John Conteh
John Conteh | ||||||||||
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![]() Conteh c. 1973 | ||||||||||
Statistics | ||||||||||
Real name | John Conteh | |||||||||
Rated at | Light Heavyweight | |||||||||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||
Reach | 76 in (193 cm) | |||||||||
Nationality | English | |||||||||
Born |
Liverpool, Lancashire, England | 27 May 1951|||||||||
Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||
Boxing record | ||||||||||
Total fights | 39 | |||||||||
Wins | 34 | |||||||||
Wins by KO | 24 | |||||||||
Losses | 4 | |||||||||
Draws | 1 | |||||||||
No contests | 0 | |||||||||
Medal record
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John Conteh (born 27 May 1951) is a British former boxer who was world light-heavyweight boxing champion.
At his peak in the mid-to-late 1970s John Conteh was considered good enough to be touted as a possible opponent of Muhammad Ali. He enjoyed fame in Britain and was often on the front as well as the back pages of national daily newspapers.
Boxing career
John Conteh began boxing at the age of 10 at a boxing club in Kirkby that was a training ground for some of the best amateur boxers, such as Joey Singleton, Tucker Hetherington and Stuart Morton. At 19, he won the middleweight gold medal at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. He won the World Boxing Council Light Heavyweight crown in October 1974 by defeating Jorge Ahumada. He held the title until 1977 when he was stripped for not going through with a mandated defence.[1]
Conteh lost a 15-round split decision to the Yugoslavian fighter Mate Parlov when he attempted to regain the title.[2] He failed twice in further efforts to win back the crown, in 1979 and then again seven months later in 1980, on both occasions fighting the American Matthew Saad Muhammad. Muhammad won both bouts but the first victory was declared void because his cornermen used an illegal substance on a cut.[3]
Conteh retired from professional boxing in 1980. He said that his excessive lifestyle brought about a premature decline in his career. His professional record is 34 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses.
In 1973, Conteh was one of the celebrities featured dressed in prison gear on the cover of the Wings album Band on the Run. He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1974.[4]
Conteh also has the distinction of being British Superstars competition champion in 1974, the second year of the televised sporting event. Conteh is now an after-dinner speaker and speaks at venues all across the country.
After boxing
Conteh appeared on the BBC television programme Sporting Legends which was presented by Eamonn Holmes. There he spoke at length at how he started out in boxing and how Ali persuaded him to fight at Light-Heavyweight instead of Heavyweight. Ali believed that Conteh was too small to be a heavyweight. Conteh also spoke of how his lifestyle led to alcoholism and a charge of assault, he stated that at the time he appeared on Sporting Legends he had been dry for nine years.
Conteh also appeared in films such as Man at the Top (1973), The Stud (1978) and Tank Malling (1989), and made a starring appearance in the television show Boon in 1989, as a washed-up boxer. He more recently appeared on a boxing special of The Weakest Link in 2009, where he finished in third place. His most recent TV acting appearance was in the crime drama Justice, in which he again played an ex-boxer.
Professional boxing record
34 Wins (23 knockouts, 11 decisions), 4 Losses (1 knockout, 3 decisions), 1 Draw | |||||||
Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
Win | 12–14–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 | 31 May 1980 | ![]() |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:49 of the fifth round. |
Loss | 24–3–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 | 29 March 1980 | ![]() |
WBC World Light Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 2:27 of the fourth round. |
Loss | 23–3–2 | ![]() |
UD | 15 | 18 August 1979 | ![]() |
WBC World Light Heavyweight Title. 142–146, 143–144, 141–146. |
Win | 19–6 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | 4 June 1979 | ![]() |
|
Draw | 18–8–1 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | 19 April 1979 | ![]() |
|
Win | 8–2 | ![]() |
KO | 7 | 26 September 1978 | ![]() |
Rodgers knocked out at 1:15 of the seventh round. |
Loss | 21–1–1 | ![]() |
SD | 15 | 17 June 1978 | ![]() |
WBC World Light Heavyweight Title. |
Win | 20–7–1 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | 7 February 1978 | ![]() |
100–90. |
Win | 26–2–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 | 5 March 1977 | ![]() |
WBC World Light Heavyweight Title. |
Win | 31–3 | ![]() |
UD | 15 | 9 October 1976 | ![]() |
WBC World Light Heavyweight Title. 149–145, 149–145, 148–146. |
Win | 11–3–3 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | 16 August 1975 | ![]() |
|
Win | 24–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 | 11 March 1975 | ![]() |
WBC World Light Heavyweight Title. Referee stopped the bout at 1:10 of the fifth round. |
Win | 41–5–2 | ![]() |
SD | 15 | 1 October 1974 | ![]() |
WBC World Light Heavyweight Title. |
Win | 26–5–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 | 21 May 1974 | ![]() |
EBU/Commonwealth/BBBofC British Light Heavyweight Titles. |
Win | 74–5–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 7 | 12 March 1974 | ![]() |
EBU Light Heavyweight Title. |
Win | 17–2 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | 12 February 1974 | ![]() |
|
Win | 37–15–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 | 14 December 1973 | ![]() |
|
Win | 33–7–2 | ![]() |
PTS | 15 | 23 October 1973 | ![]() |
Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Title. |
Win | 39–11–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 9 | 10 September 1973 | ![]() |
|
Win | 25–4–1 | ![]() |
PTS | 15 | 22 May 1973 | ![]() |
EBU/Commonwealth/BBBofC British Light Heavyweight Titles. |
Win | 29–3–3 | ![]() |
TKO | 12 | 13 March 1973 | ![]() |
EBU Light Heavyweight Title. |
Win | 28–9–1 | ![]() |
KO | 7 | 14 February 1973 | ![]() |
|
Win | 16–1–1 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | 15 January 1973 | ![]() |
50–48.25. |
Win | 12–2–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 9 | 5 December 1972 | ![]() |
|
Win | 14–13–5 | ![]() |
KO | 2 | 14 November 1972 | ![]() |
|
Win | 32–11–3 | ![]() |
KO | 7 | 31 October 1972 | ![]() |
|
Win | 3–11–1 | ![]() |
DQ | 1 | 10 October 1972 | ![]() |
|
Loss | 5–1–1 | ![]() |
PTS | 10 | 26 September 1972 | ![]() |
49–49.25. |
Win | 7–14 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 | 19 July 1972 | ![]() |
|
Win | 12–3–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 8 | 6 June 1972 | ![]() |
|
Win | 8–6–1 | ![]() |
KO | 5 | 25 April 1972 | ![]() |
|
Win | 5–7 | ![]() |
KO | 2 | 28 March 1972 | ![]() |
|
Win | 2–1 | ![]() |
KO | 1 | 15 February 1972 | ![]() |
|
Win | 11–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 | 25 January 1972 | ![]() |
|
Win | 6–16–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 | 7 December 1971 | ![]() |
|
Win | 4–19–2 | ![]() |
PTS | 8 | 24 November 1971 | ![]() |
|
Win | 9–11 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 | 16 November 1971 | ![]() |
|
Win | 25–17–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 | 8 November 1971 | ![]() |
|
Win | 8–3–1 | ![]() |
KO | 1 | 18 October 1971 | ![]() |
See also
References
- ↑ Conteh Stripped of Title. United Press International via Star-News. 19 May 1977
- ↑ Parlov Decisions Conteh. Daytona Beach Morning Journal. 17 June 1978
- ↑ Controversial ending to cruiserweight fight. The Montreal Gazette. 10 December 1979
- ↑ John Conteh's appearance on This Is Your Life
External links
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