Howard Winstone

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Howard Winstone (born 15 April 1939 in Merthyr Tydfil, died 30 September 2000) was a Welsh world champion boxer

As an amateur, Winstone won the Amateur Boxing Association bantamweight title in 1958, and a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff

He turned professional as a featherweight in 1959, winning the British featherweight title in 1961, and was unbeaten in his first 34 contests. Winstone also won the European featherweight title

Winstone became the World Featherweight Champion on his fourth attempt when he stopped Mitsunori Seki of Japan in nine rounds in June 1968. In a world title defence at Porthcawl, South Wales he was defeated and retired aged 29. Later, he was made a Freeman of Merthyr Tydfil due to his boxing accomplishments

In 2005, he beat Owen Money, Richard Trevithick, Joseph Parry and Lady Charlotte Guest to be named "Gretest Citizen of Merthyr Tydfil", in a public vote competition run by Cyfarthfa Castle and Museum as part of the centenary celebrations to mark Merthyr’s incorporation as a county borough in 1905 [1]