John Conteh
Titles: WBC light heavyweight champion 1974-1977
Record: 34-4-1
Born: March 27, 1951 in Liverpool, England
Years active: 1971-1980
Nickname: None
Conteh was a enigma to be sure, he had all the talent in the world but his bad
temperament and un-relenting need for control over his own career saw him
destroy it. At his peak in the mid 70's his body was chiselled and a
accurate left jab and very fast combinations dazzled both opponents and
judges. Conteh added to a impressive amateur career by winning his first
17 fights before falling short on points to cagey Eddie Duncan. This loss
was forgotten when he won the European light heavyweight crown from Rudiger
Schmidtge in impressive fashion. Now he would fight his English arch-rival
Chris Finnegan and in 15 rounds won high marks and the fight from critics
in what was a very close fights. A rematch ended in controversy when a
headbutt forced the fight to the cards where Conteh again won. In 1974
Bob Foster was stripped of his title for not defending against Conteh which
left Conteh to fight Jorge Ahmunda for the crown. Conteh won the crown on
points dominating his foe and in the last couple of rounds going toe to toe
with his hard hitting opponent before his adoring fans in London. After his
first defense against Lonnie Bennett constant arguing with his manager took
over his life, Conteh wanted more control of his career. 2 more successful
defenses followed against soft opposition but a serious hand injury now
added to his problems and left him out of the ring for 14 months. A very
good win over Yaqui Lopez followed but it was to be his last good outing.
Conteh was stripped of his title when he pulled out of a fight with lightly
regarded Miguel Cello, Conteh was fit to fight but his temperament got the
better of him. Now he was forced to fight as a challenger and was unable
to win the title in 3 attempts, against Mate Parlov once and Matthew Saad
Muhammad the first time he had come close to winning on points in their
home towns. He would state that he was a beaten man before he ever fought
the champions with his concentration and dedication to the sport now gone.
In his second fight with Muhammad however he was humiliated and down 5
times before the referee stopped the fight. Conteh did more damage to his
hotel room after the fight than Saad Muhammad. In a strange twist he was
divorced by his wife when she found out Conteh had cheated on her with
Jake LaMotta's daughter. At the age of 29 he was done after defeating a
journeyman in London. In retirement he was able to clean himself up and
stopped the drug and alcohol abuse that ruined his career in the ring.
Another case of unlimited potential thrown away by a limited mindset.
John Conteh
Career record: 34 W, 4 L, 1 D (23 K.O's)
1971
Oct 18 Okacha Boubekeur Mayfair KO 1
Nov 8 Pierre Minier Mayfair KO 5
Nov 16 Frank Bullard London KO 2
Nov 24 Tony Burwell Nottingham W 8
Dec 7 Emile Okee London KO 5
1972
Jan 25 Wilhelm Janco London KO 1
Feb 15 Larry Sykes London KO 1
Mar 28 Ruben Figueroa London KO 2
Apr 25 Joe Gholdston London KO 6
Jun 6 Billy Aird London KO 8
Jul 19 Johnny Mac Dublin KO 2
Sep 26 Eddie Duncan London L 10
Oct 10 Ferenc Kristofcsak London W D.Q 1
Oct 31 Bill Drover London KO 7
Nov 14 Johnny Hudgins London KO 3
Dec 5 Sam Mc Gill London KO 9
1973
Jan 15 Dave Matthews Nottingham W 10
Feb 14 Terry Daniels Las Vegas KO 6
Mar 13 Ruediger Schmidtke London KO 12
May 22 Chris Finnegan London W 15
Sep 10 Vicente Rondon London KO 9
Oct 23 Baby Boy Rolle Nottingham W 15
Dec 14 Fred Lewis Liverpool KO 3
1974
Feb 12 Les Stevens Kensington W 10
Mar 12 Tom Bogs London KO 7
May 21 Chris Finnegan London KO 6
Oct 1 Jorge Ahumada London W 15
(Wins WBC Light Heavyweight title)
1975
Mar 11 Lonnie Bennett London KO 5
(Retains WBC Light Heavyweight)
Aug 16 Willie Taylor Scranton W 10
1976
Oct 9 Alvaro Yaqui Lopez Copenhagen W 15
(Retains WBC Light Heavyweight)
1977
Mar 5 Len Hutchins Liverpool KO 3
(Retains WBC Light Heavyweight)
1978
Feb 7 Joe Cokes London W 10
Jun 17 Mate Parlov Belgrade L 15
(For WBC Light Heavyweight)
Sep 26 Leonardo Rodgers London KO 7
1979
Apr 9 Jesse Burnett Mayfair D 10
Jun 4 Ivy Brown Liverpool W 10
Aug 18 Matthew Saad Muhammad Atlantic City, NJ L 15
(For WBC Light Heavyweight)
1980
Mar 29 Matthew Saad Muhammad Atlantic City, NJ KOby 4
(For WBC Light Heavyweight)
May 31 James Dixon Liverpool KO 5