Hundreds of people have turned out for the funeral of an undefeated amateur boxer and a ‘legend’ in the Southampton traveller community.
Known to most as ‘Jimmy’ or ‘Bimmy’, James Ward died of a heart condition on Tuesday, April 2, at the age of 62.
An emotional service was held at St Edmunds Catholic Church on Wednesday with James’ closest family members arriving in a Roles Royce convoy of seven cars.
READ MORE: Service held for 'legend' of Southampton traveller community
Each car was fitted with a flag marked with the name ‘Jimmy Ward' who has been hailed as a 'legend' in the traveller community.
The grandfather was one of nine siblings who spend most of their life growing up in Southampton. He also had eight children of his own.
James’ younger sister, Noreen Ward, 54, told the Echo that despite being an incredibly talented boxer, he didn’t like to fight and was a gentle soul.
She said: “He would always make us laugh and had a great sense of humour. Bimmy was so truthful and honest – it would often get him in trouble, but he would never tell a lie.
“In his life he had more than 120 amateur boxing fights – and he never lost.”
In 1987, James had had a bare-knuckle boxing bout that went on for more than an hour. Noreen said that despite ending in a draw, this was as close as he ever came to loosing.
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