Fighting Words

The Celtic Arts Center and The Sarah Fulton Group presents Fighting Words. The tiny Welsh village of Merthyr Tydfil is known for producing great boxers, but oddly enough, none of them has ever won a world championship. So in 1980, when skinny, 24-year old Johnny Owen — known as the Matchstick Man for his scrawny appearance — came to Los Angeles to fight for the Bantamweight World Championship against Lupe Pintor, he brought with him the hopes and dreams of every resident of his rural hometown. All the menfolk followed Johnny to California to cheer him on to victory.