You can help honour one of Newport's unsung heroes with a statue in the heart of the city. We want to raise £35,000 to pay for a bronze sculpture memorial of David Pearce, one of the most successful boxer to come out of Newport.

Dubbed by many as 'Newport's own Rocky', the ex-steelworker became the Welsh and British Heavyweight champion in 1983, winning the coveted Heavyweight Lonsdale belt. Always proud of his home town, when David clinched the title he said "I did it for Newport".

The campaign was set up by a relative of David, Luke Pearce, "He was a fighter who always showed grit and courage. As well as winning the heavyweight titles, in 1984 he came close to winning the European Heavyweight title in France, This was despite having a broken hand and, because the promoter had not arrange anywhere for David to stay, having to sleep on a park bench the night before the fight."
He adds: "The guts he always showed came from his background. He was an ordinary Pill boy, but wherever he fought, he did Newport proud.

"People remember him training around in the town, running up and down Belle Vue Park - he really was like Newport's Rocky'.

David came from a famous Newport family of boxers. He was born in Newport in 1959, the son of a man who had fought in the boxing booths and had fathered 11 children, including seven sons, six of whom boxed professionally.

David died in 2000 which he was just 41-years-old. On the day of his funeral around 2,000 people came to say farewell to a great champion and a Newport boxer whose life was cut too short.

With your help we can honour this Newport hero by putting up a life-sized statue of David in the corner of Mariners' Green facing St Josephs Boxing Gym.