be viewed by the public, possibly the National Museum of Wales or possibly the Newport City Council to be put on permanent display in Johnny's hometown. Until recently the only other solid gold Lonsdale belt in Wales that could be viewed by the public was that of Jimmy Wilde, which was displayed at the St. Fagans museum in Cardiff.

JOHNNY BASHAM IN TRAINING