Elisha Obed
Encyclopedia
Elisha Obed was a Bahamian
boxer at middleweight
and is considered to be one of the greatest fighters to ever to come out of the Bahamas.
Veteran trainer, manager, and promoter Moe Fleischer traveled to Nassau to "check-out" this upcoming prospect. Mike Dundee, son of Angelo Dundee
came in as his manager.
Soon after Obed was fighting main events. He earned a top ten ranking by knocking out former title contender Bunny Grant. Obed made his U.S. debut in Florida. Knocked out every top middleweight boxer in Florida in the early 1970s, including state Champion Dennis Riggs and former champion Jimmy Williams.
In 1975 he captured the WBC Light Middleweight Title by defeating Miguel de Oliveira
. He defended the title twice before losing the belt to Germany's Eckhard Dagge
in 1976 when he quit, claiming he had blurred vision.
Obed stated that he had been thumbed in the eye by Dagge. In actuality, he was later found to have a detached retina and is legally blind in that eye.
Obed decided to enter the middleweight ranks. By 27, he was back to where he started from, fighting on local fight cards in Nassau. He retired in 1988.
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
boxer at middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
and is considered to be one of the greatest fighters to ever to come out of the Bahamas.
Amateur career
Obed entered the amateur ranks at age 12. Fighting almost weekly, he ran up an undefeated record of 46-0 (16 knockouts). At 14, he decided to turn professional.Professional career
For almost 6 years, he lingered on small promotions on the island of the Bahamas. He was billed as undefeated, but in reality, he had lost a fight by knockout to veteran Kid Carew. His loss to Kid Carew was unlisted for almost 8 years, as he was reported incorrectly as undefeated in the press until his loss to Eckhard Dagge.Veteran trainer, manager, and promoter Moe Fleischer traveled to Nassau to "check-out" this upcoming prospect. Mike Dundee, son of Angelo Dundee
Angelo Dundee
Angelo Dundee is an American boxing cornerman. He is best known for his work with Muhammad Ali , and has worked with 15 world boxing champions, including Sugar Ray Leonard, José Nápoles, George Foreman, Jimmy Ellis, Carmen Basilio, Luis Rodriguez and Willie Pastrano.-Professional career:Born in...
came in as his manager.
Soon after Obed was fighting main events. He earned a top ten ranking by knocking out former title contender Bunny Grant. Obed made his U.S. debut in Florida. Knocked out every top middleweight boxer in Florida in the early 1970s, including state Champion Dennis Riggs and former champion Jimmy Williams.
In 1975 he captured the WBC Light Middleweight Title by defeating Miguel de Oliveira
Miguel de Oliveira
Miguel de Oliveira is a former Brazilian boxer at middleweight. He was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil.- Professional career :...
. He defended the title twice before losing the belt to Germany's Eckhard Dagge
Eckhard Dagge
Eckhard Dagge , was a professional boxer in the super welterweight division....
in 1976 when he quit, claiming he had blurred vision.
Obed stated that he had been thumbed in the eye by Dagge. In actuality, he was later found to have a detached retina and is legally blind in that eye.
Obed decided to enter the middleweight ranks. By 27, he was back to where he started from, fighting on local fight cards in Nassau. He retired in 1988.