Power-puncher Colin Jones won British, Commonwealth and European welterweight titles but was unable to complete his journey, falling short in three attempts to claim a world title.

Jones was born in the small town of Gorseinon, in Wales, on March 21, 1959.

"We didn't have it easy, but we well looked after," Jones told The Ring. "It was hard times being a family of eight children.

“My father worked underground; he was a miner. When he came up from underground, he went to work at Felindre Steelworks."

When Jones was nine, he followed his brothers, all bar one of whom boxed and won Welsh amateur titles, to Penyrheol boxing club and had his first fight when he was 11.

Jones won three Welsh school boy titles and a Welsh senior and ABA title.

He represented Great Britain at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, while still a teenager, where he reached the third round.

"It was just a fantastic experience, for a 17-year-old, who had a handful of senior fights and mixing with the best amateurs in the world,” he said. “It changed my life; it spurred me on."

The proud Welshman added a second ABA title in 1977 and looked set to go in another direction.

"I had no intention of turning professional,” he said. “I'd started working underground."

Local manager, Eddie Thomas had other ideas and convinced him to turn professional.

Jones, who went 104-6 as an amateur, turned professional aged 18, and made a purse of £300 against Mike Copp, in October 1977.

His power saw him move quickly through the British rankings to earn a fight with Kirkland Laing, who he met in April 1980.

"He gave me a bit of a boxing lesson for seven, maybe eight rounds - he was miles ahead," admitted Jones. "I was always in such shape that if you showed a flicker of any weakness, I was always ready to pounce and that's what happened. I pounced in the ninth-round and managed to get him out of there.”

Jones made a defense of his title and added the Commonwealth title before facing Laing in a rematch a year later.

"The rematch was identical," he said reminiscing. "The thing that cost him the bout was he hit me low twice in the eighth round and I took a knee, and he thought he had me and went for gold and he went for the finish, and I pulled him in nice and short and hit him with a short left-hook and then his mouth split and when he came out for the next round, I could see he was ready for the undertaker. He went in the ninth again.”

In his next outing, Jones it a speed bump when he hit American battler Curtis Ramsey on the way down and was disqualified.

A return to form saw Jones successfully defend his Commonwealth title and then face Hans Henrik Palm (39-2, 18 knockouts) for the European title in Copenhagen, Denmark, in November 1982.

"It was one of those nights that whoever I'd boxed, I'd have had a good chance against anybody,” he said.

That lead to an even bigger opportunity, when the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard vacated the WBC welterweight title, Jones and rising star Milton McCrory were matched to fill the vacancy in Reno, Nevada, in March 1983.

“Both parties thought they'd won the fight,” he recalled. “It was close. I'm not going to say I won it, and I think the end result [a draw] was a fair result."

Don King won the purse bid and brought the rematch to Las Vegas, five-months later and lost a razor-thin decision.

Unperturbed, Jones got back to action with a pair of wins in South Wales and was close to landing boxings biggest star.

"I actually signed a million contract to box Sugar Ray Leonard," he revealed. "I can remember my wife and myself were out having a meal and Eddie waved by the restaurant door and came over and said the deal had been done.”

However, Leonard retired again after Kevin Howard dropped him and the fight never happened.

Jones didn't have to wait long to secure a big fight when his promoter, Frank Warren, was able to bring over IBF and WBA 147-pound titlist Donald Curry to face the Welshman at the NEC, Birmingham, England in January 1985

"Don Curry was a class fighter,” he said. “I think it was the third round; I picked up a nasty cut on my face on the bridge of my nose. That was it really, I knew it was the end of the road."

Several months later, he attempted to come back but at just 25-years-old he decided to call it a day due to an injury.

He remained in the sport and later took over as Welsh national coach in 2011.

"We've prepped a lot of Olympians here," he said. "Selby's [Lee and Andrew], Fred Evans, Rosey Eccles, Joe Cordina, they've all come through the system."

His services to boxing were recognized in the Queen's 2020 Birthday Honors, when Jones was awarded the highly prestigious MBE.

Jones, now 66, still lives in Gorseinon, he is married and has three children and six grandchildren.

He graciously took time to speak to The Ring about the best he fought in 10 key categories.

Kirkland Laing: "Laing was accurate with the jab and he had great range and speed."

Milton McCrory: "His physical attributes, he was 6-1, 6-2 and he was rangy, he was built like Tommy Hearns, and I found it hard to get to him and break him down."

Laing: "He had lightning speed with both hands and that's how he beat Roberto Duran in the Upset of the Year."

Laing: "He was a natural athlete; he could create rhythm. His agility and ability were second to none."

Donald Curry: "He was cunning, that's why the called him "The Cobra.”

Salvo Nucifero: "He hit me with a massive right hand. I remember coming back to the corner after about four-rounds and [Trainer] Gareth [Bevan] said to me, 'You'd better pull your socks up, young man. He's ahead of points.' I said, 'You're joking, it's only the first round.' We were in the fourth round [Laughs.]"

Billy Parks: "He took some stick, and he didn't budge. It was only in the last minute of the last round that the referee jumped in and saved him. I'd have still been hitting him now.”

Curry: "He was accurate and solid, different league to everyone else. I remember talking to Brian Curvis and he said, 'Colin, the way you're describing Donald Curry, I felt that when I boxed Emile Griffith. Different league, different power, different class.'"

Curry: "Textbook, Don Curry. He could do everything, he could fight, he could punch, he could box, great technician, tactician. He had it all."

Curry: "He was class, he was streets ahead of everyone else. When you talk about greatness, a proper world champion, he was one of those."