His stamina was regarded as inexhaustible; Winford Jones, a boxing writer and former referee, described Owen: "His great skill wasn't his strength – though he never took a backwards step and could punch as hard as anyone of his weight – it was his stamina. He could fight for hours, and would wear opponents down by outlasting them." Jones also stated that Owen's stamina made him an ideal fighter in the professional ranks where fights often went over ten rounds compared to his amateur career, where fights typically lasted three. His reliance on his ability to outlast fighters sometimes led to weak points during the early rounds of fights. Srikumar Sen of "The Times" noted "Owen is a slow starter and can be caught early".