Ranked as the number four bantamweight in the world by the WBC, Owen was offered a lucrative title fight against Pintor by promoter Mickey Duff. The two parties had discussed a potential meeting in Wales, an option Pintor was open to, but promoters in the country could not match the purse offered by American promoters and the fight was held in Los Angeles. Owen stated that, should he win the fight, his plan was to defend the belt three times before retiring to Merthyr. Pintor had edged a highly controversial split decision over stablemate and long-time champion Carlos Zarate to win his world bantamweight title in June 1978. Zarate retired in disgust following the decision, but Pintor proved to be an able successor and had defended his title twice heading into the fight. Owen arrived in Los Angeles a week before the fight to acclimatise to the humidity. Both Owen and Pintor would go for early morning runs in the local area and would sometimes pass in a nearby park without acknowledging each other. Both fighters trained at the gym facilities in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Owen found the press intrusion from the Mexican reporters difficult to deal with; he was hounded everywhere during the day and his motel room phone rang so often that Dai Gardiner requested the motel block any incoming calls. Eventually, Owen snapped and threatened to disrupt the fight schedule unless action was taken. The fight promoter promptly intervened and the press backed off.