John Conteh
Encyclopedia
John Conteh is a British
former boxer
who was world light-heavyweight boxing champion.
Conteh is one of Britain's most successful boxing champions. At his peak in the mid to late 1970s
he was considered good enough that he was touted as a possible opponent of Muhammad Ali. He enjoyed great fame in Britain and was often on the front as well as the back pages of the leading dailies due to his love of partying and women. Conteh said that his excessive lifestyle brought about a premature decline in his talents. He started boxing at age 10 at the Kirkby club that was a training ground for some of the best amateur boxers, Joey Singleton, Tucker Hethering and Stuart Morton were only a few. At 19, he won the middleweight gold medal at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games
. He won the WBC
Light Heavyweight crown in October 1974 and held the title until 1978 when he was stripped for not going through with a mandated defense. He was the loser on points over fifteen rounds to the Croatian fighter Mate Parlov
in an attempt to regain the title. Conteh appeared to have done enough to regain his title, and the loss was controversial. He failed twice in further efforts to win back his old crown in 1979 and then again seven months later in 1980 - both against the American Matthew Saad Muhammad
.
He retired from professional boxing in 1980. 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
.
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.
Conteh appeared on the BBC television program Sporting Legends which was presented by Eamonn Holmes. On the show Conteh spoke at length at how he started out in the fight game and how Ali persuaded him to fight at Light-Heavyweight instead of Heavyweight as Ali believed that Conteh was too small to be a heavyweight, and 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 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 came in third place. His most recent TV acting appearance was in the crime drama "Justice", in which he again played an ex-boxer.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
former boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who was world light-heavyweight boxing champion.
Conteh is one of Britain's most successful boxing champions. At his peak in the mid to late 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
he was considered good enough that he was touted as a possible opponent of Muhammad Ali. He enjoyed great fame in Britain and was often on the front as well as the back pages of the leading dailies due to his love of partying and women. Conteh said that his excessive lifestyle brought about a premature decline in his talents. He started boxing at age 10 at the Kirkby club that was a training ground for some of the best amateur boxers, Joey Singleton, Tucker Hethering and Stuart Morton were only a few. At 19, he won the middleweight gold medal at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games
1970 British Commonwealth Games
The 1970 British Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland from 16 July to 25 July 1970.This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first time metric units rather than imperial units were used in events, and also the first time the games were held in...
. He won the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
Light Heavyweight crown in October 1974 and held the title until 1978 when he was stripped for not going through with a mandated defense. He was the loser on points over fifteen rounds to the Croatian fighter Mate Parlov
Mate Parlov
Mate Parlov was a Croatian boxer, and an Olympic gold medalist for former Yugoslavia. As a professional, he won the European light heavyweight title in 1976 and WBC light heavyweight world title in 1978....
in an attempt to regain the title. Conteh appeared to have done enough to regain his title, and the loss was controversial. He failed twice in further efforts to win back his old crown in 1979 and then again seven months later in 1980 - both against the American Matthew Saad Muhammad
Matthew Saad Muhammad
Matthew Saad Muhammad is a former boxer who was the world's light heavyweight champion.Saad Muhammad's mother died when he was an infant, and he and his elder brother were sent to live with an aunt. When he was five, his aunt could not afford to look after both of them and she instructed Saad...
.
He retired from professional boxing in 1980. 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
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Band on the Run
Band on the Run
Band on the Run is an album by Paul McCartney & Wings, released in 1973. It was Wings' third album. It became Wings' most successful album and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums...
.
Conteh also has the distinction of being British Superstars
Superstars
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
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.
Conteh appeared on the BBC television program Sporting Legends which was presented by Eamonn Holmes. On the show Conteh spoke at length at how he started out in the fight game and how Ali persuaded him to fight at Light-Heavyweight instead of Heavyweight as Ali believed that Conteh was too small to be a heavyweight, and 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 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 came in third place. His most recent TV acting appearance was in the crime drama "Justice", in which he again played an ex-boxer.