On 8 March 1955, Dai Dower faced off in a boxing ring in the Earls Court arena against Nazzareno Gianelli. Dower beat his opponent, taking the European flyweight title. He was described as 'Boxing at his brilliant best'. He dazzled the watching crowd. This was the high point of the professional career of

'the fighting phenomenon of the south Wales Valleys’.

He claimed his third title, added to his British and Empire championships.

Life had started very differently for David William Dower. Born 20 June 1933, he started his career working as a miner in Abercynon colliery. A flair for boxing led to a successful amateur career, which he pursued alongside his grinding work in the pit. He was amateur flyweight champion, and competed in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. His professional career began the following year. When he took the European title, Dower was undefeated in the ring. In 1956, he was ranked second in the world. March 1957 saw him fail to claim the world flyweight title, and although he also lost the European title, he was undefeated British and Empire champion.

In 1958, Dower retired from professional sport at the ripe old age of 25. He became a sports teacher in a Bournemouth school, ending up head of sport at the town’s university. He died in August 2016, but his memory, as one of Wales's most successful sportsmen, and one of Abercynon’s most beloved sons, lives on.