WAYNE ELLIS, 1968-2018
Gareth Jones pays tribute to the former Welsh middleweight champion
FORMER Welsh middleweight king Wayne Ellis died at the weekend, at the age of 49. He had been in poor health for some years. He will be best remembered for his bravery in defeat against Steve Collins in a 1993 clash in Cardiff, when he stood up to a bombardment for nine rounds, before referee Dave Parris called a halt.
As the battered loser recuperated in his dressing room, the door opened and Collins appeared. He told Ellis that only experience had beaten him, that he could both give a punch and take one, and that, “most important, you’ve got it here.” And the Irishman, who, six months later, was a world’ champion, tapped his heart.
Wayne picked up a string of Welsh honours, junior and senior, before going all the way to British ABA supremacy in 1988.
With the amateur authorities refusing to guarantee him a trip to that year’s Seoul Olympics, despite his two-year unbeaten run and high world ranking, Ellis turned pro under Frank Warren, with Anthony Alsop as his trainer.
Wayne’s first 11 paid engagements saw just one setback, when future British welterweight title challenger Lindon Scarlett dropped him twice on the way to a draw, while his victims included Paul “Silky” Jones and Johnny Melfah.
When his contract with Warren expired, Ellis switched to Barry Hearn, although his first outing with Matchroom saw him floored by a punch on the break from Colin Manners. Although the Yorkshireman was warned for the offence, Wayne never recovered and was dropped again before being stopped in the opener.
But next time out the Cardiffian thrilled his hometown crowd by decking and widely outpointing Alan Richards to secure his national middleweight crown. He successfully defended it with a seventh-round stoppage of Mike Phillips, though he suffered a hand injury which, along with a bout of glandular fever, kept him sidelined for a year.
Then came that unforgettable encounter with Collins, followed by a technical decision victory over Paul Busby: Ellis was cut by a clash of heads, but after referee John Keane had raised Busby’s hand in accordance with British custom at the time, it was pointed out that WBO rules (their Penta-continental strap was at stake) demanded a look at the cards – and they had Wayne in front!
Busby gained revenge with a unanimous decision, and after a further points loss to Darron Griffiths for the Welsh super-middle title, Ellis called it a career with a 14-4-1 (7) record.
He went to live in New Zealand for a while, returning to Cardiff a decade ago and helping found Llanedeyrn and Pentwyn ABC to cater for youngsters in the area in which he grew up.
Always a popular figure in his native city and beyond, his opponents invariably became his friends. Last summer, for example, he travelled to a function in Essex to be reunited with old foe Collins.
Another former rival, fellow Cardiffian Kevin Hayde, recalls the time when he was running a local pub and Wayne strolled in, insisting that a photo of himself landing a right on Hayde’s jaw should be given pride of place in the display of memorabilia above the bar! It shows their mutual respect that the picture duly went up and remained there throughout Kevin’s tenure as landlord.