Owen's death. They sent him messages of support after the fight and encouraged the Mexican fighter to continue boxing. The WBC claimed that Owen had been insured for $50,000, but this later proved to be false as the payments were capped at $25,000 that would first be put towards medical expenses. The cost of Owen's treatment was $94,000, more than three times the insurance payout. The remaining medical bills were paid by a public appeal that raised $128,000 for Owen, with his family donating the remaining money to charity. In his will, Owen left £45,189 to his family, having earned less than £7,000 for his title fight with Pintor after expenses. Owen's death, along with those of Kim Deuk-koo and Francisco Bejines in the early 1980s, ultimately led to boxing title fights being fought over 12 instead of 15 rounds in an attempt to improve the safety of fighters. Fighting style Owen was renowned for his dedication to boxing, training relentlessly and often doing more work than his trainers asked of him. His dedication was such that he never drank alcohol and it is widely believed that he abstained from romantic relationships. This led to Hugh McIlvanney of The Observer labelling Owen as "The Virgin Soldier" in 1979. Owen's training involved running considerable distances, between on normal days, contributing to his thin physique. Owen's manager, Dai Gardiner, was accused of starving Owen to maintain his leanness and allow him to compete at bantamweight. His stamina was regarded as inexhaustible; Winford Jones, a boxing writer and former referee, described Owen: "His great skill wasn't his strength – though he never took a backwards step and could punch as hard as anyone of his weight – it was his stamina. He could fight for hours, and would wear opponents down by outlasting them." Jones also stated that Owen's stamina made him an ideal fighter in the professional ranks where fights often went over ten rounds compared to his amateur career, where fights typically lasted three. His reliance on his ability to outlast fighters sometimes led to weak points during the early rounds of fights. Srikumar Sen of The Times noted "Owen is a slow starter and can be caught early". Although he did not possess devastating knockout power, Owen was noted for his "fast accurate punching". Owen's punching power was often debated, with some doubting that he possessed the power required to