QUESTION:Who is the only Welsh speaking Heavy weight champion?

[killersheep]

We are talking true linear champs.(he fought 2 of the best)

And you are correct,its not Bowe.

Damn tough question, my answer is gonna be

NONE, it's a trick.

Nope,its not a trick.

This boxer is very well know to fight fans.

Well since there went that idea.

1. Prior to 1970
2. Welsh descended and speaking
3. WORLD heavyweight champ
4. had 2 big name fights.

Ivan Calderon.

[X]

Yn diddori edau ( ai ond at agor 'm chreuau am 'r anwybod chan rhyw chan 'n chyd-swyddogion acha 'ma ) Fi m 'n bert 'n ddiball a ni i mewn Cymru ca erioed had a unoledig heavyweight champ. fel fi m yn cerdded at chyd-a 'r 'n gynt ateb chan 'n Greigiog Marciano ( bu statiuoned i mewn gwrymiau achos rhyw amsera fel Mai wedi crapio hychydig eiriau bai yn cilgwthio 'i at ddeud a bu 'n sylweddol Cymraeg areithiwr er ) Ynte , Adwaen areithian choelbren chan Cymraeg i mewn Patagonis Argentina. Fel atfydd hun chan 'r champs bwriedig rhyw amsera 'na ai 'n briod an Argentine.

I'll attempt to translate from my somewhat pidgin Welsh:

Interesting thread (if only to open my eyes at the ignorance of some of our colleagues on here )

I'm pretty sure that we in Wales have never had a unified heavyweight champ ...... so I'm going to go with the earlier answer of Rocky Marciano (he was statiuoned in wales for some time so may have picked up a few words - it would be pushing it to say that he was really a welsh speaker though)

Otherwise, I know they speak a lot of Welsh in Patagonis, Argentina. So perhaps one of the champs spent some time there or married an Argentine?

[Preme]

Well I had no idea that Welsh was it's own language. Seriously, I didn't know. Does that mean Joe Calzaghe speaks welsh and how different is it from English?

So with that out there, I'm giving myself multiple guesses. 3, technically 4.

First my main picks, I'll take the Klitschkos, either of them. I know Wlad knows multiple languages, more then just Russian and English and I'll take a stab at Welsh being one of them.

Then I have 2 wildcards who are from areas on the map that very well could speak welsh. At least for what I know. The first is the more likely of the two and I think it might be the right answer, Tommy Burns. Burns was Canadian which I have not a clue about. For all I know his parents could have been Welsh settlers. I did read Unforgivable Blackness and he was in it quite a bit, he was a globetrotter and only Jack Johnson made more international defenses I believe. Maybe in his travels he grew fond for the Welsh language. That's my best guess.

Then the ultimate wild card is Ingo Johansson. He's Swedish which I know is Scandanavion but I don't believe that's a language and I have no idea what they actually speak. I'll assume it's not Welsh but maybe there are pockets of Welsh speaking folk in Sweden and Ingo happened to be in that pocket.

Please tell me, rep comment preferrably.

Then I'll

Very few people speek it as a first language.

wrong.

[Preme]

is he from Argentina?

[Preme]

ignore what i wrote last just seen x had posted about argentina

anyhow it was Bob Fitzsimmons

[Gandalf]

Elvis Presley!

[skel1983]

Griff Rhys Jones.

[El Kabong]

Tommy Farr??

Dick Richardson?
Jack Petersen?....HAHAHA he fought a guy named Dick Power
Joe Erskine?

[porkypara]

All wrong.

Here is an other clue that should give you the answer.

He beat one of the most controvercial champions of all time and lost to one of the most popular champs of all time.

[ICB]

All wrong.

Here is an other clue that should give you the answer.

He beat one of the most controvercial champions of all time and lost to one of the most popular champs of all time.

Ingemar Johansson ?
Joe Frazier ?
Muhammad Ali ?
Ernie Terrell ?
Jimmy Ellis ?

Stupid guesses but i can't think.

[JazMerkin]

All wrong.

Here is an other clue that should give you the answer.

He beat one of the most controvercial champions of all time and lost to one of the most popular champs of all time.

I had no idea Sonny Liston spoke Welsh

[Kev]

Max Baer, beat Primo Carnera and lost to Jim Braddock

Actually it could be Tommy Farr but I don't think he was ever world champ. But he fought Braddock, Baer and Joe Luis and unlike everybody else mentioned on this thread he was actually Welsh I think!

[porkypara]

Max Baer, beat Primo Carnera and lost to Jim Braddock

Actually it could be Tommy Farr but I don't think he was ever world champ. But he fought Braddock, Baer and Joe Luis and unlike everybody else mentioned on this thread he was actually Welsh I think!

Its not Farr.

He was Welsh but I dont think he could speak Welsh.

[Dark Lord Al]

Mike Spinks

[porkypara]

Mike Spinks

No