[2] Unlike most boxers of the period, Welsh had a privileged upbringing, at the age of four he attended Mr Mclune's Grammar School in Pontypridd and was privately educated at Long Ashton College in Clifton, Bristol.

They set sail from Liverpool to Vancouver arriving in January 1903,[7] but although his companions were able to find work, Welsh struggled to hold down any steady jobs.

[12] Initially he rode the rails to the Dakotas to labour in the farm fields, before heading to New York City working long hours as a dishwasher or banner bearer.

[15] It was as an instructor he first met his future wife, Brahna Weinstein, a Jewish Russian girl who anglicised her name to Fanny Weston when her family moved to the East Side.

[14] Welsh then found work at a well-known New York gymnasium for $8 a day, the wage barely paid his meals but he took the job to learn the boxing profession.

[14] Despite going days without eating, and having to sleep on the wrestling mats at the gym, he refused to turn professional,[14] partially to preserve his amateur status and he also did not want his mother to discover he was earning a living as a boxer.

[14] When friends who knew him from his gym work, and seeing him struggle to pay for a decent meal, asked why he didn't take up the nightly paid 'private' fights, Welsh initially refused.

[20] His next match saw him stop Eddie Fay in the sixth, and with this promising start to his career, the Broadway Athletic Club lined up a more challenging opponent, journeyman Tommy Feltz.

[20] In March 1906, he faced four opponents, defeating Tommy Love and Kid Stinger (both 'no-decision', but given by the Philadelphia Item) and then a points win over Eddie Lenny, followed by a draw with Johnny Dohan.

[22] Welsh now had a fine record behind him, but a few days after the Gleeson fight, he received news from Wales that his mother was seriously ill, and with Fanny still in New York, he returned to Britain on the Etruria.

[32] After winning a rematch against Seaman Hayes on 7 September, Welsh was invited to a private fight arranged by local industrialists for a fee of £100 plus a large purse.

[32] The fight was arranged to test Welsh, and they chose Joe White, a Swiss-Canadian who had also learnt his boxing art in the United States, but was now living in Cardiff.

[22] A similar result was given in the contest against a poor Boxer Kelly, before he faced Willie Fitzgerald at Spring Garden Athletic Club; another six-round bout given as a draw.

[47] The rematch with McFarland was set for 4 July, Independence Day, to coincide with the world lightweight title fight between champion Joe Gans and Battling Nelson held in California.

McFarland took the result badly and launched into a vicious tirade of abuse towards Jeffries,[50] though Welsh too thought he had done enough to win in the first two-thirds of the fight and sent a cablegram to Wales stating such.

[53] Around this time, Welsh received a promise of a fight from fellow Brit Johnny Summers for the European title, but the major challenger in California was Abe Attell, the featherweight champion of the world since 1906.

[68] Welsh took a break away from boxing after winning the Lonsdale Belt, earning good money making theatrical appearances at music halls in London,[69] but a chance meeting with Packy McFarland led to a match being arranged between them.

The match was billed as the "Light-weight Championship of the World",[70] but that title was now held by Ad Wolgast who had beaten Battling Nelson in a shock win in February.

[75] A long build up to the game caused the relationship between Welsh and Driscoll to sour, and when they met to sign the contracts, an argument broke out between the two men over the choice of referee.

[91] While in Buffalo, Welsh visited his friend Elbert Hubbard and after long philosophical discussions, he returned to boxing with a new purpose, intent on regaining his British title.

[102] When Welsh arrived in New York, Billy Dolan, Ritchie's manager, announced that the champion would not be fighting for four months as he was touring Europe to fulfil theatrical commitments.

[22] These fights were followed by bouts against Billy Farrell in Moose Jaw, Ray Campbell and Young Jack O'Brien in Vancouver and then Martin Murphy in Fernie, British Columbia.

[104] During this period, to insure his name stayed in the papers, Welsh revealed that he and Fanny Weston had actually been married since 1905, a secret kept from all but the closest family members.

He faced Phil Bloom in New York, the press decision favouring Welsh, before he returned to Canada for a knockout win over Canadian Champion Arthur Ellis.

[103] Back in the United States, Welsh, although struggling with his weight[109] was able to best Johnny Dundee in New Orleans, followed by a points victory over Frank Whitney in Atlanta.

[103] Five days later on 15 January 1914 in Kansas City he faced Mickey Sheridan of Chicago, who underwent "thirty minutes of torture and considerable humiliation" in an easy points decision for Welsh.

[132] The farm was set in 162 acres (0.66 km2) and Welsh spent thousands of dollars on improvements, installing a gymnasium, a state of the art kitchen, golf course, tennis courts and a swimming pool.

[139] Despite the three-and-a-half-year absence from the ring, Welsh was in good shape and took only four rounds to beat Green;[103] though he had switched his trademark defensive boxing to a heavier brawling style.

[146][147] With strict curfew hours and a no-alcohol policy, Madame Bey made the farm a success, and Long Hill became an important training venue for New York boxers.

I eat as much raw food as possible, and this second meal consists of all sorts of vegetables, and for the main dish I have a macaroni and cheese, followed by fruit and nuts and a little rice or tapioca pudding.