ONE of those celebrating as Newport's Transporter Bridge turns 100 is former champion boxer Steve Sims - it played a crucial part in his preparations for the European featherweight title bout in 1983.

The 48-year-old Newport man prepared for the big fight by running up and down the landmark - 290 steps each way - ten times a day for two weeks.

"It gave me more stamina in my legs than ever before, but I'd be shaking when I finished the run," he remembers.

Although he didn't defeat Loris Stecca in the fight, Mr Sims says running up the steps gave him an edge.

Even after the bout he continued to use it in his training, and says he was often accompanied by Dave Pierce, former British Heavyweight Champion.

These days Mr Sims, who lives in Liswerry with his wife, Debs, says running up the bridge is out of the question for him.

"I couldn't even think about it," he says.

And he thinks the bridge is a vital part of Newport's history.

He says his father, Billy, enjoyed recounting how, as a teenager in the 40s, he used to attach a rope to the bridge and swing from it to drop down into the river.

"Very dangerous now, I wouldn't recommend it, but people used to get away with things like that," says Mr Sims.

At the height of his career Mr Sims was hailed by the media as "the Welsh Rocky".

He turned professional in 1979, taking the British title belt in 1982, and the Welsh title in 1985 and again in 1986, when he defeated Tony Borg, which some consider to be his most memorable fight. He lost the European title in 1983, after which he was ranked second in Europe.

He received bundles of fan mail at the time and was named Newport Sports Personality of the Year in 1983 by the Argus.

Today Mr Sims remains a big boxing fan and has managed fighters in Newport since his retirement in 1988.